Kent Family Dental
2515 Alpine Ave NW # A
Grand Rapids, MI 49544
(616) 364-9348
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Grand Rapids Dental Fillings | Dental Fillings in Grand Rapids MI
Are you in need of a dental filling in Grand Rapids MI, let Kent Family Dental be your provider any silver fillings or composite (tooth colored) filling work you may require. Our professional dentistry services are second to none when it comes to providing quality, comfortable, and great looking dental work. You can be sure that our Grand Rapids dentists will provide you with the utmost care in your dental needs. For further information about fillings by our dentists in Grand Rapids MI, please read our information provided below.
Composite fillings (tooth colored) are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-colored filling. They provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed to prepare the tooth, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam (silver filling). Composites are also bonded to the tooth allowing us to make a more conservative repair to the tooth. The cost is moderate and depends on the size of the filling and the technique used by the dentist to place it in the prepared tooth. It generally takes longer to place a composite filling than what is required for an amalgam filling.
Amalgam (silver fillings)- is 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. 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. Because amalgam fillings can withstand very high chewing loads, they are particularly useful for restoring molars in the back of the mouth where chewing load is greatest. They are also useful in areas where a cavity preparation is difficult to keep dry during the filling replacement, such as in deep fillings below the gum line. Amalgam fillings, like other filling materials, are considered biocompatible?they are well tolerated by patients with only rare occurrences of allergic response. Disadvantages of amalgam include possible short-term sensitivity to hot or cold after the filling is placed. The silver-colored filling is not as natural looking as one that is tooth-colored, especially when the restoration is near the front of the mouth, and shows when the patient laughs or speaks. And to prepare the tooth, the dentist may need to remove more tooth structure to accommodate an amalgam filling than for other types of fillings.