Dental Fillings in Missoula, MT
It is always the goal of Dr. Jonathan Nelson and his team to help you enjoy a healthy and beautiful smile with minimal cost or invasive dental procedures. If you are experiencing
tooth decay or a cavity in Missoula, MT, we are here to help with several options for dental fillings for every type of lifestyle and budget.
At Nelson Dentistry, we provide tooth-colored and silver fillings to consider all tastes and needs. Our Missoula, MT dentist favors composite resin to create tooth-colored fillings. Dr. Nelson enjoys the challenge and reward of recreating the shape and color of a healthy tooth so that it's difficult to tell that you even have a filling. Sometimes the situation calls for one over the other, but we always accommodate your preference and choose the best course to give you the long-lasting and appealing results you want.
- Your Options for Dental Fillings in Missoula, MT
- The Role of Sugar in Tooth Decay
- Why It Is Important to Treat Cavities
- What Is Dental Bonding?
- Choosing the Best Option for You
Options for Dental Fillings in Missoula, MT
There are three basic types of filling materials:
- Composite resin for beautiful tooth-colored fillings in Missoula, MT
- Resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI) for tooth-colored fillings that bond more easily with your existing tooth structure
- Amalgam for traditional silver fillings, usually at the back of the mouth
Tooth-Colored Fillings for a Beautiful Smile
There have been many different variations in the molecular makeup of composite resin over the years. The challenges of composite have been developing a material that comes in different colors to match all shades of teeth. Today's composite material can be custom blended to the shade of your tooth for a seamless appearance.
Composite resin differs significantly from amalgam in that it is bonded directly to the tooth. It is durable, and it's the ideal material for front teeth since it is tooth-colored and more aesthetically appealing.
Combining both expertise and artistry, Missoula, MT dentist Dr. Jonathan Nelson skillfully adds the composite to your tooth. He polishes it, giving you a beautiful smile and a restoration that blends with your natural teeth.
RGMI
RMGI is very similar to composite in that it is also tooth-colored and bonded to the tooth. One neat attribute is that it is particularly good at releasing fluoride. It can also bond better to dentin, but not as well to enamel-like composite can. On a microscopic level, RMGI can flex more than composite and amalgam. These advantages make this type of filling best for fixing teeth with cavities along the gumline.
Silver-Colored Fillings Are a Time-Tested Cavity Solution
Amalgam is a material that has been around for over a hundred years. This material has stood the test of time and can work well. Its two main disadvantages are its silver color and that it cannot bond to teeth, which limits amalgam to back teeth. On the back teeth, amalgam works beautifully, and this time tested solution to cavities in Missoula, MT is still chosen often by patients who need a filling that is not in their smile line. Amalgam fillings also tend to be less expensive than composite.
The Role of Sugar in Tooth Decay
It is essential to understand the role that sugar has in causing cavities and tooth decay. Most people think sugar causes cavities; however, it is not sugar, but rather the string of events that it triggers.
Here's how it works:
The sticky white film that builds up on your teeth after meals is called plaque, and it is filled with bacteria. The bacteria living in the plaque get their fuel from the sugar you consume. The byproduct produced by that bacteria is acid. It is the acid that eats away the enamel of your teeth and causes tooth decay.
You can limit the number of cavities and tooth decay you experience by removing plaque buildup with a consistent home care routine of brushing twice daily and flossing once. You can also protect your teeth from cavities by decreasing the number of sugary foods and beverages you eat and drink.
Why It Is Important to Treat Cavities
A cavity in Missoula might not seem like such a big deal, and it may not even be causing you any discomfort. However, if you have decay in your tooth, it is essential that you don't ignore treating it because a simple problem like a cavity can quickly become a more significant issue that starts causing you a lot of pain.
Here's an example: Say your Missoula dentist finds tooth decay and you forget or put off scheduling a dental filling to treat your tooth. Unfortunately, that tooth decay will progressively get worse and will eventually reach the nerve of your tooth where it will cause an infection. Now, you not only have an infected root; but you most likely are also experiencing the severe and constant pain of a toothache. Worse yet, you will now need root canal treatment to alleviate your pain, eliminate your infection, and save your tooth from extraction.
All of that could've been avoided by treating your tooth with a simple and much less expensive dental filling when your dentist first recommended it. Better yet, your routine cleanings and checkups with Dr. Nelson every six months help you protect your teeth from more significant problems with screenings for concerns like gum disease and tooth decay.
What Is Dental Bonding?
Dental bonding, or tooth bonding, is another way that Dr. Nelson uses composite resin to restore your smile. Since it can be bonded directly to your tooth, composite can repair several cosmetic issues like spacing between teeth, size and shape discrepancies, small chips, and even discoloration.
Tooth bonding in Missoula is a quick and non-invasive way to make enhancements to your smile. Dr. Nelson can typically complete your new smile during one dental appointment, and bonding also a more inexpensive cosmetic dental procedure.
If you're curious about how dental bonding can enhance your smile, contact Nelson Dentistry today at (406) 542-3305 for more information.
Choosing the Best Option for You
When selecting the right dental procedures to help you meet your needs and your goals for your smile, Dr. Nelson spends a lot of time listening and discussing your ideas and goals for your smile with you. Once he understands what you would like to achieve, he can make recommendations on the dental materials and treatments that will suit your needs the best, but in the end, the final decision is always up to you. You will decide on the dental procedures that you feel will best help you reach your goals, fit your lifestyle, and don't break your budget. You can rest assured that Dr. Jonathan Nelson uses only the best techniques to give you dental restorations that are meant to stand the test of time and remain durable.
Contact our Missoula Dentist
If you have a tooth in need of repair, don't delay scheduling your treatment procedure with our gentle team. We are here to help you avoid more significant problems. If you have any questions about tooth-colored fillings in Missoula, MT, or if you would like to schedule an appointment, contact Nelson Dentistry today at (406) 542-3305.
Frequently Asked Questions
Amalgam, or silver colored fillings, contain mercury; which has been a point of contention and lead to many controversial debates. While large quantities of elemental mercury are certainly bad for you, the amount in fillings is not. As with many things in life, we must weight the "pros" vs. the "cons." Amalgam has been one of the longest used filling materials of all time with great clinical success. And for all those decades there has been no solid evidence of mercury poisoning from amalgam fillings.
Mercury in Fillings
This is largely due to the fact that the mercury is amalgamated (mixed) with the other components to form a solid and stable chemical bond that renders the mercury inert. At this point, no traceable amount of mercury is able to chemically interact with your body. So not only has amalgam proven to be safe over the years, but I (Dr. Nelson) also have amalgam fillings in my own teeth! Not only that, but the American Dental Association supports it's use (click here for information for dentists and here for information for patients).
That being said there are two times where there is a minor risk for mercury exposure: as the filling is being placed and hardening (finishing the reaction that sets the filling up) and when these fillings need to be removed (small amounts of vapor). Fortunately, these are easily avoided by the use of a rubber dam. A rubber dam allows for isolation of the teeth from the rest of the mouth and makes it easy to clear away any excess amalgam during placement or removal.
Dental Cleanings in Missoula
But that still doesn't answer the question! The answer is yes, we offer composite (tooth colored) and gold (also called "inlays" instead of "fillings") fillings that have no mercury in them. I believe that amalgam and composite both have their indications in different situations, and I love having these different "tools" in my metaphorical toolbox to help me provide the best treatment for my patients. So don't hesitate to ask me about which option is best for you.
As a general dentist I do not, by default, have a specialty. However, there are some dental procedures
that I have worked extra hard to become very proficient at in addition to routine dental work. I have taken advanced training with world renown instructors in cosmetic dentistry, occlusion (how your teeth bite and function together), and composite (tooth-colored filling material) artistry using advanced layering techniques. My goal is to provide my patients with restorative dental work that appears indistinguishable to natural teeth, to not only the patient but to other dentists. It's actually not too hard to make something that looks white and roughly the same shape as a tooth, but the artistic challenge to recreate natural beauty is very rewarding.
Dental Specialties
As an FYI there are nine recognized specialties by the American Dental Association (ADA):
Dental Public Health, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics.
Nearly all of these specialties require additional schooling above and beyond dental school. Some even require a residency. Perhaps the most intensive training is for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery where the specialist goes through dental school, medical school, and also a residency--that's a lot of schooling!
It depends. But typically right away if you'd like. Let's break down the details though:
- Routine Cleaning: You're in the clear to eat right away. However, if you needed fluoride varnish, then stay away from hot liquids for the next half hour (sorry coffee drinkers!).
- Gum Therapy: You might have needed to get numb for this, be really careful to not bite your lip, cheeks, or tongue!
- Tooth-Colored Composite Filling: We use a special "flashlight" to cure the composite as hard as it's going to get, so you're safe to use it like regular.
- Silver-Colored Amalgam Filling: These take time to harden completely. When you leave they are pretty hard, but you should still "baby" them with soft foods for the next 24 hours.
- Temporary Crowns: These are... well... temporary. So they're not meant to be as rugged as the permanent crown. This means that they come off easier (which is good for when we want to replace them with the permanent) and they're not as strong. So extra care must be given to avoid sticky and hard foods.
- Permanent Crowns: These are tough and pretty, the only thing to remember is that the cement usually needs some time to completely set. Avoid sticky foods for the rest of the day.
Dental Services in Missoula MT
Give our team a call today to get to know our friendly dental team, and book a cleaning, exam, or consultation! We are currently accepting new patients.
Meet Our Doctor:
Dr. Jonathan Nelson
Dentist
I am no stranger to Montana. From about preschool to 3rd grade I lived in Missoula near Chief Charlo Elementary. In fact, I was part of the inaugural 3rd grade class at Chief Charlo when it first opened. Before that, I attended C.M. Russell Elementary just down the road from our current dental office! Then, due to my parent’s job relocation, we moved to Helena, MT.
I graduated from Capital High School and then went on to graduate at Montana State with the degree of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. Similarly to ...
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