Composite Fillings

Fillings are used to restore areas of your tooth affected by decay. At Conway Family Dental Care we use composite (tooth-colored) material to replace tooth surfaces after all decay has been removed.

Why do I need a filling?

• Restoring small to large-sized areas of tooth decay (cavities)
• Restoring chipped/ broken teeth
• Replacement of amalgam ("silver") fillings for a more esthetic result
• Direct composite veneers for aesthetics

What is involved in a filling placement?

First, your dentist will apply a topical anesthetic to the area around the tooth to assist in a pain-free injection. Anesthetic will then be delivered to the needed tooth requiring the filling. Your dentist will then thoroughly remove the decay that is present and prepare the tooth for the composite filling. When the composite filling is placed, shaped, and cured, he will then make adjustments to the filling to ensure your bite and adjacent contact with the neighboring tooth is ideal.

What material is being used and why?

Composite filling material is the material of choice at Conway Family Dental Care. Composite restorations are tooth-colored to blend in with the remaining natural part of the tooth. The term composite refers to the actual filling material, which is a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium.

Composite fillings are not only very aesthetic in the mouth and designed to match your current tooth color and shape, but they also provide good durability and resistance to tooth fracture. Composite fillings are "bonded" directly to the tooth surface which also allows a more conservative approach to the tooth repair compared to traditional filling material.