Recently, I placed a glitter pink filling next to a sparkling green filling and my patient couldn’t have been happier. She actually sat still through her appointment and was almost giddy to be in the dental chair. That is quite a feat for an elementary school girl with an abscessed tooth. As a matter of fact, when all was said and done, she was downright proud of her teeth that looked as if they had candy permanently embedded in them. To each their own…
Last week, we discussed “angel teeth” or stainless steel crowns that are placed to prolong the life of severely decayed baby teeth. In the right circumstances, broken down baby teeth can also be saved with more conservative treatment such as dental fillings. As with most any treatment within the art and science of dentistry, there are multiple “right ways” to fill baby teeth. To each dentist their own…
The old standby filling material for baby teeth is dental amalgam or silver‐mercury filling material. In my humble opinion, the only advantage of this material is that it does not have to be placed into a dry, isolated tooth. In other words, silver‐mercury is easier to place into the teeth of slobbery, wiggly kids. There are differing opinions and studies about the level of mercury in these fillings and the effects on our bodies. I’m not here to debate that issue. Let’s just say I have no amalgam in my mouth and I have not placed any in private practice. To each their own…
There are a variety of tooth colored filling materials that can be used on baby teeth. Some are smoother, some are stronger, some release fluoride into the tooth, and others claim to be easier to place into a wriggly kid. The bottom line is that a primary tooth can be filled in such a way that it ends up looking just like a perfect tooth, without the cavity. To each their own…
My favorite filling material for baby teeth, with Mom and Dad’s permission of course, comes in a variety of glittery colors. Pink, green, blue, yellow, orange, and shiny white can all be used to fill holes in baby teeth. The material is of the same family as the tooth colored filling materials, only a lot more fun. In my experience, kids really get behind the concept of getting their teeth fixed if we give them some choices and add a little fun to the equation. We can even put different colors on different teeth. I’ve got several patients with a rainbow of colored teeth, as if they just finished a Jolly Rancher assortment pack. To each their own…
Until next week, keep smiling.
‐Comments can be sent to Drs. Parrish through their website www.ParrishDental.com.
