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Fillings

Dental fillings are one of the many services we offer that are necessary to keep your teeth strong and healthy. At Gill Dental, your oral health is our top priority, but we do understand how important it is to have a beautiful smile, too. Restorative fillings not only protect and strengthen your teeth, but also keep your smile looking great.

Why You Need Dental Fillings

Fillings may seem like a pretty basic dental treatment, but they’re actually crucial for maintaining excellent oral health. No matter how well you take care of your teeth, at some point you may get a cavity. Once your tooth develops a cavity, we need to treat it as soon as possible to prevent it from spreading, causing more discomfort, and further damaging your tooth.

If not treated with a filling, the tooth will continue to decay and break down. Severe decay leads to periodontal (gum) disease, a serious oral and general health problem. Recent studies have shown that there’s a definite link between diseases of the mouth and overall health problems like heart and respiratory disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Our goal is to provide our patients with choices that are the most effective for their particular needs. We offer both tooth-colored and amalgam fillings, and we will help you decide which is the best choice for you.

The Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings

Amalgam (silver) fillings are very strong and most often used on back teeth that take a lot of abuse when you eat. But recently dental technology has also given us the option of choosing durable tooth-colored fillings to restore a damaged tooth. You may also hear these fillings referred to as composites or composite fillings. From a cosmetic perspective, the thing we really like about this material is that it can be shaded to match the exact color of your natural teeth – which means nobody ever needs to know that you've had a filling.

Also, when Dr. Gill places a composite fillings, he only needs to remove the decayed portion of the tooth. Since the filling material is bonded securely to your tooth, it will support the remaining tooth structure and help prevent breakage. It is our goal to preserve as much natural tooth structure as possible to keep your smile whole and healthy for many years.

Versatility of Tooth-Colored Fillings

Tooth-colored composites look so natural, we can use them to correct a number of cosmetic imperfections:

Repair minor chips, cracks, or broken teeth
Replace old deteriorating silver fillings
Alter the shape of irregular teeth
Fill uneven gaps between teeth

Customized Patient Care

At Gill Dental, we focus on making sure that you leave our office with healthier teeth than when you arrived. You are an individual with specific needs when it comes to your oral health care, and we spend all the time necessary to talk to you about your goals until we are both sure that we are providing the treatment that is most appropriate for you.

Please Contact Our Office

If you are interested in learning more about our patient-focused care or would like to schedule a dental exam and cleaning, please contact our Williams dental office. A friendly member of our team will be happy to schedule a convenient appointment.

The Best Dentist

Dr. Gill is hands down the best dentist I've ever been to. All my other dentist have left me feeling like my face has been ran over by a truck, and are very rough. Dr. Gill has such a gentle touch I didn't feel anything! I literally fell asleep in the chair getting fillings done! And to top it off he called me later that evening to check in on me and how I was feeling! What dentist does that!?! Dr. Gill is an awesome dentist! Very down to earth! Cool guy! If I could I would give his 10 stars!! Highly recommend Dr. Gill to everyone!
- J A. , Colusa, CA

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it important to floss my teeth?

If you want your teeth to be as healthy as they can be, you should floss at least once a day to remove plaque from the surface and in between your teeth. Obviously brushing is important, but it works hand-in-hand with flossing.

This is because your toothbrush cannot get into all those hard-to-reach areas between teeth. Flossing is necessary because it cleans all the nooks and crannies that you can’t reach with a toothbrush. If plaque is not removed from these areas, it will harden and form calculus/tartar, which contributes to gum disease. Also, the food debris in plaque gets eaten by bacteria, which causes acid to be produced, which in turn causes cavities in your teeth.

It’s also essential to visit a dental hygienist twice a year (more often if indicated) for professional cleanings. Think of these visits as a tune-up – you maintain your oral hygiene at home, and every six months we’ll give you a fresh start with a thorough dental cleaning.

If it’s been a while since you’ve had a dental cleaning, please call Gill Dental to arrange an appointment. As part of your cleaning, we will also instruct you about the most effective ways to brush and floss.

Are amalgam fillings safe?

Silver fillings, also known as amalgam fillings, are a blend of silver, copper, and zinc, mixed with elemental mercury. Dentists have used amalgam fillings to fill teeth since the early 1800s with great success.

At Gill Dental, we do everything possible to ensure that your treatments are not just effective, but safe. Recently there has been a lot of press about the safety of amalgam fillings and the effect they may have on your overall health.

The controversy regarding these fillings comes from claims that the exposure to mercury vapor and particles from fillings can lead to general health problems. However, multiple studies have found that there’s no relationship between amalgam fillings and any adverse health conditions. In fact, The American Dental Association (ADA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and others support the use of silver fillings as a safe and cost effective choice for restoring a damaged tooth.

Amalgam fillings are extremely durable, so they’re primarily used on molars that have to withstand a lot of biting force. Because of the esthetic impact of amalgam fillings, we don’t normally place amalgam fillings on the teeth that show when you smile.

Meet Our Doctor:

Sher Himmat S. Gill DDS

Dr. Sher Himmat S. Gill received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis. He then attended the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry where he was awarded his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. After receiving his DDS degree, Dr. Gill spent several years as an associate dentist in a group practice where he performed general dentistry procedures for both children and adults.

In dental school, Dr. Gill participated in a number of externship programs and ...