Patients with cavities require restorative treatments to eliminate decay and repair their teeth’s integrity. Your dentist will use fillings Pearland to seal the part removed during root canal treatment. Fillings are also practical for addressing broken and cracked teeth following damage. There are different types of dental fillings. Your doctor will recommend a specific type of dental filling depending on your condition and preference.
What materials are dental fillings made from?
There are multiple types of dental fillings made from different materials. The most common materials that make up dental fillings include:
- Gold.
- Porcelain.
- Silver amalgam
- Composite resin fillings.
Your doctor will recommend a specific type of dental filling depending on the extent of your decay and your ability to afford the cost of filling material. Moreover, reviewing your oral health status will help your doctor decide on the best filling to address your concerns.
Are there pros and cons to various filling materials?
The following are the advantages of various dental filling materials:
- Gold is long-lasting and provides aesthetic appeal.
- Silver fillings (amalgams) can provide service for longer than ten years and are more affordable than composite resin fillings.
- Tooth-colored composite fillings resemble natural teeth and can bond to the existing tooth to provide extra support.
- Ceramics/porcelain are long-lasting and more resistant to staining.
- Glass ionomer releases fluoride providing extra protection from decay.
The following are the cons of each type of dental filling material:
- Gold is quite expensive than other materials.
- Silver requires adequate space for filling stability and thus necessitates the extraction of more teeth.
- Tooth-colored composite fillings do not last as long as other materials
- Ceramics are relatively expensive.
- Glass ionomer lasts less than five years.
What are indirect fillings?
Your doctor may also prescribe indirect fillings, similar to composite and tooth-colored fillings but made in the lab and require initial appointments before placement. Indirect fillings are the best restorative treatments for patients with inadequate jaw tissue to support a filling.
What should you expect during indirect filling placement?
The initial visit involved removing decay and taking impressions of the tooth needing and surrounding teeth. Your doctor will recommend a temporary filling while you wait to develop your indirect fillings in a laboratory using made impressions. The next time you go to your dentist will involve removing the temporary filling and fitting the indirect restoration to confirm acceptability before permanently cementing it.
There are different types of indirect fillings. Your doctor will recommend the ideal type depending on your case. The main types of indirect fillings include:
- Inlays address concerns about the bumps found on the tooth’s chewing surface.
- Onlays are partial crowns covering more than one cusp.
Your tooth structure and cosmetic concerns will determine your best dental fillings. Working with a trained specialist will guarantee the placement of appropriate dental fillings to address your concerns. Contact TLN Family Dental if you are experiencing tooth decay symptoms to determine the best restorative treatments for you and select an ideal filling to repair the integrity of your tooth.