Composite Fillings in Elk Grove, CA

If you develop a cavity, it's best to have your dentist fill it as soon as possible to prevent further damage and restore your oral health. However, at Laguna Springs Dental, we understand that your smile's aesthetics are important too! That's why we use mercury-free composite fillings exclusively to create virtually invisible tooth repairs.

We strive to use the most conservative and affordable treatment options available for our Elk Grove, CA, patients. Aesthetic composite fillings allow us to perform less invasive repairs than silver amalgam and leave you with a healthy, attractive smile.

Advantages of Using Tooth-Colored Fillings

A filling seems pretty basic, but using composite resin has several benefits.

Natural-Looking Appearance

The word "composite" refers to something made up of various components. Composite fillings are a blend of acrylic resin and powdered glass filler, which is why they closely resemble a tooth's translucent appearance.

Our dentists use a shade guide to match the filling material to the same shade of white as your teeth. Once the filling is placed in your tooth and expertly sculpted, it's virtually impossible to detect, unlike a silver filling that leaves a dark spot in your smile.

Preserve Tooth Structure

Tooth-colored fillings are also less invasive than silver amalgam. When placing an amalgam filling, a dentist must remove a significant amount of healthy tooth structure.

With composite resin, we remove only the decayed portion, then bond the filling material directly to the healthy part of the tooth. The result is a durable repair that lasts 5–7 years.

A Stable Tooth Repair

Metal fillings expand and contract with temperature changes in the mouth. This makes them prone to pulling away from the tooth, leaving gaps where bacteria can enter and cause a new cavity or tooth infection.

Composite fillings don't react to temperature extremes, so they continue to do their job of strengthening and protecting the tooth.

Do you have minor cosmetic dental flaws to correct but worry about costly treatment? Dental bonding with composite resin may be just the solution you need! Because the material closely mimics tooth enamel, we can use it to perfect the appearance of certain cosmetic flaws, including:

• Fill in chipped or broken teeth
• Close wide gaps between your teeth
• Improve a tooth's shape or size
• Cover a severely stained or discolored tooth

Composite bonding is minimally invasive; depending on your needs, we may not even need to numb your mouth! 

Easy, Efficient Treatment

Getting a tooth-colored filling placed at our Elk Grove, CA, dental office is simple and straightforward. First, we administer a strong local anesthetic, which numbs the tooth so you won't feel any pain.

Our dentists carefully remove the tooth's decayed portion, then apply a bonding liquid to seal the filling to the tooth. They place the filling material in the tooth, building it up and expertly shaping it to match its contours. A special curing light hardens each layer, resulting in a natural-looking repair and healthier tooth.

Do You Need a Tooth Filling in Elk Grove?

We aim to ensure that your teeth remain healthy, intact, and functional for many years. If you think you have a cavity, it's best to have our Elk Grove dentists look at it right away. The sooner we treat it, the less invasive the treatment will be, and the sooner you'll regain your healthy smile.

Please call Laguna Springs Dental to schedule an appointment so we can help you.