Missiles are more useful than you think.
Missiles are underrated in most Metroid games. In Fusion, you could unlock a Super Missile, which made them almost 2X stronger. In Metroid Dred, the missiles in the early game are reasonably robust and, in some cases, faster than waiting for the charge shot to ready. The game makes it hard to fully deplete your reserves, so blast away. They're good for damaging bosses, too.