Having great-looking teeth has become very important in the last couple of decades. The truth is, it has always been important. Archaeologists have found evidence of dentistry, such as braces, dentures and dental implants that are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. People have always wanted teeth that look good and function well. The difference is that, since the 1980s, treatments to make teeth look great and work really well have become widely available.

Take white fillings, for example. They have been around for quite a while now. At first, you had to go hunting for a dentist that did white fillings and if you were a tooth grinder, they may not have lasted very long because the material was not as resilient as good, old, but ugly, amalgam.

Nonetheless, people were willing to pay to get rid of their amalgam because they didn’t want people knowing of their childhood love affair with sweeties every time they opened their mouths for a good laugh or a yawn. Researchers then focussed their efforts on ways to make white fillings more durable, and now, they are every bit as good as amalgam. In fact, in some ways, white fillings in Stevenage are better.

Bonding, not packing

White fillings go in to the tooth cavity in layers. Each layer is cured with a UV light and bonds with the walls of the cavity. Amalgam is simply packed in very tightly, so there is always a tiny chance that decay-causing bacteria can get in round the edges of the fillings and the tooth underneath it can rot.

Stronger teeth

Dentists do not have to remove as much healthy tooth material for white fillings, which means that there is more tooth material surrounding the cavity, and the tooth remains stronger for longer.

Get the curves back

Because white fillings can be hardened, the filling can be built up and then sculpted to give it back the lumps and valleys that molars have for grinding up food. Amalgam can only be packed in flat so your teeth lose some of their ability to process your food effectively.

Why not ask us at Smilecraft in Stevenage for white fillings next time you get a cavity?

The aim of modern dentistry is to allow you to hang on to your natural teeth for as long as possible. At Smilecraft in Stevenage, we count it as a success if you get to keep all your pearly whites for your entire life.

And one way you can do this is by having white fillings instead of amalgam. For decades, amalgam has been the preferred filling material because it is quick and easy and does a pretty good job. But the truth is that now white fillings do a much better job. There are three main reasons for this, besides the fact that white fillings look so much nicer and don’t announce your dental history to the world when you laugh.

White fillings make your teeth stronger

When we put in amalgam fillings, we have to take away more of the healthy tooth material. Amalgam cannot bond with the tooth, and so places stresses on the thinner tooth shell that can, over time, cause cracking. With white fillings, we just have to remove the decayed material. This, plus the fact that the filling is bonded to the tooth, means that there is much more of your own tooth left in place and this makes it stronger and more able to cope with the daily stresses and strains of chewing and biting.

White fillings resist decay better

Amalgam cannot bond with your own natural tooth material. This means that when we put in an amalgam filling, it sits in your tooth with no seal, so there is always going to be a miniscule gap between the filling and your tooth through which bacteria can sneak in to create more decay. White fillings actually bond with your teeth, and the resultant seal prevents bacteria getting in.

Better chewing

Amalgam fillings cannot be shaped. They lie flat within the tooth. White composite fillings are cured and then we shape them to resemble the natural contours of your own teeth, so that you get a far better chewing surface. This puts less strain on your teeth.

We can fill new cavities with white fillings, and we can also replace your old amalgam fillings.