People are attracted to modern, tooth-colored fillings because they blend in with your remaining tooth structure, allowing their fillings to go unnoticed like never before. Unfortunately, this may not be a permanent solution. Tooth-colored fillings are not immune to the staining caused by smoking, coffee, colorful foods, and other such materials. Further, since they are not made from the same material that your tooth enamel is made from, they can stain differently. Over time, you might notice a brownish outline around your filling, causing them to stand out among the rest of your tooth.
These stains probably won’t bother you unless they’re found on a front-facing tooth surface. If you have such a stain, the bad news is that it can’t generally be bleached in the same way you can bleach stained teeth. However, your dentist can restore the white to your filling by polishing it.
Whether or not you are bothered by a stained filling, it’s worth having your dentist look at it in case it is indicative of tooth decay. Consult our Bellevue dentist for more.