Dental Fillings in Hyannis, MA - Restoring and Protecting Your Teeth
If you have ever gotten a cavity, then you’ve probably had a filling put in. Fillings are essential to treating a cavity and a necessary measure to protect your oral health. If you’ve never had a cavity, then count yourself lucky. Cavities are common. The average adult has 3-4 in their lifetime, which means 3-4 fillings in their life. We offer dental fillings in Hyannis, MA, as part of our general dentistry treatments. Fillings come in a few different varieties, and depending on where the cavity is, patients may prefer one type of filling over another.
Understanding the types of filling materials and why fillings are so important will make the entire process much smoother so that you can focus on other things rather than worrying about the next time you’re in Hyannis, MA, and have to go to Hyannis Dental Partners for a dental filling.
Dental Filling Types and Why They Are Necessary
Dental Filling materials come in two basic varieties: metal and composite. Dental Fillings used to be made from just about any material, from mercury to silver. In recent years and due to the toxicity of mercury, dentists no longer use it in fillings and generally stick to safe metals like silver to make fillings.
The other option, composite fillings, has a few different materials that dentists can use. Some composite fillings are resin materials that can be shaded or tinted to match natural teeth. There are also glass composites, powdered glass composites that contain fluoride, and more.
The dentist may choose the filling material based on where it needs to go, or they may let the patient choose. Metal fillings are durable and less likely to crack or break when chewing but are much more noticeable. Composite fillings are weaker as resin and glass tend to crack under pressure, but these fillings can be made to look like natural teeth. Patients may choose a composite filling when the filling is in a highly visible spot and metal when the filling needs strength.
