Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to brush and floss your teeth, see your dentist regularly, and watch what you eat — you find out you have a cavity and you need a filling. In the past, dentists would turn to metal or Mercury-based fillings that were dark and easily discolored your smile. However, times have changed and so has how we provide restorative dentistry in Chicago to our patients. Part of this means making the decision to stop using metal fillings and use only composite or tooth-colored fillings. They’re biocompatible and safer for your smile, your overall health, and our environment. Composite fillings are less bothersome to patients compared to metal or amalgam restorations which can contain about 50 percent mercury.

This harmful material can be released into your body over time and cause other health problems down the road. Amalgam will increase thermal sensitivity in your teeth too with a greater degree of expanding and contracting in your tooth, allowing bacteria to enter. Metal-free or tooth-colored fillings are strong and durable enough to protect and restore your teeth from further damage or decay. You won’t have to worry about your fillings making your teeth look dark or discolored. When you smile and laugh, no one will ever know you’ve even had a cavity or two.