Cavities & Dental Fillings Dental Practice Alan Kruger
The type of filling most suited for your needs depends on a number of factors...
Dental fillings are used to restore a tooth damaged by tooth decay. A dental filling seals off your tooth to prevent bacteria from entering and also protects the tooth from further potential tooth decay.
The type of filling most suited for your needs depends on a number of factors, such as, the location in your mouth where the filling is needed, and the amount of repair that is needed. These factors are first discussed with you, before the treatment
Available Types of Dental Fillings
Composite Dental Fillings
Highly aesthetically demanding fillings can be done in composite material. Composite shades can be matched perfectly to the exact tooth colour. The composite material is built up in various layers, which are each hardened by a special ultraviolet light.
Composite fillings are placed by the dentist in one appointment, and do not need the help of a dental technician.
Porcelain Dental Fillings
Besides composite fillings, porcelain is a good alternative when an aesthetically demanding filling is required. Porcelain can be matched perfectly to the natural tooth shade. At the first appointment, the dentist takes a dental impression for a dental technician to make the porcelain filling.
At a second appointment, the dentist fits the porcelain filling.
Gold Dental Fillings
Gold is an outstanding filling material. Despite its colour, its properties are very similar to that of a natural tooth. It's well suited for very back molars, where colour is not that important. It has to be made via a dental technician and fitted at a second appointment.
Amalgam Dental Fillings
Amalgam has been used as a basic filling material in dentistry since the 19 th century. It is a mixture of metal alloys and mercury and can be used to fill large cavities. It can be used easily under difficult oral conditions and lasts very long. Due to its metallic colour it doesn't fill the aesthetic demands which composite and porcelain fulfill. In rare cases the mercury of amalgam has been linked to health problems. Therefore it's not used during pregnancy, or on patients with kidney disorders, or known amalgam allergies. If a metal allergy test reveals an amalgam allergy, these fillings should be exchanged for composite, porcelain or gold fillings.
Amalgam Allergy
Amalgam fillings generally don't cause any problems. However, some people complain about headaches, dizziness, tiredness, or depression. After a metal allergy test reveals an amalgam allergy, these fillings should be exchanged for composite, porcelain or gold fillings.