COMPOSITE FILLINGS

Dental fillings may be required for a variety of reasons including decay, trauma or fractures.

If the tooth is otherwise healthy and the small defect is surrounded by a healthy tooth structure then a tooth filling is an ideal treatment outcome.

Any weakened tooth surface and decay will be removed and then the cavity will be restored with one of three materials.

As a patient you do have a choice between the different materials for the desired aesthetic look but your dentist may recommend one over the other dependent on their clinical assessment.

COMPOSITE: modern, high quality ‘white fillings’ bond directly to the tooth resulting in a reduced amount of tooth preparation. The shade can be matched closely to the colour of your tooth, providing a more aesthetically pleasing result. With great developments in this field, ‘white fillings’ are often as durable as amalgam fillings. They are also free of mercury.

AMALGAM: this material consists of mercury, silver, tin and other metals. These are often referred to as ‘silver fillings’. Although not aesthetically pleasing, they have a long proven track record of being strong enough for large dental fillings.

GLASS IONOMER: these are often used as a temporary filling material. They are used in baby teeth as they release fluoride