Restoring a Tooth: Understanding Dental Fillings

Blog Post written by: Annerley Dental

Date Written: 21/01/2022

Focus Keywords:  Dental Fillings, Restoring a Tooth

Focus Page Links: https://annerleydental.com.au/fillings/


Dental fillings are dental devices used to restore a tooth to its previous state when it has been damaged by dental decay. Fillings can be made out of metal amalgams or composite resins, and they come in many shapes and sizes. Dental fillings are important for restoring teeth because dental decay can lead to pain, dental disease, and even tooth loss if left untreated. In this article we will discuss the different types of dental fillings that exist today!

Dental fillings can be made out of dental amalgam or composite resins. Dental amalgams are the older dental filling option, and have been used since the 18th century!

What are Dental Amaglams?

Dental amalgams are dental fillings that contain mercury and other metals such as silver, tin, copper, zinc. Dental amalagms come in powder form and can be mixed with a liquid to make dental cement which is then used for dental filling purposes!

Amalgam has been the traditional dental filling material of choice since the 18th Century due to its good longevity (achieving over 20 years), low cost and ease of use--though it is not so well-liked because many people consider dental amalgam fillings unsightly: they do not match natural tooth coloration or texture perfectly; they may cause allergic reactions to some patients; metallic taste issues if left uncoated by mouth saliva(chemical irritation); while others

The downside to dental amaglams as a material for dental fillings is that some people experienced allergic reactions from them when exposed over time (specifically nickel allergies). There are also concerns about mercury in dental amalgam causing toxic effects on human health if it leaches out into the body after exposure over long periods of time.

The good news though is today we know how to make sure these materials will not cause any problems because we now use non -mercury dental amalgams.

What are composite resins?

Now dental fillings are made out of composite resins. Composite dental restoratives, or composites as they're more commonly known, consist of a resin matrix with filler particles (such as glass ionomer) embedded in it to give the filling strength and durability similar to natural dentin.

Ceramic dental fillings were first developed during the 1960s by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Willhelm Wolfart who created them using zirconia powder for its extreme hardness/strength--it was determined that this would be an ideal material for dental restorative use since teeth are so hard!

Composite dental fillings have taken over from amalgam due to their many advantages: no exposure to mercury; purely inert materials used in their dental filling components; they can be easily matched to natural tooth coloration and texture/surface.

Composite dental fillings are used in a variety of dental procedures including dental crowns, bridges, dentures and other restorative applications because of the nature of composite resins: being strong but also flexible (they bend slightly with chewing or biting forces).

There are many dental filling options available today, and it is important to make sure that you understand how each dental filling option works so that you can find the best dental treatment for your teeth. For more information on fillings please contact us today.


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