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At Rochester Hills, Dentate Smile Design, we strive to help you achieve a great smile while maintaining your dental health. Our goal is to create a dental office experience that is as relaxing and calm as possible. Dr. Vo uses dental x-rays to help aid her in determination of what is necessary for optimal dental health. During the exam, sometimes cavities are discovered. There are multiple ways to restore your teeth to good health depending on the specific needs.
Often when there are cavities present, a filling procedure is necessary. The size of the cavity will determine the size of the filling and whether a filling is the best, long term option for the restoration (repair) of the tooth. Each tooth is made up of 5 sides. Once a cavity is detected, the doctor determines the size of the filling by the amount of decay that is there. It is always best to take care of a cavity in its early stages so that it can be replaced with minimal work. Once a cavity grows too large a filling may not be the best long term option. Dr. Vo prefers to save your natural teeth whenever possible. She believes in taking the time to inform you of the best, long term treatment options as well as what the optimal solution is for you personally.
Over the years dentists have used different types of materials to place into the cavities that develop. In the past the amalgam (silver) material was used primarily due to the strength and durability. In placing an amalgam filling dentists would have to remove the cavity and additional, healthy, tooth structure to so the material could be packed in to the space. This way the filling would be held in the tooth. Amalgam has a tendency to turn the tooth matter around the filling grey. With changing temperatures our mouth is subjected to on a normal basis, the Amalgam will shrink and expand causing leaks between the filling and the remaining tooth structure. That leaves openings for decay to set in and cause further problems for that tooth.
With time comes experience, change, and more research. Composite resin (white) material has been redesigned and strengthened over time so that it can now be used throughout your entire mouth, not just in the front teeth. It is a better choice overall for your teeth. The dentist can remove the decay only, not needing to remove any additional healthy tooth structure, because the composite actually bonds to the tooth itself. Composite fillings have multiple benefits. The appearance is more pleasing; no one can see that you have a filling. Fear of leaks or breaks are considerably less common with composite fillings than that of the amalgam fillings. The size of the filling is less involved due to leaving healthy tooth structure intact. Dr. Vo uses only heavily researched and improved composite material when placing fillings. These composites have high compressive strength and are polished to a beautiful sheen. Give us a call to schedule an appointment in our Rochester area office today. We look forward to helping you with your best smile.
