I just want to make sure I am on track here. I had two silver fillings in my back teeth for several years. Over time (and circumstance), they have both been replaced now. The white fillings are so much better. I am a snowbird and went to get my teeth cleaned while we were in Arizona. The dentist there told me I had a cavity that was so deep that I had to get a metal filling in it. I didn’t want a metal filling so I didn’t do anything about my cavity. Now that I’m back home, I want to know if it’s true–that if your cavity is too big, you can’t do a white filling.
Thanks,
Mel, Michigan
Mel,
I’m glad you didn’t consent to the metal filling and will seek another opinion. That particular dentist must just be more used to working with the amalgam (metal) fillings, because really, from what you described, everything about your cavity made it a great candidate for a white filling.
When you have a deep cavity in a tooth and put an amalgam filling in it, it makes it more sensitive to heat and cold because those temperatures are able to be conducted through the metal deeper into the tooth and nearer the roots. Also, the walls of a tooth with a deep cavity tend to be thin because they are usually wide, as well. This makes the tooth more prone to breakage. A tooth is strengthened when a white filling is bonded into the tooth. Metal doesn’t add the strength to the tooth and a break would more likely occur.
One of the biggest selling points of the white filling is purely esthetic. They just look better and can help to restore the strength and look of your natural teeth.
This post is sponsored by Generations Dental Care in Enfield, Connecticut.
