Everyone loves to eat chocolate, candy, and sugary things. But these foods cause cavities, and eventually those who continue to eat these kinds of foods will have to get a filling. A popular choice for dentists to use is a white colored filling to fix your cavity. White colored fillings are mostly made of plastic and glass particles.
What we call a white filling is known by dentists as Composite Resin. Although a fancy sounding name, it is simply plastic and glass layered into your tooth. The dentist will place small amounts of the mix into your tooth, and then use a special light to harden the layer. The dentist will repeat this process a few times in order to fully harden the composite and fill your tooth. Finally, the dentist will shape the filling to fit your specific tooth, and polish it to give it its white color.
The fact that white colored fillings are mostly made of plastic and glass particles give it a large advantage over regular fillings. Aesthetically, the plastic and glass is easier to blend together to create a similar color to your natural tooth. Furthermore, there are health benefits to the composites as well. Composites help attach to the tooth in areas that have decayed from a cavity. In doing so, the composite helps bond your tooth together and prevent further breakage.
White colored fillings help keep your teeth looking sparkling white, and don't give off the same look as silver fillings, which give off the vibe of an unhealthy tooth. However, there are some disadvantages to the white colored fillings as well.
Depending on the size of the cavity, white colored fillings don't seem to last as long as silver fillings might. The one saving grace is that in small cavities, white colored fillings hold up fine. In terms of tooth health, this is definitely a negative. Additionally, certain foods can stain your white fillings easily. The dentist can apply a protective clear coating on the filling, but these are far from perfect.
More negatives revolve around the price of a white cavity. Because white colored fillings are mostly made of plastic and glass particles, the materials cost more than a typical metal filling. For this reason, a white colored filling can cost twice as much as a typical silver filling. Those with dental insurance will often have the price of a silver filling covered, but for those who want a white colored filling, they will have to pay out of their own pocket. There is small hope, however, that composites will get cheaper as they are improved, which could lower the price further. Still, the price is variable depending on where you go to get the procedure done.
White colored fillings are great for people who are trying to maintain the aesthetics of their smile. Beyond this, they are also very important for dental health in preventing further decay of a tooth via a cavity, and for reshaping disfigured teeth. A white filling is a great choice for its many advantages despite some drawbacks.