Composite Fillings Before & After
Published on Jun 23 by Daniel Guidera under Cosmetic, Dentistry
This week’s case shows how fairly simple procedures can make a dramatic difference in a person’s appearance.
These fillings, according to our patient, were done decades ago. My experience tells me that this is the material we used 30 years ago in dental school. The advantage of this material – a paste-paste system that you mix and have about 40 seconds to place it before it hardens – is that it is very, very durable. The disadvantage is that within a year, they would be significantly stained and continue to worsen over time. This is because you can never get a 100% mixture of 2 materials, leaving some unhardened (and therefore porous) material.
Technique: Modern white filling material in a single paste activated to harden by application of an intense blue light (not UV). Because the light penetrates completely through the material, you get a nearly 100% set with very little porosity. Hence, color and sheen are maintained for a long time.
The day we did these fillings, the patient mentioned that she came in that day without putting on her makeup. My thought was that after doing these fillings she would look much better, and that her makeup would be irrelevant.
At the end of the appointment, we gave the patient a mirror. She teared up because she was so pleased with the end result.
This was a good appointment!