Why We Prefer Not to Use Amalgam Fillings

Camp Hill Dental is committed to strengthening your teeth with durable, natural looking restorations. If you have any amalgam fillings you will appreciate just how 'unnatural' they look. Amalgam is 50% mercury and has a silver or black appearance. Bearing no resemblance to your natural tooth, amalgam fillings are highly visible when you laugh or smile. Nobody enjoys having a mouth full of metal!

That is why Camp Hill Dental generally chooses not to use amalgam fillings to restore your teeth. We prefer tooth-coloured restorations (called composite resin or ceramic Cerec®) that blend in naturally. Many of clients now request that we remove their amalgam fillings and replace them with tooth-coloured restorations. Cosmetically, this is a fantastic way to enhance your smile!

As well as being cosmetically more attractive the amalgam (metal) fillings, tooth-coloured fillings can give the tooth itself greater strength and longevity. Amalgam fillings do not bond to your tooth, so that every time you bite or chew, the tooth and the filling flex away from each other microscopically. While the movement is only very small, over time the constant flexing causes cracks to develop within the tooth itself. Once cracks develop within the tooth, it is only a matter of time before part of the tooth fractures - which may cause pain. This has most likely happened to someone you know!

Sometimes an amalgam filling needs to be used as the filling may extend into a wet area below the gum.

At Camp Hill Dental we offer two kinds of tooth-coloured restorations - Resin and Ceramic . Both materials are bonded directly to the tooth structure, and look and feel like your natural tooth. We will assist you in deciding which option is best for you. If you suspect any of your teeth may be cracked or broken, or you would like to know more about changing your amalgam fillings, please contact Camp Hill Dental to schedule an appointment.


Crowns - Cracked or Broken Teeth

A crown (also knows as a 'cap') is like a helmet that covers the entire surface of the tooth - across the top and down the sides - and binds it all together. A crown will stop further cracks and tooth breakages forming and is a long term solution to a broken down tooth.

The team at Camp Hill Dental is able to rebuild badly broken down teeth and recreate the natural contours and colour of the original tooth.


Bridges & Dental Implants - Missing Teeth

Where natural teeth are missing, Camp Hill Dental highly recommends tooth replacement to prevent long term dental concerns with your bite and jaw joints.

Bridges are a good method of replacing a missing tooth. A dental bridge is a false tooth, known as a pontic, which is fused between two crowns to fill in the area left by the missing tooth. The two crowns, holding it in place, are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth.

Bridges are a permanent tooth replacement option, and are fixed in place. One or more missing teeth can be replaced by a bridge.

The bridge is certainly a much better alternative to a partial denture or having no tooth replacement at all. However, it does have certain disadvantages compared to a dental implant.

If you have a missing tooth which is resulting in embarrassment, preventing you from smiling or causing jaw pain, please do not hesitate to contact Camp Hill Dental and arrange a consultation with one of our experienced and understanding practitioners.