Health Article
What can Dental Composites do for Your Smile?
Dental composites – also known as tooth-colored filling materials – are used in a wide range of restorative procedures, from treating cavities to repairing a broken tooth to correcting a crooked smile.
While composites aren’t necessarily new, technological advances have provided dentists with a powerful array of restorative tools. One new composite, Venus® Diamond, is known for its color-adaptive properties – and unlike many dental composites, its patented chemistry is BPA free.
Composite bonding uses a resin (a tooth-colored plastic mixture) filled with glass that literally bonds to your natural tooth. It restores your tooth while giving it a natural looking appearance. In addition to being used for fillings, composites can be placed directly on the tooth to improve its appearance.
Composites are available in a range of colors and shades and can be matched to meet your personal needs and preferences. Often, it’s impossible to tell where the “real” tooth ends and the composite begins. Forget about unsightly metal fillings – with composite no one will ever know you had a cavity!
Composite restorations are usually quick – taking just 10 to 15 minutes per tooth, sometimes longer, depending on how complicated your treatment may be. Most procedures can be done in a single appointment.
What’s involved with getting a composite restoration?
Your dentist will give you a local anesthetic to numb the area before the procedure begins. Then, if your tooth is decayed, those areas will be removed using traditional drills, micro air abrasion, or with a dental laser.
One or more special materials may be applied to your tooth to protect it and also to help strengthen the bond between the composite and the tooth. Then, the composite itself is applied – sometimes all at once and sometimes in layers of different shades or colors in order to create a natural look.
The composite is sculpted and shaped into place, then hardened using a high-intensity light. This step could be repeated several times as the restoration is slowly built up to its final form, being hardened each time more composite is added. Finally, the surface of the composite is finely polished so it glistens just like your natural teeth.
What dental or cosmetic problems can be corrected with composites?
- Replacement of old, unattractive fillings
- Tooth-colored changes to the width, length or shape of your teeth
- Repairing chipped or fractured teeth
- Changing the color of your teeth
- Reshaping or re-contouring your teeth
- Closing gaps or spaces between your teeth
- Correcting signs of age or tooth wear
Talk to your Venus dentist to find out if composites are right for you.
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