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Own Your Smile
Beverly Hills Metal Free Fillings
A cavity should never cost you a flash of silver every time you laugh. Tooth colored fillings, also called composite or white fillings, restore a decayed or damaged tooth with a material shaded precisely to match your enamel, so the repair simply disappears. At Rifkin Raanan they are also part of a larger commitment: we practice biological, metal free dentistry, which means no mercury amalgam and a focus on preserving as much healthy tooth as possible.
What a tooth colored filling is
A tooth colored filling is made of composite resin that bonds directly to your tooth. After the decay is gently removed, the composite is placed in thin layers, shaped to your bite, cured, and polished, usually in a single comfortable visit.
Because composite bonds to the tooth rather than being wedged into it, we remove less healthy structure than a metal filling requires. The result is a stronger, sealed tooth and a repair no one will ever spot.
Why patients choose metal free
Color matched
Shaded to your enamel, undetectable when you smile or speak.
No metal, no mercury
No amalgam, in keeping with our biological philosophy.
More conservative
Bonds directly to the tooth, so more healthy structure stays.
Temperature calm
No metal to expand and contract and stress the tooth over time.
Composite vs amalgam, honestly
Tooth colored composite has become the modern standard, and for good reason. Here is how the two actually compare.
- Appearance. Composite disappears into the tooth. Amalgam darkens over time and shows every time you laugh.
- What it contains. Composite is metal free and mercury free. Amalgam is roughly half mercury by weight.
- How much tooth survives. Composite bonds in place, so less healthy tooth is removed. Amalgam needs mechanical retention cut into the tooth.
- The honest tradeoff. In very large restorations composite can wear sooner, which is when we recommend a porcelain inlay, onlay, or crown instead.
Filling, onlay, or bonding
The size and location of the damage decides the best restoration, and we always choose the most conservative option that will truly last.
Tooth Colored Filling
Composite placed and sculpted in a single visit. The everyday workhorse for decay caught early, invisible and conservative.
Porcelain Inlay or Onlay
A custom porcelain piece crafted in our Atelier Aesthetics lab for damage too large for a filling but not ready for a crown.
Dental Bonding
The same composite artistry used cosmetically, to reshape chips and close small gaps on healthy teeth.
Explore porcelain inlays and onlays and metal free dental bonding, or see how it all fits into our biological dentistry philosophy.
Replacing old silver fillings
Many patients come to us to have aging, darkened, or cracked amalgam fillings removed and replaced with tooth colored composite. We follow careful isolation and removal protocols, then rebuild the tooth so it looks and functions like new.
Not every silver filling needs to go. If an old filling is healthy and intact, we may recommend leaving it alone, and we will tell you honestly either way. Keeping up with regular cleanings and prevention protects every restoration you have.
A healthier filling, planned in person
Whether it is a new cavity or an old silver filling you are ready to retire, the right plan starts with a proper look, not a guess.
With good hygiene and regular visits, composite fillings last for many years. Longevity depends on the size and location of the filling, your bite, and your habits, which is exactly what we evaluate before recommending anything.
At your visit we examine the tooth, explain what we see, and give you a clear, honest plan with a transparent evaluation before anything begins. If ozone or other supportive therapies fit your case, our ozone therapy page explains how we use them.
What to expect
- A full exam of the tooth and any old fillings
- Honest guidance on repair or replacement
- Shade matching so the repair disappears
- A transparent evaluation, set in person
Placed by the doctors of Rifkin Raanan
Four doctors, one ceramics lab on site, and a biological, metal free standard across everything we place.
Dr. Steven Rifkin · Dr. Robert Rifkin · Dr. Rodney Raanan · Dr. Justin Raanan
Tooth colored fillings, answered
Are composite fillings healthier than amalgam?
Do most dentists use white fillings now?
How long do composite fillings last?
Can you replace my old silver fillings?
What are the disadvantages of composite fillings?
Is it safe to remove amalgam fillings?
Own Your Smile
Book your Beverly Hills evaluation
Whether it is a new cavity or a silver filling you are ready to retire, we will examine the tooth and give you a clear, honest plan. Choose the office that is most convenient for you.
Or call (310) 205-5300
