Dental Fillings
Cavities occur when decay has started to develop on a tooth, compromising its structure. Fillings are performed in order to restore the integrity of the tooth and surrounding areas. Advances in modern dental materials and techniques increasingly offer new ways to create more pleasing, natural-looking smiles. Researchers are continuing their often decades-long work developing esthetic materials, such as ceramic and plastic compounds that mimic the appearance of natural teeth. As a result, dentists and patients today have several choices when it comes to selecting materials used to repair missing, worn, damaged or decayed teeth.
Composite Fillings
Composite fillings are a mixture of acrylic resin and finely ground glasslike particles that produce a tooth-colored restoration. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Composites can also be “bonded” or adhesively held in a cavity, often allowing the dentist to make a more conservative repair to the tooth. In teeth where chewing loads are high, composite fillings are less resistant to wear than silver amalgams. It also takes longer to place a composite filling.
Porcelain Fillings
All-porcelain (ceramic) dental materials include porcelain, ceramic or glasslike fillings and crowns. They are used as inlays, onlays, crowns and aesthetic veneers. A veneer is a very thin shell of porcelain that can replace or cover part of the enamel of the tooth. All-porcelain (ceramic) restorations are particularly desirable because their color and translucency mimic natural tooth enamel. All-porcelain restorations require a minimum of two visits and possibly more. The restorations are prone to fracture when placed under tension or on impact. Their strength depends on an adequate thickness of porcelain and the ability to be bonded to the underlying tooth. They are highly resistant to wear but the porcelain can quickly wear opposing teeth if the porcelain surface becomes rough.
Ionomers
Glass and resin ionomers are tooth-colored materials made of a mixture of acrylic acids and fine glass powders that are used to fill cavities, particularly those on the root surfaces of teeth. Glass ionomers can release a small amount of fluoride that help patients who are at high risk for decay. Because they have a low resistance to fracture, ionomers are mostly used in small non-load bearing fillings (those between the teeth) or on the roots of teeth. Both glass and resin ionomers mimic natural tooth color but lack the natural translucency of enamel.
Amalgam (Silver) Fillings
The strength and durability of traditional silver fillings continue to make them useful for situations where restored teeth must withstand extreme forces that result from chewing, such as in the back of the mouth.
The Food and Drug Administration and other organizations of the U.S. Public Health Service continue to investigate the safety of amalgams used in dental restorations. However, no valid scientific evidence has shown that amalgams cause harm to patients with dental restorations, except in rare cases of allergic reactions.
Family Dental Care
Karls Family Dentistry is happy to provide comprehensive dental services for your family. Contact us today to schedule a cleaning.