Whitening Teeth with Bleach and Fillings

Dental Makeover - White Sale

Some of the techniques that turn back the dental clock are very simple and inexpensive. Tooth colored fillings (dentists prefer the term "restoration") can replace aging silver ones. Then, after your dentist treats any tooth decay and is sure that your fillings are well sealed you may decide to whiten your teeth.

Often the only complaint new patients have about their teeth is the presence of blackened silver fillings. They feel fine, but they look like cavities or stains. For patients who prefer a more natural look most dentists offer aesthetic alternatives to old silver amalgam fillings - restorations made of porcelain or composite.

Porcelain may be used to fill a cavity by removing the decay and then manufacturing a solid piece of porcelain to replace the missing piece of tooth. The restoration may be carved out of a solid block of porcelain, built up by stacking ground porcelain like wet sand and melting it together in a very hot furnace, or by making a wax pattern of the missing piece of tooth, creating a mould and forcing molten glass into the mould. Dental restorations made this way are called inlays or onlays. Any of these techniques create beautiful, lifelike results. Porcelain fillings are bonded into teeth with adhesives that stick tightly to teeth and porcelain.

Another option for natural looking restoration of tooth decay is tooth colored composite. Composite is a mixture of about 75 percent ground glass or ceramic and 25 percent acrylic. These fillings are formed inside and chemically bonded to teeth. Composite fillings tend to wear away faster than others do.

The placement of composite is very technique sensitive. Many dentists do not treat back teeth with composite because they feel that it cannot be done well enough. Many other dentists use this material universally insisting that it provides the best combination of cost, appearance and strength.

Composite restorations are best used when the cavity is small. Larger cavities and broken teeth are best restored with porcelain inlays, onlays or crowns (crowns are also called caps). To decide which procedure is best for you please consult your dentist.