Regis Court Dental Associates will take care of your tooth filling

Searching for a dentist to take care of your tooth filling? Look no further than Regis Court Dental Associates. For over 40 years, we've been helping patients in Eau Claire with quality dental services— including tooth fillings.

Traditional dental restorations (fillings) include gold, porcelain, and composite/amalgam. The strength and durability of traditional dental materials continue to make them useful for situations where restored teeth must withstand extreme forces that result from chewing, such as in the back of the mouth.

Newer tooth fillings include ceramic and plastic compounds that mimic the appearance of natural teeth. These compounds, often called composite resins, are usually used on the front teeth where a natural appearance is important. They can be used on the back teeth as well depending on the location and extent of the tooth decay.

What's Right for Me?

Several factors influence the performance, durability, longevity and expense of your tooth filling:

• The components used in the filling material
• The amount of tooth structure remaining
• Where and how the tooth filling is placed
• The chewing load that the tooth will have to withstand

The length and number of visits needed to prepare and adjust the restored tooth.

The ultimate decision about what to use is best determined in consultation with your doctor. Before your treatment begins, discuss the options with your dentist. To help you prepare for this discussion it is helpful to understand the two basic types of dental fillings: direct and indirect.

• Direct fillings are dental fillings placed immediately into a prepared tooth cavity in a single visit. They include dental amalgam, glass ionomers, resin ionomers, and composite (resin) fillings. The dentist prepares the tooth, places the filling, and adjusts it during one appointment. Despite being a popular method in the past, the doctors at Regis Court Dental Associates do not routinely place dental amalgam. The technology and research behind the composite resin fillings they use make them a superior choice over dental amalgam.
• Indirect fillings generally require two or more visits. They include inlays, onlays, veneers, crowns, and bridges fabricated with gold, base metal alloys, ceramics, or composites. During the first visit, the dentist prepares the tooth and makes an impression of the area to be restored. The dentist then places a temporary covering over the prepared tooth. The impression is sent to a dental laboratory which creates the dental restoration. At the next appointment, the dentist removes the temporary covering and cements the restoration into the prepared cavity and adjusts it as needed.