Today, more patients ask their dentists about white fillings because they desire their teeth to appear natural when they laugh, talk and smile. White fillings, also called composite fillings, are made from tooth-colored materials that restore the natural appearance of a decayed or previously filled tooth.
A composite filling generally requires only one visit, during which the tooth is prepared and restored. A benefit of composite fillings, as compared with other dental restorations, is that they require less of the healthy part of a tooth to be took away to hold the filling in place. This is because of composite materials’ ability to fuse to teeth adhesively.
Postoperative tooth sensitivity in composite restorations relentlessly continues to be a common, yet unpredictable, problem in dentistry. Such complication is even more unforgiving when the extreme sensitivities occur on teeth that were not sensitive before the restorations were placed. Despite meticulous use of dentin bonding agents, dentists and patients are faced with the sensitivity problem daily. Sometimes the dentist needs to rework these restorations. In rare instances, the dentist has to perform root canal therapy on the painful teeth.
Practitioners have gradually developed many preventive methods to overcome the sensitivity challenge. When postoperative tooth sensitivity is expected, combining two or more of the following “desensitizing” techniques may be necessary. Numerous combinations of the methods have been described and supported by clinicians. The combination technique that I have used with nearly 100 percent success follows: