All You Need to Know about Tooth-colored Fillings

Closeup view of small cute girl in the dentist's chair. dentist in facemask treating child's teeth

It may be stressful and unsettling to learn that your kid needs a filling. And we know why. But it’s important to understand that cavities sometimes occur, despite your best attempts to educate your kid on good dental hygiene habits. Fortunately, a filling may repair a tiny hole or cavity in your child’s tooth if it turns out they have one. Tooth-colored fillings are made to blend in with your child’s natural teeth, so you don’t have to be concerned about your child’s mouth being filled with metal.

Composite fillings, often known as tooth-colored fillings, are dental restorations that blend in with your child’s natural teeth. As the name suggests, these fillings make your child’s mouth uniform and seem more natural than amalgam fillings (silver-colored fillings). The use of composite fillings on rear teeth has become more straightforward because of developments in dental technology, even if tooth-colored fillings are typically utilized on front teeth.

What causes cavities?

There are several reasons, and they may be challenging:

  • The preferred diet of germs that cause harm is sugar. When your kid overeats or drinks, the germs are encouraged to grow and find homes in their smile, mainly if they don’t promptly brush afterward.
  • One major contributing factor is poor dental hygiene, which our staff may assist you with. Every household member must practice regular brushing, flossing, and rinsing!
  • Although a dry mouth may not appear to be a major issue, saliva is beneficial for washing away food residue. Without it, our young patients’ likelihood of bothersome cavities increases significantly.

How do fillings make tooth color function?

At Childrens Dentist Indianapolis IN, getting a filling that matches your teeth is simple. The damaged areas of your child’s tooth will be removed by Kids Dentist Indianapolis IN after making sure they are as comfortable as possible, taking care to protect the excellent structure that is still there. The composite resin will then be applied to the tooth and sculpted into position to make it seem natural. The next step is using a specialized curing light to harden it.

Why are fillings that match my child’s teeth the best option?

  • True to their name, tooth-colored fillings perfectly match your child’s natural smile, allowing them to grin with assurance after their procedure is complete!
  • The composite resin’s flexibility enables our specialists to save more of your child’s original tooth, giving it crucial strength.
  • Extremely hot or cold conditions may cause extreme sensitivity in teeth with metal fillings. Tooth-colored fillings are far more pleasant for teeth of all sizes and shapes.
  • Fillings may endure for 10-15 years or more with at-home brushing, flossing, and frequent dental checkups (not a problem for delighted youngsters).

Benefits of using tooth-colored fillings

We appreciate employing tooth-colored fillings for our young patients for the following seven reasons.

  1. Displays a more polished appearance

The ability of composite fillings to blend in with your child’s natural teeth—in stark contrast to the gold and silver fillings that were formerly used—may be the primary reason parents choose them. Because tooth-colored fillings blend in with your kid’s smile, your child’s friends and relatives may not even realize that they had cavities filled. As a result, your child can laugh, talk, and eat as before.

  1. Absence of leaks or corrosion

Contrary to silver-mercury fillings, which corrode and rust over time, composite resin will never deteriorate no matter how long your kid has a white filling. Saliva cannot flow into the tooth-colored substance since it is physically linked to the tooth, preventing new issues. This means that in addition to looking natural, your child’s filling assures you that their smile is as healthy as it seems.

  1. Materials devoid of mercury

A non-toxic blend of plastic and glass makes up white fillings. Unlike amalgam fillings, the combination contains no mercury. In addition to being non-toxic, tooth-colored fillings won’t trigger an allergic response in kids with a metal allergy since they are composed of plastic rather than metal.

  1. Less susceptible to both heat and cold

The resistance of composite fillings to temperature variations is another factor that makes them the finest dental filling choice for your youngster. Metal fillings are more prone to thermal stresses; as a result, when subjected to hot or cold temperatures, they will expand and contract. This may cause the enamel to thin and break, resulting in tooth damage and toothaches. Due to the insulating nature of composite materials, tooth-colored fillings prevent your child’s natural tooth structure from cracking or being subjected to the same heat pressures.

  1. Persistent

When the teeth and gums are adequately cared for via a suitable oral regimen and frequent dental exams, tooth-colored fillings may last up to 20 years. But it wasn’t always like that. Early versions of white-filling composites were not sturdy enough to support the back teeth and endure prolonged strain from chewing and grinding. But thanks to recent developments in dentistry, tooth-colored fillings are now created using long-lasting materials. The filling will continue to work just as well in ten years as it did the day it was inserted. This protects your child’s smile health and reassures you that your child’s oral health is in good hands.

  1. Keeps more tooth structure intact

Compared to metal fillings, placing a tooth-colored filling involves less destruction of the natural tooth structure. To get the composite resin material to adhere to the enamel, the Children Dental Center Indianapolis IN only has to make a tiny hole in the tooth, preserving more of the sound tooth structure. The Pediatric Dentist Indianapolis IN will often need to drill a more giant hole for amalgam fillings to prevent breakage or loosening of the filling.

  1. A simple and swift process

You and your child may anticipate a fast, painless process for a tooth-colored filling during your visit. Pediatric Dentistry Indianapolis IN might treat one or two cavities in less than an hour. Additionally, unlike amalgam fillings, which must be removed entirely before repair, the filling may be fixed if it ever sustains damage.

Please feel free to call us to schedule an appointment if you have any questions regarding your child’s dental health or if their six-month exam is approaching. We are eager to take care of their smile. Ask your child’s dentist whether a tooth-colored filling is possible if they require a filling because of a cavity. The parents will appreciate the fact that fillings won’t permanently change a child’s smile. Additionally, shortly, your kid will be grateful for a pain-free tooth, whether they are eating bowl of their preferred ice cream or a popsicle on a chilly summer day!