Fillings
There are many restorative materials used to ‘fill’ a tooth that has been destroyed, broken, damaged or previously filled.
SOME OF THE FACTORS IN MAKING A CHOICE ARE:
- Where – front or back tooth?
- Has there been a previous filling?
- Is it on a biting surface?
- How big is the cavity?
- Does it show?
- Cost?
THE MAIN MATERIALS AVAILABLE
Composite Resins
- Plastic materials made of glass and resin
- Used as filling and to repair defects.
- Tooth coloured, the composites bond to the tooth tissue.
- Especially used for front teeth – for appearance.
- Very good colour match.
- More costly than amalgam and may be less strong when used in back teeth.
- Composite Filling
Glass Ionomers
- Tooth coloured and made of fine glass powders.
- Used to fill cavities – especially on root surfaces close of the gum margin.
- Bonds to tooth tissue (dentine).
- Contains fluoride, which is slowly released and helps prevent decay.
- Has less resistance to wear then composite resins and so is not good on biting surfaces.
Amalgam (silver)
- Made of a mixture of Silver, copper, tin, zinc and mercury.
- Durable, long lasting, cost effective and the most commonly used material in back teeth, which have to withstand heavy use.
- Not used in front teeth because of colour.
- A metal appearance.
Alloys
- Metal combinations – especially gold with platinum or palladium to harden.
Porcelain
- Very strong custom made glass
- Excellent colour and being used more and more for fillings/inlays.
- Both alloys and porcelain used as fillings are more costly – both because of the time needed and the material’s cost.
ONLAY / INLAY
An inlay fits inside the tooth contours. These restorations usually need two visits. At the first – preparation of the tooth, and a mould is taken. At the second – fitting, cementing and polishing.
Before
After
