Dr. Geoff Engelhardt and Dr. Raechel Nelson are proud to offer restorative dentistry to help you repair your teeth and smile after decay, gum disease, or trauma have affected them. With our help, you can eliminate dental issues and restore your oral health so you can live a comfortable and healthy life once again. If you have any questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment regarding restorative dentistry, please call Engelhardt & Nelson Family Dentistry at 970-484-4890. Some of the restorative treatments we offer include:
To help you know a little more about the treatments involved in eliminating tooth decay, we are happy to tell you all about dental fillings.
Dental Fillings
Once we clean the tooth decay out of a tooth, we replace the damaged tooth structure with a dental filling. These restorations are called dental fillings because they actually fill in the hole that was left by the cavity. If tooth decay is left untreated, it can cause severe pain and infection. It can even become so severe that it can spread to other teeth and it can result in root canal therapy or even tooth extraction. However, if you treat the cavity in the early stages of growth and development, our dentists can easily and painlessly restore your tooth with a dental filling.
At our office, we use two main types of fillings: composite and amalgam fillings. Composite fillings are white, which make them match the color of your teeth. Amalgam fillings are silver and they are typically used to repair back teeth. Composite fillings are the most commonly used. To place both fillings, our dentists will remove the decayed tooth structure and will place the filling. When you come in for your appointment, we will be happy to examine your smile and explain which type of filling is best for you and your tooth. At this point, you will be able to make an educated decision on your treatment options.
Amalgam Dental Fillings
Amalgam fillings were once the most commonly used dental filling. Now, they are typically used in specific situations where our dentists amd team are repairing a tooth that is not quite visible in your smile. For this treatment, an aesthetically pleasing restoration isn’t necessary.
Composite Dental Fillings (Tooth-Colored Fillings)
Dr. Engelhardt and Dr. Nelson usually use composite fillings to restore a decayed, cracked, or fractured tooth in the smile. The main benefit to this restoration is that is it made of composite resin, which is a tooth-colored material. This means it gives you natural-looking results. Because of their tooth-colored appearance, composite fillings are more often used than amalgam fillings. They are designed to be very durable and they should last for many years.