How To Choose the Right Type of Fillings to Use for Treating Kids’ Cavities

Children are a long way from adulthood. What happens to them during the early years of childhood will affect the quality of their lives in adulthood. This is why the primary caregivers of kids should be particular about offering the best kind of care, more so to their health.

When it comes to dental care for children, dental cavities are a big concern. At different stages of your child’s life, cavities remain an imminent threat to excellent oral health. When they do happen, how you go about choosing treatment options is crucial.

What Are Dental Fillings?

They are dental appliances used to fill teeth as a form of repair to the damage incurred. Fillings are employed mostly to treat dental decay. However, they can also be used in the treatment of oral issues like root canal treatment, broken or cracked teeth.

On multiple occasions, oral fillings are used for adult teeth treatment. For the most part, one would consider alternative treatments for children, to help fight dental cavities and tooth decay. However, Dr. Cristelle Rodriguez mentions that children too, benefit from tooth fillings.

Once oral cavities have manifested in your child’s teeth, tooth fillings will present you with a suitable opportunity to restore the health of your child’s teeth. At Kids First Dental, we treat several kids with oral fillings.

Types of Fillings Used in Dentistry

The beauty of dentistry is that it provides a variety of treatment options for patients. This way, even with one type of oral appliance, patients can still choose a type that is different from what other patients have. With tooth fillings, the same applies. There are different types, usually varying based on the materials used to make them. The types are:

• Gold fillings – they are popular for their gold material, which provides an element of luxury absent from other types of tooth fillings. This type of filling features gold as the primary metal, along with an allot of other types of metal. Thanks to the gold material, the type of filling realized are very sturdy and durable. The greatest con, however, is the cost of these fillings.
• Silver fillings – they are also called amalgams. They feature silver material, and a combination of other metals like copper, zinc, and mercury. Amalgams are more popular than gold fillings. They are far more affordable, and also sturdy for filling teeth. Many adults get amalgams because of their availability and fair costs. However, the conspicuity of these fillings might turn you down from choosing these fillings.
• Composite resin fillings – they use resin material to fill damaged teeth. The resin is usually tooth-colored, to mimic the very color of your natural teeth. Composite resin fillings are very attractive because of their cosmetic benefit.
• Ceramic fillings – they are the go-to alternative to composite resin fillings. The ceramic fillings are made of porcelain material. It offers a better cosmetic outcome than composite fillings. Ceramic fillings are, therefore, more natural-looking and life-like. This explains why ceramic tooth fillings can be very costly, closely matching the cost of gold fillings.

How to Choose the Right Option for You

Whether you are choosing tooth fillings for yourself or your child, you need to let your dentist in Roanoke know, beforehand, what your preferences are. The different types of fillings present different advantages. In the same breath, they all have disadvantages that might influence your choice of which filling to choose for your treatment. Some of the things you should consider to bake the best decision include the following:

• Aesthetic consideration – are you looking to alleviate the appearance of your smile while treating the damage on your teeth? If so, choosing tooth fillings that are tooth-colored is the right option for you.
• Location of the filling – when your front teeth are damaged, how you go about treatment is much different from when your back teeth are damaged. For one, the front teeth are crucial to your aesthetic appearance. It matters to have the tooth-colored fillings for front teeth. When it comes to the back teeth, a different consideration is necessary, that is, the sturdiness thereof.
• Costs – how much are you willing to spend on your tooth fillings? The repair of your teeth is necessary for the quality of your life. However, you must choose an option that works well with your budget. You may also need to check with your insurance to determine whether the procedure will be covered, based on the fillings you choose.