A filling is one of the easiest and most common ways to repair a damaged tooth.
These can be done with relative ease, by any suburban dental clinic in a single appointment.
However, just like with any medical procedure it is crucial that you understand the process - it is your body after all! Below, the three main materials used in fillings are explained in detail, as well as a brief look at the process of getting a filling.
The Filling Process When a cavity is discovered, the decaying parts of the tooth are removed - by the dreaded dental drill! This will halt the spread of decay, but this will have left you with a hole in your tooth, which now needs to be filled.
This is where a filling comes in.
Usually, your mouth is numbed by anaesthetic for the insertion of a filling.
A material that will hopefully closely resemble your teeth will be inserted into the hole, leaving you with a healthy, functional tooth.
Composites Composites are a newcomer in the world of dental filling materials.
They are based on synthetic resins, which initially suffered from weakness issues, but have been largely perfected in recent years.
If used correctly and with modern techniques, composite fillings have a large advantage over more traditional fillings.
It is possible to almost return a tooth to its original strength.
The number one advantage of composite fillings over amalgams, is aesthetics.
The colour of composite materials is very easily matched to your teeth.
This means that the filling will blend in far better with your teeth and if done well it will be almost impossible to identify the part of your tooth that has had a filling inserted.
However, there can still be issues using composite fillings on teeth in the rear of the mouth that experience a high amount of wear, as they are still not as robust as traditional amalgam fillings.
Amalgams An amalgam is the traditional method most people imagine when they think about a filling.
Generally, these kinds of fillings are made with an alloy of mercury and other metals, notably silver, tin and copper.
Being metal, these fillings are very robust and are known for their durability.
However, this does mean that they cannot be modified to mimic the colour of your teeth.
The main controversy surrounding these fillings is the use of mercury.
As you may already know, mercury can be quite damaging to both your health and the environment.
A number of countries have discontinued the use of amalgam fillings for this reason, but their use still continues and is quite widespread globally.
Ceramic As the name suggests, these fillings are made out of ceramics, notably porcelain.
This makes them very easy to match to the colour of your teeth as this material is naturally tooth coloured.
In addition to this, ceramics are highly resistant to staining or abrasion, which you may have noticed from using other products made from ceramics such as mugs and plates.
Whilst strong in most situations, this material is notoriously brittle and as such it can only be used for quite large fillings, as it is simply not suited for smaller ones.
You may also find that ceramic fillings are much more expensive than both amalgams and composites.
More Information For more information, or a consultation about which fillings are best for you, don't hesitate to consult your local dentist.