At Main Street Dentistry in Alpharetta, GA, we do not work with mercury dental fillings. However, as silver fillings were common practice for years, many people are left with silver fillings from previous dental work. We choose to use porcelain dental fillings and offer our patients the option to replace their silver fillings with updated porcelain ones.

Drawbacks of Silver Dental Fillings

• Due to their design, silver dental fillings weaken the structure of the tooth itself, which may lead to breakage down the line.
• Silver dental fillings are noticeable and can affect a patient’s confidence.
• This type of dental filling contains mercury, which can break down over time and leech into your system, even staining your teeth in some cases.
• Metal dental fillings can expand, contract, and break over time, weakening the tooth further and exposing it to further risk of cavities.

Advantages of Porcelain Dental Fillings

• Porcelain dental fillings make the tooth stronger instead of weakening it.
• They look natural and are virtually undetectable to the naked eye.
• The porcelain used contains fluoride, which works to help prevent future tooth decay.
• Porcelain dental fillings fit more tightly to the tooth and don’t expand or contract over time.

Replacing Metal Dental Fillings

If you are unhappy with your metal dental fillings, our Alpharetta, GA dentists can easily replace them with the porcelain variety. It will take two appointments to complete the process.

At your first appointment, we will remove the old dental filling as well as any additional tooth decay that has resulted in the meantime. We take an impression of your mouth so that a custom dental filling can be created, and we then fit the space with a temporary replacement.

At your second appointment, we will remove the temporary filling and a gel is placed on your tooth to prepare it for the new dental filling. We then apply the new onlay with bonding cement and use a high-intensity light to harden it and bond it to the tooth. After that, your new tooth is polished so that you don’t notice any roughness, and you’re all set! If you’re ready to replace your silver dental fillings or are in need of a restorative dental filling, book an appointment with our Alpharetta, GA office today!