Question 7 

 

My dentist is recommending an amalgam filling but I want a white filling (or vice versa). Where does this leave me? I'd also like my dentist to use a laser instead of a drill to do my filling. Is this possible?

You and your dentist should decide together which filling material will work best for you. If you want one kind of material or wish to avoid a certain type, tell your dentist. He or she will advise you if the material that you want will work.

The most common materials for restoring (or filling) teeth are amalgam (sometimes called silver), composite resin (sometimes called plastic or white), gold, ceramic and glass ionomer. Each material has pros and cons. Some materials may better meet your needs than others. It depends on the size of your cavity and its location. If your cavity is in a molar, for example, the filling will receive a lot of biting force or stress, so a strong material is needed. If it's in the front of your mouth where there's less biting force and people will see it, a different material may be better.

There are also new and different ways to prepare a cavity for a filling. Lasers are a fairly new tool in dentistry. They have been used for several years on soft tissues, like the gums. Some dentists are starting to use them in place of drills to remove tooth decay. Lasers work best on decay that's close to the tooth's surface. Over the next few years, lasers will likely be refined and more dentists may be using them instead of drills.

Air abrasion is another new way to remove tooth decay. It uses a fine, sand-blasting spray and works best on surface decay. If you are interested in having air abrasion, call your local dental society or a few dentists in your area to find out which dentists are using it.