Dental Fillings

Treat Your Cavity With A Lifelike Restoration

When we discover a cavity during your dental checkup, we suggest removing it right away to preserve your tooth and prevent the further spread of decay. After clearing all decaying material, we will place a permanent restoration to prevent future reinfection. At Denali Dental Care, we create fillings from a composite resin that sets instantly after application. This means you can return to normal activities, such as eating and drinking, as soon as you leave your appointment.

What Are Dental Fillings?

When dental plaque wears away the surface of your teeth, the resulting cavity creates a permanent hole that must be restored. Decades ago, dentists would fill these holes with a combination of metals called amalgam to return the shape of the original tooth. In recent years concerns about mercury contamination have led many practices to choose composite resin instead. Compared to amalgam, composite fillings fuse with the tooth completely. The ability to match the shade of composite resin also allows us to restore your tooth’s appearance.

Caring For Your Tooth After Placement

Because composite resin allows you to resume eating and drinking immediately, adjusting to life with your restoration is relatively seamless. Your tooth may feel sensitive for a few days, so avoid extremely hot or cold food and drink. Continue brushing and flossing your teeth normally, and we will inspect your filling at your next dental checkup to see that it holds in place.

Additional Uses For Composite Resin

Composite resin is a versatile material used in applications besides creating fillings. We can place a dental bond to repair minor chips or cracks in teeth. This procedure “builds up” the surface of your tooth to regain volume lost to physical trauma. Resin’s ability to match the shade of your tooth provides an alternative treatment to teeth whitening with bleaching gel.