Tooth-Colored Fillings & Restorations
When restoring teeth, strength and esthetics both matter. At Innovative Dental & Orthodontics, we use tooth-colored restorations—either direct composites or indirect ceramic inlays and onlays—to repair and protect your teeth while blending seamlessly with your natural smile.
Direct Restorations (Composite)
Not All Fillings Are Created Equal
Precision Matters — Even With a Filling
At Innovative Dental & Orthodontics, we believe a dental filling should do more than simply repair a cavity. It should restore the natural shape, function, and appearance of the tooth.
For many of our tooth-colored composite restorations, particularly fillings between the back teeth, we utilize the Garrison sectional matrix system. This advanced system helps our dentists carefully recreate the natural contours and contact points between neighboring teeth while placing a composite restoration.
Why does that matter?
A properly shaped restoration helps create a tight, natural contact between teeth, reducing the likelihood of food becoming trapped after treatment. It also allows us to reproduce the tooth's natural anatomy and emergence profile, which can make the restoration feel more like your original tooth and make flossing and cleaning more predictable.
The Garrison system uses anatomically shaped sectional matrices, wedges, and separation rings to help us precisely control the shape of the restoration while the tooth-colored composite material is placed and bonded.
It's one example of the attention to detail we bring to restorative dentistry. Whether we're restoring a small cavity or rebuilding a more extensively damaged tooth, our goal isn't simply to "fill the hole." Our goal is to recreate the tooth as closely as possible to the way nature designed it.
Indirect Restorations (Inlays & Onlays)
Indirect restorations are crafted outside the mouth and then bonded to the tooth—used for larger cavities or fractures where a filling wouldn't be strong enough, or to replace old, failing large fillings.
Made of ceramic or composite, they're more durable than direct resin and offer partial coverage that conserves healthy tooth structure compared to full crowns.
The Process
Direct Composite Restorations
The tooth is prepared and cleaned, composite resin is layered into the cavity and hardened with a curing light, then shaped and polished for a natural look—all in one visit.
Indirect Inlays & Onlays
The tooth is prepared and scanned, a temporary filling may be placed while your custom inlay/onlay is fabricated, then the final restoration is bonded securely and your bite adjusted for comfort.