We are pleased to offer the following services and technologies to our patients. Click on any service to get an overview displayed to the right:

FILLINGS

Amalgam (silver) fillings remain the most widely used filling materials. According to American Dental Association (ADA) “……dental amalgam is the most thoroughly researched and tested restorative material among all those in use. It is durable, easy to use, highly resistant to wear and relatively inexpensive in comparison to other materials. For those reasons, it remains a valued treatment option for dentists and their patients.”  ADA also describes dental amalgam as “….a stable alloy made by combining elemental mercury, silver, tin, copper and possibly other metallic elements. Although dental amalgam continues to be a safe, commonly used restorative material, some concern has been raised because of its mercury content. However, the mercury in amalgam combines with other metals to render it stable and safe for use in filling teeth.”
The ADA site http://www.ada.org/public/topics/fillings.asp#types  also states that “While questions have arisen about the safety of dental amalgam relating to its mercury content, the major U.S. and international scientific and health bodies, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization, among others have been satisfied that dental amalgam is a safe, reliable and effective restorative material.”

Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quarts fillers in a resins material. They come in a wide variety of shades to best match your tooth color. They also require minimal tooth structure removal by the dentist for the preparation. Composite fillings are long lasting and durable if they are used in a small or mid size restorations.

There are other options for the restorations of damaged teeth. These will include the so called indirect restorations. These restorations will require several visits to the dental office. The dentist will prepare your tooth take a mold and the restoration is going to be fabricated based on that mold. These are custom made fillings and can be made from several different materials such as gold alloys, base metals, porcelain or processed resins. The cost of indirect restoration are generally higher due to the process and cost of the materials used.