White Fillings

New dental technology has allowed us to do white fillings. Originally they were used to improve cosmetics and to avoid, or get rid of the ugly black/silver ones. As the technology has advanced, we now find that using the white fillings allow us to:

• Strengthen the tooth by bonding to it instead of just placing it in a hole
• Make a smaller  hole, since the white material can flow into small places
• Due to the smaller hole, there is more of your own tooth left, leaving it stronger and hopefully avoiding fractured corners later on
• Allowing us to fix smaller cavities, that were too small for silver, before they got "big enough to fill"
• In some cases we can do an almost microscopic filling just when it starts by using a laser like noiseless drill that uses air and small sand like particles. These are often done without anesthetic if we catch them early enough, and they are very quick. This is called "Air Abrasion".  ( We can show it to you at your recall appointment).

Insurance and fees

The white fillings are more complex to do and cost more than the silver. Most insurance companies are living in the old days and refuse to pay for this superior, more conservative restoration. They would rather have us make bigger holes, put in silver fillings and save them money. We have adopted the philosophy that you should receive the best and latest treatment available. You must understand that if we opt for a " white filling", you could have a larger copayment. Any complaints that you have should be directed at your insurance carrier. If more people call, perhaps the benefit can be changed.

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