Tooth Coloured Fillings and Dental Bonding

In Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario

Years ago, dental fillings were done with metal amalgam and that was the only choice. With the extraordinary advancement of modern dentistry, we now we have better choices. You can have a tooth-coloured filling done either of two ways:

1. Using dental porcelain – a glass-like, white, ceramic substance that we will match in color to your tooth enamel; or
2. Using dental composite – a putty-like, white, malleable substance that can also be matched to your own tooth colour

Porcelain fillings (inlays and onlays) are made in a dental lab because porcelain is hard and must be milled to the right shape. This type of filling is called an indirect restoration, as opposed to a direct restoration which is done directly on your tooth as you relax in the dental chair. White composite fillings are direct restorations.

Inlays and Onlays

An inlay is smaller than an onlay but otherwise they are the same type of filling. Inlays fit within the tooth’s cusps whereas onlays extend over on to one or more outside surfaces. Your cosmetic dentist will plan your inlay or onlay by taking digital photos, an X-ray, and various measurements, and sending the data to our dental lab.

There is a second visit after the lab sends your restoration to our office. Your dentist will fit it into your tooth temporarily to check its fit and your bite, and when you are both satisfied with it, he will bond it permanently to your tooth. Bonding makes it part of the tooth and it will never loosen or fall out as metal fillings used to do.

Porcelain is also used in cosmetic dentistry for porcelain veneers on front teeth and for crowns and bridges.

White Composite Fillings

This type of filling is done in one visit. The dental composite is placed into the tooth cavity incrementally until the tooth has a new surface that fits with the opposing tooth. Then your cosmetic dentist uses a curing light to harden the composite. That takes just a few seconds, and your tooth then has a new lease on life. Composite fillings will also never loosen or fall out.

Dental Bonding

A substance similar to the composite used for white fillings is used for a bonding procedure. It has a slightly different consistency. It is used to fill or reshape teeth to conceal flaws and enhance your smile.

Dental bonding can:

• Cover deep stains that do not respond to tooth whitening
• Cover the front of a tooth to correct slight crookedness or misalignment
• Modify a tooth’s shape to better match its neighbors
• Fill small gaps between teeth
• Correct the appearance of your teeth alignment

As with white composite fillings, the bonding material is hardened with a curing light after its shape is finalized. This is a quick procedure and can make a big difference in your smile, giving it a more even line.

If you are considering dental bonding as well as teeth whitening, you should have the whitening done first. Your cosmetic dentist can then match the bonding material to your new bright tooth color. Both dental porcelain and bonding are stain-resistant, especially porcelain, and will not respond to any teeth whitening procedure.

To learn more about dental bonding and any other cosmetic dentistry procedures you are considering, please contact Willow Dental in Mississauga, Ontario today.