Fairlawn Dental Health

When is the last time you thought about your fillings? When you run your tongue over the fillings in your molars, how do they feel? Are they rough and jagged? Does touching them or chewing cause any kind of twinge or pain? Now look in a mirror and open your mouth. Have your teeth been repaired with dark and aging “silver” fillings? Do the teeth under them look dark?

While they may be called “silver”, those fillings really aren’t silver at all! They are made up of an amalgam or mixture of metals including Mercury. Though there has been some discussion about whether the Mercury in a filling can have adverse effects on your body, we have seen example after example of how they can hurt your teeth. The damage begins as this metal expands and contracts in your tooth – just the way metal shifts when exposed to different temperatures outside your tooth. This movement can cause your teeth to chip and allow bacteria to enter the very cavity the filling was meant to protect. We often take out metal fillings with advanced decay and damage under the filling.

We believe that every restoration we place should be both healthy and beautiful. That is why we only place composite fillings or porcelain inlays, onlays or crowns. If you think you have a cavity, or if you have old metal fillings in your teeth that are bothering you or causing concern, give me, Dr. Bryan Stephens a call at 330-867-7741. We can help get your smile healthier and more beautiful.