Book An Appointment

Thanks to improved dental technology and preventives, fewer people know what having a cavity feels like. Unfortunately, they are still existing, but our dentists at Oasis Dental have the tools to treat them, including fillings.

Dental fillings are one way in which we can restore decayed teeth. Teeth can break down due to:

• Dental caries (a bacterial infection of the teeth resulting in holes or “cavities”)
• Trauma
• Defects in the enamel
• Parafunction
• And other possible causes

Some people also need fillings for aesthetic purposes or after orthodontic treatment to fill in excess space between teeth. This is also known as “bonding.”

Choices for Filling Cavities

Believe it or not, the concept of fillings in teeth is over 10,000 years old. Researchers found beeswax as a filling in the teeth of an Italian man placed there over 6.500 years ago. In the early 1800s, the first silver amalgam was created and used for fillings by the French. They used a small amount of mercury and melted coins to create silver amalgam to fill cavities.

Nowadays, dentists in Calgary still use silver amalgam to fill teeth, usually premolars and molars, because they need durable fillings since those teeth do most of the chewing when you eat. However, there is an assortment of other materials dentists can use to fill teeth.

Composite Fillings

Another popular option for fillings near you is composite resin. A composite filling consists of a soft, plastic-like material consists of acrylic resin and powdered quartz, silica, or ceramic. This substance turns into a white, or tooth-colored, material that fills cavities. This provides a way for us to remove decayed bits of teeth and make teeth look whole. They also provide in many cases a cost effective option to provide functional improvements as well as aesthetic ones. Along with cavity fillings, dentists also use composite resin to cement teeth that break or chip, fill gaps, or attach veneers to teeth. Tooth-colored fillings also consist of:

• Porcelain
• Zirconia
• Glass ionomer

An advantage of glass ionomer fillings is that they release fluoride to your teeth to help remineralize and keep teeth healthy.

Other Fillings for Teeth

If you’re not concerned with having a white or tooth-colored filling, some of the other substances that dentists use to fill teeth include amalgam.

These amalgam fillings are made of silver amalgam, a metal that contains mercury within it. This has thus far not been found to be harmful in its stable form. However, due to concerns raised by many patients over the years, the material has fallen out of favour in most dental clinics in the North American context. We do not carry silver amalgam as a matter of course, but if you would like to consider a silver filling, we would love to discuss the pros and cons and provide you with the best treatment for your mouth.

Our dentists near you will recommend fillings in Calgary, AB based on the tooth’s location that needs filling.

Teeth in the front or on the side of your mouth don’t chew food as much as the back teeth, so the filling material doesn’t need to be as durable. They are good locations for tooth-colored fillings because people may see them when you smile or laugh. More durable fillings, like metals, should go in the back teeth because of their durability.

If you have cavities and need them filled, contact our dentists at Oasis Dental for an appointment.