When you look at your smile in the mirror, we hope you love what you see. But if you've recently noticed holes in your teeth or have been nursing a toothache, the best thing to do is visit your dentist for a dental exam. In just one visit, your dentist should be able to identify whether you have dental cavities and need dental fillings.

Dentists use dental fillings -- the material that "fills" the spaces in your teeth left by tooth decay -- to restore teeth. Dental fillings are also used to repair cracks and broken areas in your teeth, and to repair areas that have been worn down.

As far as dental procedures go, a dental filling procedure is relatively simple. Dental fillings generally take just one or two dental visits to complete, and involves removing decay, cleaning the tooth and then filling it with a restorative material such as amalgam, composite resin or porcelain.

Your dentist can help you choose which type of filling is best for you based on the size of the space to be filled, aesthetics, durability of dental filling materials and dental filling costs.

The most common dental fillings, amalgam fillings are also known as silver fillings. Amalgam fillings are the least expensive type of dental filling and are so durable that they've outlasted many hairstyle fads, fashion trends and celebrity divorces. Aside from its most obvious aesthetic drawback amalgam fillings usually require more healthy parts of the tooth be removed to make a space large enough to hold the filling.

Composite resin fillings are best for those who care a lot about aesthetics as well as function because they can match the natural color of teeth. That makes composite fillings perfect for patients who don't want to smile showing front teeth with a touch of silver (which may turn bluish-gray over time).

Composite dental fillings are also versatile enough to repair a chipped tooth, broken tooth or worn teeth. They are not as inexpensive as amalgam fillings, but also don't last as long.

Where there's silver, there's usually gold, and the same is true for dental fillings. Gold dental fillings are 10 times more expensive than most, but they are also more durable than other dental fillings, lasting up to 35 years. Gold dental fillings require up to two dental office visits to place and obviously, don't look like natural teeth.

Another tooth-colored dental filling alternative to composite resin fillings are ceramic fillings, which are often made of porcelain, making them more resistant to staining. They are chemically bonded to natural teeth which can even strengthen them and may last for over 15 years.

These are more visually appealing, stronger and longer-lasting alternatives to traditional dental fillings, used when not enough structure exists to support a dental filling or when a tooth is not so damaged that it needs a dental crown.

Temporary dental fillings are meant to last for about a month, and are used for a variety of situations:

• When there is not enough time or money to complete a full filling procedure
• For emergency dental treatment
• To follow a root canal

Learning about dental fillings is a great step toward restoring your smile, but the only way to put your knowledge to work for your smile is to visit a great dentist. If you need help finding a dentist in your area, we can help -- call us at 1-866-970-9853 to speak with our caring operators.