Understanding Your Investment in a Beautiful, Healthy Smile
Discovering that you have a cavity can immediately raise questions about both the clinical treatment required and the financial investment needed to restore your oral health. At Sheldon & Furtado, PLLC, our entire dental team is completely committed to providing outstanding, transparent, and comfortable care that aligns with your household budget. Led by Dr. Lee Sheldon, Dr. Matt Sheldon, and board-certified periodontist Dr. Michel Furtado, our dentist office has proudly served families in Melbourne and Brevard County since 1980. Voted Best of Brevard for the eleventh year, our dentist office combines specialized clinical skill with advanced diagnostics to treat tooth decay quickly, durably, and gently. When you visit our dentist office for your first visit, we take the necessary time to evaluate your unique oral anatomy and provide a clear, personalized assessment. Our dentists specialize in providing highly durable tooth-colored dental fillings that look completely natural and protect your teeth from future damage. If you are looking for an exceptional dentist’s office near you to protect your smile, please contact our team to schedule your diagnostic evaluation today by calling our periodontists in Melbourne at (321) 259-8000.
What Influences the Cost of Tooth-Colored Dental Fillings?
When calculating the cost of repairing a cavity, there is no single flat rate that applies to every patient. Because every smile is completely unique, the overall cost of your tooth-colored filling is determined by several specific clinical factors that our doctors assess during your evaluation. Our dentist office utilizes advanced high-tech dentistry—including digital X-rays and precise imaging—to evaluate the structural state of your enamel before recommending a treatment plan.
The primary factors that dictate the cost of your dental restoration include:
- The size of the cavity: Small, shallow cavities require very little composite material and can be treated very quickly, keeping your costs down. Larger cavities that have spread deep into the tooth structure require more extensive preparation and restorative material.
- The number of tooth surfaces involved: A simple cavity confined to a single flat surface is less complex to treat than a cavity that spans across multiple surfaces of a tooth, such as the front, back, and chewing edges.
- The location of the affected tooth: Preparing and filling a molar at the very back of the mouth can sometimes be more time-consuming due to accessibility and the complex chewing forces the molar must withstand, which can slightly affect the overall cost compared to a highly accessible front tooth.
By identifying decay in its earliest stages, we can provide conservative restorations that preserve your natural enamel and minimize your overall financial investment. If you suspect you have a cavity, reach out to our team today to secure an appointment by calling (321) 259-8000.
The Structural and Aesthetic Value of Composite Resin
In the past, dental offices primarily utilized dark metal silver amalgams to fill cavities. While metal was a functional choice, it required dentists to remove a substantial amount of healthy tooth structure just to hold the metal wedge in place. Additionally, metal expands and contracts with hot and cold temperatures, which often leads to microscopic fractures in the surrounding enamel over time. Today, our practice exclusively uses composite resin, which represents a premier choice in modern cosmetic dentistry.
Composite resin offers significant structural benefits that make it a far better long-term investment:
- Direct chemical bonding: Unlike metal, composite resin bonds directly to the cellular structure of your tooth, actively strengthening the remaining enamel and reducing the risk of future fractures.
- Enamel preservation: Because the material bonds chemically, our dentists do not have to drill away large portions of your healthy tooth structure to secure the filling.
- Custom color-matching: Our doctors meticulously match the shade of the resin to your natural teeth, creating a seamless restoration that is virtually invisible when you laugh or speak.
If your tooth has suffered decay that is too extensive for a basic filling, our dentist office also offers highly durable porcelain crowns or customized porcelain veneers to fully restore your smile. To explore these highly cosmetic options with skilled professionals, call our friendly team at (321) 259-8000.
Why Early Cavity Treatment Prevents Costly Procedures
Tooth decay is a progressive bacterial infection that will never heal on its own. Ignoring a small cavity or delaying a simple dental filling is one of the most expensive decisions a patient can make. Over time, the aggressive bacteria will continue to eat through your enamel, eventually penetrating the inner pulp of your tooth where your nerves and blood vessels are located.
If the infection reaches this sensitive inner chamber, a simple, budget-friendly filling will no longer be sufficient. Instead, you will require a complex root canal procedure followed by a custom porcelain cap to save the tooth. If the tooth becomes completely non-vital or fractured beyond repair, it must be extracted and replaced with advanced dental implants or even an extensive full dental rehabilitation to prevent your bite from collapsing. Finding experienced dentists near you to treat decay early is the absolute best way to protect both your health and your wallet. If you are experiencing minor tooth sensitivity, protect your smile by calling our office today at (321) 259-8000.
Maximizing Dental Insurance and Flexible Payment Plans
At Sheldon & Furtado, PLLC, our dentist office believes that financial worries should never get in the way of your oral health. Because dental fillings are categorized as essential restorative treatments, the vast majority of dental insurance plans heavily cover the cost of composite fillings. Our highly knowledgeable administrative staff will happily file all necessary claims on your behalf to maximize your annual insurance benefits and keep your out-of-pocket costs as low as possible.
If you do not carry dental insurance, or if you need to manage the cost of a larger restorative treatment plan, our practice provides a variety of highly flexible payment options. We are proud to partner directly with trusted third-party financing companies, including Cherry Financing, which allows you to break your treatment cost down into easy, interest-free monthly payments that fit comfortably within your household budget. Finding premier dentists near you who provide transparent pricing ensures that your smile remains healthy and stress-free. To discuss our payment plans or to check your insurance coverage, please call our cosmetic dentists in Melbourne today at (321) 259-8000.