White Tooth Fillings in Jerusalem
A white tooth filling is a type of treatment to restore a tooth, commonly known as “filling”, that takes place by using a filling material that is similar in its color to the natural tooth’s color instead of amalgam, which is also used for tooth fillings, but its grey color can be easily spotted. Learn why many of our patients at Dr. Stela Heisler – Dental Clinic in Jerusalem are interested in white tooth fillings.
Who’s A Good Candidate For White Fillings?
The white filling material can easily change its color due to nicotine or red wine. Even though you can easily come back and get the filling slightly sanded to its original color, it’s best to avoid consuming foods, drinks, and other materials (like cigarettes) that might change the color.
In other words – white tooth fillings can be great for patients who brush their teeth regularly, maintain a high level of dental hygiene by using mouthwash and flossing, and regularly visit the dentist for maintenance treatments and regular checkups.
What’s the Difference Between White Tooth Fillings and Grey Tooth Fillings?
The grey traditional filling made of an alloy of metals commonly known as amalgam has been the only filling material in dental reconstruction in use for many years. The fact that this alloy has some mercury in it, which is toxic, alongside the aesthetic demand for inconspicuous fillings have led to the development of white tooth fillings that are made from different materials. One of the filling materials is made from complex resin known as composite (which is also used for dental composite fillings), or porcelain.
The main difference between a grey filling and a white filling is, of course, their color. While a yawn, for example, will reveal to everyone around the teeth in which there is a gray filling, the same yawn in a mouth full of white fillings will look as if the mouth has not undergone any dental treatment – simply because the color of the white filling is so similar to the colors of natural teeth, which makes it difficult to tell which tooth has a filling.
There’s also a difference in the way the filling is glued to the tooth. While amalgam doesn’t stick directly to the tooth and requires the dentist to install additional infrastructure, which means additional drilling into the tooth, a white filling sticks directly to the tooth itself and therefore doesn’t require weakening the tooth. Furthermore, since a grey filling contains a mix of metals, it conduces electricity, heat, and cold, while a white filling doesn’t conduce anything.
Should I Change My Grey Filling with a White One?
Since a grey filling doesn’t look as good, as well as makes the teeth more sensitive to extreme temperatures while also containing some toxic mercury, many patients want to change their grey amalgam fillings with white ones.
But that’s not a very recommended move. Changing a filling is only performed if there’s something wrong with the tooth underneath the filling material, such as tooth decay under the filling itself. In such a case, there’s no choice but to remove the existing filling and replace it with a new one. If there’s no critical issue that requires treatment for a tooth with grey fillings, it’s not recommended to change the filling into a white one.
Interested in white fillings in Jerusalem? Schedule a consultation appointment now, and we’ll be happy to help!
