Types of Fillings
Dental Fillings The very next step after decay is removed
from a tooth is that something must be placed in that space to give strength
back to the tooth.
Fillings : Fillings are the best and most common restorative
procedure.
Inlays and onlays : In addition to fillings, lab
fabricated inlays and onlays are also sometimes used. Although many patients
think of these as fillings as well, they are actually different since they are
laboratory fabricated.
White fillings : The most popular kind of 'white filling' is
called a Composite filling. It is made up of a composite quartz resin (glass
and porcelain) and usually contains some sort of light sensitive agent that is
used during curing. They are an attractive, durable alternative to silver
(amalgam) fillings. In the past, white fillings were placed only on front teeth,
but recently these composite materials have been specifically designed to be
able to survive the pressure of grinding when you chew. These light
cured composites are best looking and in most cases they can be inserted in one
appointment.
Silver (amalgam) fillings: Today, the use of white composite
resin fillings is more in vogue by most dentists. The principal components of
amalgam is Silver alloy and Mercury. American Dental Association has declared
Silver amalgam fillings as totally safe and they continue to be in use .
Gamma-2-free amalgams continue to be used today because they are hard, durable
and inexpensive, There may be unique circumstances that call for a silver
(amalgam) filling, like placing on back teeth (molars).
White Porcelain inlay or onlay : This is used when
cosmetics and wear resistance is most important for a patients. A porcelain
inlay or onlay is used when the cavity is too big for a filling, but isn't so
big that a crown is required. An inlay is a filling within the cusp tips of the
tooth. Onlays (also known as overlays) will overlay one or more cusps in order
to protect and strengthen the tooth. This type of filling costs about the same
as an indirect composite inlay/onlay and takes two visits.
Gold: An inlay or onlay may also be made of gold. Gold fillings
despite being expensive, have long history of use with excellent durability,
wear well, and do not cause excessive wear to the opposing teeth. But they do
conduct heat and cold making its presence felt in the mouth. Recent advances
has brought consumer focus on aesthetic results of composites and procelain
veneers and crowns.
Glass Ionomer Fillings: It is a filling material
that is tooth colored and contains strontium, phosphate and fluoride ions. These
fillings are a mixture of glass and an organic acid. They are also
tooth-coloured but vary in translucency. Glass ionomer fillings are less
aesthetic in result as compared to what is achieved by composite resins.
As far as the
cavity filling preparation is concerned, glass ionomer is comparable to the
composite resin. Glass ionomer is considered fairly conservative procedure as
it disturbs fairly less tooth structure. This filling material interacts with
the enamel and dentin and actually allows the tooth tissue to remineralize at
the filling interface. This provides a true biological and chemical seal with
the tooth. It is good for those who feel sensitivity with the rest of their
otherwise healthy looking teeth.
The glass ionomers are chemically set and require no light cure to harden the
material once placed in the cavity preparation. It however need time to fully
set and harden. The glass ionomers advantage over composite resins include no
shrinkage and micro leakage as bonding is acid-base reaction and not a
polymerization reaction; Glass ionomers contain and release fluoride that helps
prevent carious lesions; Glass ionomer has less wear as compared to composite
resins.