Affordable Dental Fillings
Fillings are used to replace tooth structure when a cavity has eaten this away or when someone has a chipped or broken tooth that needs to be repaired (teeth are not bottle openers!). They can be tooth colored (composite fillings) or metal colored (amalgam fillings). Our affordable dental fillings can bring your smile back!
What’s a composite (tooth colored) filling?
Composite fillings are tooth colored dental fillings typically used to repair cavities and repair broken teeth. Invented in the 1960’s, they have continuously gotten better and now have both beautiful aesthetics and are highly functional, while still being affordable.
Dr. Voss only places the composite fillings for several reasons:
- Tooth colored (composite) fillings create a chemical bond directly with your tooth structure. By bonding directly onto the tooth, they not only fill but also add structure and stability to your existing tooth structure, helping to prevent breakage or weakness common with larger metal fillings. This makes both the tooth and the filling last longer than the old metal fillings.
- They can also be used to repair chipped teeth, which the old metal fillings could not do.
- They have much better aesthetics and can be polished to be indiscernible from your existing tooth.
- By only having one type of filling material, Dr. Voss can keep her composite fillings affordable.
- By not placing the old metal fillings, this limits both Dr. Voss’s and her patients exposure to mercury. Our office prides ourselves on using absolutely no mercury compounds in all of our dentistry.
Should I replace Amalgam (metal) fillings?
There is a lot of discussion over the old mercury (metal colored) fillings, and if you should get them replaced. The short answer is if they are intact and put in well, the exposure to mercury is minimal during the life of the filling so it’s entirely up to you. The largest exposure to mercury occurs when the metal fillings are put in, and when they are taken out.
You can read more about mercury exposure from amalgam fillings here.
Do you have more questions?
If you’re wondering more details about any of this, Dr. Voss loves talking with her patients about everything tooth related! Please feel free to ask us and we will give you the honest answer.
Curious what your costs are with (or without) insurance to get fillings done? Contact us today and we will be happy to look into it for you and get a precise estimate. We pride ourselves on being an affordable Longmont Dentist. Please note that in some cases a consultation is required to give an accurate estimate because filling cost depends on how much of the tooth needs to be restored.