For years, dentists relied on mercury fillings to fill cavities. Mercury fillings were, at the time they were invented, an incredible breakthrough in dentistry. Mercury is easy to work with and is relatively inexpensive. However, mercury is also a metal that may lead to a variety of health issues, become tarnished over time, and even fall out of the cavity it was intended to protect. That's why several people have chosen to get porcelain filling upgrades to replace their old mercury fillings.

Porcelain Fillings

Porcelain fillings are preferable to mercury fillings for a number of reasons. Porcelain fillings:

• Are bonded to your teeth so they will not become loose or fall out
• Will not expand and contract with heat differences like metal fillings do
• Look and reflect light exactly like your natural teeth
• Are not harder than your tooth enamel and will therefore not damage adjacent teeth

Process for a Filling Upgrade

Using the CERC procedure, your old fillings can be removed and new porcelain fillings can be inserted within one office visit. During your visit Dr. Melnick will:

• Remove the old filling
• Photograph the prepared tooth
• Use software to create a filling perfectly matched to the shade of your adjacent teeth
• Take the new filling and bond it to your tooth using a resin compound

With one quick visit, your old, unsightly fillings can be replaced with high quality, beautiful, porcelain fillings.

If you live in or around Laurel, Maryland and are unsatisfied with your old metal fillings, please contact Laurel Lakes Cosmetic Dentistry today to schedule your consultation.

Everyone wants a perfect smile. Most of us clean and care for our teeth daily, visit a dentist twice a year, and take every step possible to ensure our smile is brilliant and beautiful. Some things, however, cannot be corrected through daily cleaning. Chips, severe stains, uneven gum lines, and crooked or missing teeth may need a little something extra to look as beautiful as possible. This is where a smile makeover can help.

With a smile makeover, Dr. Melnick will work closely with you to correct all of the problems preventing you from having the smile you desire. A smile makeover may include:

• Tooth whitening to remove unsightly stains
• Porcelain veneers to cover small imperfections from stains to chips and even cracks.
• Porcelain fillings and filling upgrades to help ensure cavities filled do not look differently from your natural teeth.
• Porcelain crowns to replace badly damaged teeth
• Laser dentistry to painlessly and easily re-contour your gums.

Every mouth is unique and requires an individualized combination of treatments to achieve a beautiful smile. Dr. Melnick is experienced in customizing smile makeovers to help ensure that you walk out of our office with the smile you deserve.

If you live in or around Laurel, Maryland and have several small imperfections that are keeping you from having a smile you're proud of, please contact Laurel Lakes Cosmetic Dentistry today to schedule your smile makeover consultation.