Tag: dental tips

Amalgam/Mercury Restorations vs. Composite/Tooth-Colored Restorations Many of us have had amalgam/mercury restorations placed in our teeth over the years, and patients often wonder what the differences are between these old restorations and the newer, tooth-colored composite restorations.   Amalgam restorations include some level of mercury, which helps to make them soft when they are initially placed. Once the restoration has hardened, it is thought that the mercury is released at low levels over long periods of time. Amalgam is mechanically retained in your tooth, meaning the tooth is prepared in a specific shape that allows the restoration to lock into place. Because of this, amalgam restorations are often quite large and involve removal of healthy tooth structure to create a ‘wedge’ shape

What are bitewings? Bitewing radiographs are a series of two or four radiographs taken to provide diagnostic information about posterior (back) teeth. When do I need bitewings? The standard of care is to take bitewing radiographs a minimum of one time per calendar year. A full mouth series, which includes bitewings and other radiographs, is taken a minimum of one time every 5 years. Why do I need bitewings? Bitewings provide diagnostic information about your teeth that cannot be obtained in any other manner. What happens if I do not get bitewings? Tooth decay between your teeth may go undiagnosed and untreated. It is always more conservative, less invasive, and less costly to diagnose tooth decay early when it has just started, and bitewings provide the information required