Having cavities as an adult is a scary scenario. Sure, you’ve had your share of tooth aches and cavities as a child, but you had the assurance that when your baby teeth fall out, new ones will take their place. Not so when you’re grown up; a loss of a tooth would be permanent. Luckily, modern technology and countless advancements in dentistry now allow you to skip the painful process of extracting a decayed tooth through fillings. If you have already had some work done with silver fillings, you might want to consider having a Wilkes Barre dentist to replace them with white fillings.
White Fillings vs. Silver Fillings
The technique of using silver fillings has been around for over 180 years. The procedure uses various metals like silver, zinc, mercury, tin, and copper to fill in holes in a tooth. While silver fillings are durable, some studies have suggested that the mercury content in them could cause disastrous effects for people with allergy to mercury. On the other hand, white fillings or composite fillings work just as well without using any sort of metal. They are also more aesthetically pleasing as they are made to be the same color of the teeth, and are therefore much less noticeable.
Silver Fillings Might Cause Cracking
Teeth cracking is a common problem for people in the age range of 40 to 50 years old who have silver fillings. Unfortunately, because silver fillings are opaque to x-rays, they might be hiding teeth cracking issues underneath. This might cause a patient to have some sensitivity issues as the cracks get deeper and deeper. In extreme cases when the cracks move closer to the nerve, a patient will need to get dental crowns.
White Fillings Make it Easier to Spot Problems
Some research have shown that there is a 15 to 20 percent chance that cavities won’t be detected even with the use of x-rays in patients with silver fillings. That’s not a risk you should be willing to take with your teeth. White fillings make it easier for your dentist to detect any issues. Usually, when there is a problem inside, the tooth’s edges would show signs of staining.
Your trusted dentist in Wilkes-Barre, PA can help you if you are interested in the many benefits of white fillings. Be sure to approach only dependable dental offices like Back Mountain Dental for your next appointment.
