All you need to know about Tooth Coloured Fillings
All you need to know about Tooth Coloured Fillings
Use of the fillings is the best solution for dental cavity. It removes the decayed portion of the teeth and fills the area with materials that help in making up for the loss. It is also used for repair of worn, cracked and broken teeth.
There are different types of materials used for fillings. Which type of filling you need, will depend on the location of the teeth as well as your own personal requirements?
In the past, Amalgam was used to fill the teeth which include mercury and was silver in colour. Those fillings were fairly noticeable. But the latest technologies have helped to create white or tooth coloured fillings which are strong and long lasting as well as looks like natural.
Benefits of Tooth coloured fillings over Amalgam fillings:
- The tooth coloured fillings looks like natural where amalgam fillings were silver in colour and fairly noticeable.
- Composite (tooth coloured) fillings are bonded to your tooth, so it gives much more strength to the filled tooth than non-bonded fillings such as Amalgam fillings.
- Amalgam fillings provide the risk of sensitivity whereas with tooth coloured fillings, patients are not facing any kind of sensitivity problem.
- Composite fillings are metal free whereas Amalgam fillings typically consist of about 50% Mercury which poses risk to human health.
Types of Tooth coloured fillings:
- Composite Resin fillings: Composite fillings are made of a tooth-coloured mixture of glass and resin that can match the colour of your teeth. However, they’re not as durable as metal, so you may need to replace them more often. It is costly than Amalgam fillings but cheaper than gold fillings. It involves less drilling as compared to Amalgam fillings.
- Ceramic fillings: Ceramic fillings are made of porcelain, and give a natural look. They are more durable than composite fillings but are usually more expensive.
- Glass ionomer fillings: Glass ionomer fillings are a mixture of glass and acrylic that release fluoride over time and helps in preventing tooth from further decay. They can be useful for low-stress areas like front teeth or roots, and are often used for children as a short-term solution for baby teeth. They are generally not preferred for adults because it lacks strength.
Procedure of Tooth coloured filling:
The procedure of tooth coloured fillings are quick and usually painless. Firstly, the dentist will numb the area with local Anesthesia. Then remove the decayed tissue and scrub your tooth clean if cavities are deep then drill can be used. Next, they’ll layer the composite filling to seal the cavity. Once that’s all in place, your dentist will shine a special light onto your tooth to set the filling hard. It won’t take longer than 10 seconds. The whole treatment is completed within an hour. If you want then you can also remove your Amalgam fillings and replace it with tooth coloured fillings.
