Tooth Colored Fillings

Happy, healthy smiles are our focus.

When treating a cavity, south Austin dentist, Dr. Hulse will remove the decayed, rotten portion of your tooth and fill it with another substance. This procedure is called a filling.

A composite filling is also known as a tooth colored filling, since the material used in the filling can be closely matched to the color of your teeth. Composite fillings provide good durability for small to medium cavities, and the procedure typically involves removing less of a tooth than you would during an amalgam filling. They are also bonded to the tooth, so they not only fill in the whole created by decay, but they also hold/bond the tooth back together. They are also particularly well suited for treating front or highly visible teeth because of their natural look.

When can a composite filling be used for?

How its done

After the dentist numbs the area where the filling is to be placed, Dr. Hulse will remove any decayed portions of the tooth. A adhesive is then applied to the tooth to bond the filling in and desensitize the tooth. Once this is complete, the filling is applied in thin layers to slowly form the complete filling. After the composite has hardened, the filling will be smoothed and polished to be comfortable and fit your bite.

Replacing old amalgam ("silver") filiings

I am often asked, if I can replace old Amalgam fillings. The answer is “yes I can”, but I won’t recommend doing it just for aesthetic reasons, unless my patient insists. I also don’t recommend replacing filling just because they’re old. I recommend replacing them when they are BROKEN. Broken fillings don’t usually hurt, and when they are broken they don’t always fall out. The most common way they break is that the edges, where the tooth meets the filling starts to crack. When there are cracks, the plaque and bacteria seeps into the cracks and begins to form unseen cavities underneath the fillings. Since they don’t usually hurt it is important that you, the patient come in for regular check ups, for the me, the dentist to check for cracks. I believe that the best dentistry is NO DENTISTRY AT ALL, UNLESS IT IS NECESSARY. Which is the case with cracked old fillings.

Here are a few everyday examples:

Before After
Before After
Before After

Tooth colored fillings can also be used to repair chips and cracked front teeth as well!

Before After

Below is a video, showing how it is done.

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