White fillings, also known as tooth-colored fillings, mimic the natural look of a tooth and restore its structure. Besides restoring teeth which have decayed or fractured, tooth-colored fillings also may be used to alter the shape, color, and size of teeth.
The many benefits of tooth-colored fillings include:
- They can be utilized on back and front teeth without having to compromise aesthetics.
- Minimal-to-no sensitivity
- They harden in a matter of seconds
- Restores 85 to 95 percent of the initial tooth strength
- Chemically bond to tooth structure and thereby don’t require any placement of pins, grooves, or slots in healthy tooth structure in order to mechanically retain them
- Closely match natural teeth appearance and color
Once tooth decay is removed, your tooth is cleaned, and primer is put on to the space being restored. A bonding agent is flowed in the open pores and then cured. Curing will prepare the agent to stick to your tooth-colored filling material. Finally, the filling material is placed in your tooth.
After shaping your tooth-colored filling material to look similar to the natural anatomy of the tooth, it’s hardened using a curing light. As the filling hardens, the bite is checked to ensure the teeth properly fit together. If your filling extends into the area between the teeth, the dentist also will ensure that you are able to properly floss between the teeth. Adjustments are made if needed, followed up by polishing and smoothing of the new filling.