Minor Teeth Restorations in Cumming, GA

Tooth decay is one of the most common oral health conditions a person can experience. Dr. J. Clay Skognes offers various treatments for decay, including a metal-free treatment for smaller caries. Cumming Dental Care provides composite fillings in Cumming and to all nearby areas.

When Are Fillings Used?

Tooth decay is most visible in the form of cavities, the large dark spots on teeth where the enamel and dentin have been eaten away by oral bacteria. However, cavities do not suddenly appear. They start as very small sites of tooth decay, known as caries, and grow over time. As a result, tooth decay can be treated with minimal alteration to the enamel if a caries is discovered early.

When treating caries or small cavities, the restoration a dentist uses is a filling.

These restorations are made of a flexible material that adheres to the healthy tooth surface, filling in the section of the tooth that had decayed. Specifically, our Cumming family dentist uses fillings made of composite resin. This material is strong and has the same white coloration as a natural tooth, making it both sturdy and beautiful.

Why Should Fillings Be Metal Free?

Traditionally, fillings were made of dental amalgam instead of composite resin. Amalgam is a mixture of different metals that hardens onto a tooth shortly after placement. The result is a durable, silver-colored restoration to repair your teeth.

Dr. Skognes does not use amalgam fillings for several reasons.

The fact that metal stands out in the smile, reducing its aesthetic quality, may be the most obvious, but it is not the most pertinent. Instead, the main reason why we don’t use amalgam fillings is that one of their metals is mercury, a neurotoxin. While the ADA considers the mercury exposure caused by fillings within safe levels, it is still important to minimize your exposure. Aside from mercury, the other metals in amalgam can cause allergic reactions in some patients.

Composite Fillings’ Cosmetic Benefit

In contrast, composite fillings are purely beneficial. They are fully hypoallergenic and do not contain mercury or any other toxins. A tooth-colored filling simply rebuilds the tooth’s structural health without harming your greater well-being.

Composite fillings also offer a cosmetic benefit in that they blend into the smile, as opposed to standing out like silver-colored amalgam. This advantage matters because there is a correlation between looking like a personal ideal, such as having white teeth, and feeling more confident. Composite fillings may not necessarily make you enjoy life more, but they certainly do not prevent you from doing so.

Contact Us for Restorative Dental Care

Cumming Dental Care offers composite fillings in Cumming. The families of our local community and all surrounding communities can visit us and receive a body-safe, beautiful treatment for minor tooth decay. For more information about our approach to restorative dentistry, call our practice and schedule your family’s next appointment today!