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Composites/Fillings

Most people have fillings of one sort or another in their mouths. Nowadays fillings are not only functional, but can be natural looking as well. Many people don't want silver fillings that show when they laugh or smile because they are more conscious about the way they look.

Are white fillings as strong as silver fillings?

Previously white fillings or composites have always been considered less long lasting than silver amalgam fillings. But there are now new materials available with properties comparable to silver amalgam, and these are proving to be very successful.

The life expectancy of a white filling can depend greatly on where it is in your mouth and how heavily your teeth come together when you bite.

Because of this in certain cases you dentist may advise you against placing white fillings in back teeth as they are not always successful.

One way around this would be to use crowns or inlays, but this can mean removing more of the tooth and can be more expensive.

Adhesive dentistry is another form of treatment that can be used to restore your teeth with white fillings. This involves bonding the filling to the tooth. The dentist has to remove less of the tooth, which is obviously better.

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