Dental Tooth Fillings / Direct Restorations
Dental decay is one of the most common reason for the loss of a tooth. The cause of dental decay is multifactorial. Teeth are covered with a hard protective layer of enamel. This can get weakened due to an imbalance of diet, lifestyle, oral hygiene habits, regular dental visits and altered oral environment due to medications and other health problems.
When there is a small decay and a tooth surface is permanently damaged, it is best treated by placing a direct filling in the area after removal of the decay. This is one of the most commonly performed procedures at any dental practice. In today's day and age, tooth-coloured fillings or resin fillings are used for almost all clinical scenarios. After carefully understanding the extent of the decay, your dentist will determine the choice of the filling material to be used. After achieving deep anesthesia, decay is cleaned with the combination of rotary and hand instruments and then the cavity is filled with composite fillers. The filling is then shaped and polished to match the shape of the tooth and also to fit comfortable with the patient's bite.
What to know more about our Dental Fillings and Restoration treatments?
Book a professional assessment by our dentists and discuss any enquires that you may have about this treatment
What Are Dental Fillings/Direct restorations?
A dental filling is a treatment performed in the case where you may have decay, hole or cavity in your tooth. There are many types of fillings and a general classification is explained as follows. Usually, the choice of the filling material depends on the purpose and the timing of the treatment and your dentist will let you know which material has been chosen for your tooth.
Category
There are three kinds of common filling materials.
I. Based on the type of the material: Amalgam, Composite Resin, Glass-ionomer.
Amalgam
Amalgam is a mixture of silver, copper, mercury, zinc and tin. It used to be the gold standard for filling dental cavities almost two decades ago. Over the years, due to the risk of mercury toxicity as well as amalgam-related tooth fractures (Crack Tooth Syndrome) has led dental professionals moving away from this material. Specifically, at Local Dental Clinic, we do not use Amalgam fillings. Over the years, most of the patients also prefer not to have amalgam as it looks dark in colour as well as its tendency to discolour the underlying tooth.
Composite Resin
Commonly known as ‘white’ filling, this tooth-coloured plastic filling is the most used dental material for restoring small cavities. The fundamental composition of this material is a mixture of resin matrix-like bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate (BISGMA) or urethane di-methacrylate (UDMA) and filler like silica. With a different combination of these ingredients, composite resin can be flowable or stiff packable. Dental composite resins also come in many different shades and this allows us to match the colour of the resin with your tooth. Composite material needs to stick/ bond with the tooth structure and for that Dental Bonding Agents are used.
Glass-ionomer Cement
It is used as an interim restorative material during complex dental procedures like Root Canal Treatment. Usually white in color, this material is low in its compressive strength. It is best used in deciduous (baby) teeth.
II. Based on the timing of the filling: Permanent and Temporary.
Permanent fillings are usually composite resin fillings, while Temporary fillings can be identified as Glass-ionomer Cement.
III. Based on the consistency of the material: Flowable and Packable
Composite resin can be flowable (low filler content) or packable (high filler content). Their distinction is just because of their consistency.
Step-by-step procedure for composite resin filling
After carefully removing the decay, the dentist isolates the tooth with a rubber dam or cotton rolls. If the cavity is involving the proximal (sides of the teeth) part of the teeth, dentist will then use a matrix band to create perfect contact with adjacent tooth. The inside of the cavity is then etched with a dental etchant for 10-15 seconds. Dental etchant is then thoroughly washed with water spray for 5-10 seconds and dried gently to achieve matt dry surface. A bonding agent is then applied to the inside of the cavity and thoroughly rubbed inside the cavity walls. It is then gently blow-dried for 5-10 seconds to evaporate the solvents. An LED dental curing light is then applied to the tooth to set the bonding agent. This curing light generally is blue and narrow spectrum of 400-500 nm in range.
Once the bond application is finished, the cavity is then ready for the composite resin. Your dentist will then start filling the cavity in small increment with flowable/packable composite resin. Once desired shape is achieved, dentist will then remove the isolation and trim the filling and give it the ideal shape to match the appearance and bite with your other teeth.
