“How can I replace these ugly fillings?”

It’s a question we hear all the time at the Ballantyne Center for Dentistry.

For years, a combination of silver and mercury was the standard filling material used at dental practices. While this was functional, metal fillings turn black over time, don’t last forever, and expand and contract in heat and cold (for the same reason that mercury is used in thermometers). This fluctuation can cause teeth to crack and break, leading to tooth or even nerve damage.

Today, dentists with the latest technology use totally different materials. The material we prefer at Ballantyne Center for Dentistry is composite resin, a tooth-colored material that strengthens rather than weakens teeth and contains no mercury or metals. Composite fillings produce an excellent cosmetic result, since they blend with your natural tooth color.

Tooth-colored fillings can also be crafted and placed in just one visit using CEREC® technology. CEREC® is a computerized system that can craft fillings in our office and eliminate the need for multiple visits - so you can leave with strong, custom-crafted, tooth-colored fillings after just one appointment.