{"id":124,"date":"2018-12-30T18:39:44","date_gmt":"2018-12-30T18:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/?p=124"},"modified":"2019-01-17T18:42:40","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T18:42:40","slug":"tooth-colored-vs-metal-fillings-a-dentist-makes-a-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/30\/tooth-colored-vs-metal-fillings-a-dentist-makes-a-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"Tooth-Colored vs Metal Fillings: A Dentist Makes a Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"222\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/48368919_10155754075261366_5785450582709895168_o-1-300x222.jpg\" alt=\"metal and white fillings comparison\" class=\"wp-image-125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/48368919_10155754075261366_5785450582709895168_o-1-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/48368919_10155754075261366_5785450582709895168_o-1-768x568.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/48368919_10155754075261366_5785450582709895168_o-1-1024x758.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/48368919_10155754075261366_5785450582709895168_o-1.jpg 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tooth decay is a common problem. In fact, the vast majority\nof people will suffer from at least one cavity in their lifetime. Fillings can\nrepair teeth, stop the spread of decay, and help your smile endure for decades.\nBut what type of filling should you get? Traditional amalgam (metal) fillings\nhave been around for years, and many dentists still use them. On the other\nhand, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/tooth-colored-fillings.html\">tooth-colored\nfillings<\/a> are becoming ever more popular. A dentist in Fox Chapel is here compare\nthese two types of restorations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Appearance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no doubt that tooth-colored fillings are superior\nto amalgam when it comes to aesthetics. Metal fillings have a distinct silver\ncolor, which clashes with the natural color of tooth enamel. In contrast, tooth-colored\nfillings are made out of a composite resin that blends in seamlessly with the\ndentition around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To see for yourself just how good tooth-colored fillings\nlook, examine the photo that accompanies this blog. We replaced a patient\u2019s\nmetal fillings with composite resin, and now there is virtually no way to tell\nthat there was ever any tooth decay!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s also worth noting that amalgam fillings can leak over\ntime and lead to permanent discoloration in the tooth that surrounds them.\nComposite resin does not have this issue, and you can be confident that it will\nmaintain its beautiful appearance for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Oral and Overall Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, your oral and overall health are even more important\nthan your smile\u2019s appearance. There are a few ways in which tooth-colored\nfillings are better for your well-being than amalgam ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Amalgam fillings contain a significant amount of\nmercury, a toxic metal that has been connected to a long list of serious\nsymptoms, including headaches, fatigue, and respiratory problems. Composite\nresin is biocompatible and non-toxic.<\/li><li>Metal expands and contracts when it is exposed\nto extreme temperatures, which means that amalgam fillings place extra stress\non the dentition around them. Composite resin does not have this problem.<\/li><li>Tooth-colored fillings have a low thermal\nconductivity, which can help reduce your sensitivity to hot and cold\ntemperatures. Metal fillings, on the other hand, may actually add to tooth\nsensitivity.<\/li><li>Placing a composite resin filling requires less\nmodification of the tooth structure than placing an amalgam filling. This is\nbecause the resin actually bonds with the enamel, so there is no need to create\na \u201cpocket\u201d for it to sit in.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you need a filling, there is really no reason why you\nshould settle for amalgam. Tooth-colored, composite resin fillings are just as effective\nat stopping decay and offer numerous advantages over their old-fashioned metal\ncounterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Ray Voller is a family dentist in Fox Chapel who has\nnearly 40 years of experience in his field. He is proud to offer tooth-colored\nfillings both to patients who have new cavities and to those who would like to\nreplace their old metal fillings. To learn more about Dr. Voller and his\nservices, call one of our offices or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/contact.html\">contact us via our website<\/a>.\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tooth decay is a common problem. In fact, the vast majority of people will suffer from at least one cavity in their lifetime. Fillings can repair teeth, stop the spread of decay, and help your smile endure for decades. But what type of filling should you get? Traditional amalgam (metal) fillings have been around for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124\/revisions\/126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}