Composite Fillings

fill cavities, close gaps between your teeth and repair worn down edges of your teeth. Dentists are the ones who do the direct composite bonding which means that the procedure is usually done in one dental visit.

Be sure to have a discussion with your dentist about what material is best for your budget, your crown location and your long-term dental health if a dental crown is in your

In order to have enough retention for the crown to stay in place, a build- up is done on the tooth before the crown is made. Also, when using an amalgam alloy for a filling, not as much natural tooth structure has to be removed in order to place the filling. Whereas, when using a composite filling, also known as tooth colored or a white filling, the retention of the filling requires removal of more tooth structure in order to have the filling stay in place. Also, there is a concern by some dentists about the longevity of composite fillings. Replacing fillings can get quite expensive for the patients and is not a very cost-effective choice. Most insurance companies will not cover the costs of having tooth colored fillings placed, but they will pay for amalgams, which is another good reason for using amalgam. When a filling lasts longer and does not need to be replaced as often, it is much more cost-effective for the patient. There are other facts to take into consideration. Patients who have “poor oral hygiene” are great candidates for amalgam fillings. (CDC). Amalgam tends to arrest decay and this is extremely helpful for a patient who has poor oral hygiene and is cavity prone. Silver fillings are more affordable (ADA) than composite, insurance companies will recognize them and they are safe.

Ceramic Braces - Some dental patients might prefer the ceramic braces because they blend in better and are difficult to detect.

Dental sealants are used to fill pits and fissures on the occlusal, or chewing, surfaces of the premolars and molars to help protect them from carious lesions and tooth decay (“Dental Sealants”, 2016). Posterior teeth that are selected for placement of sealants are either newly erupted, when occlusal surface is deep and irregular, and have a history of dental caries (Wilkins, 621). So it is very important, especially for children, to get sealants placed as soon as their molars erupt in order to lower their risk for childhood caries. However, there are many factors that have caused children to be withheld from radiographic screenings and treatment; one major factor is parents not being able to afford the treatment. But, one thing that has helped many children get sealants placed is a school sealant programs; funded by the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC has supported for the placement of sealants along with other oral health care activities in many states, including South Carolina. In South Carolina, school sealants programs have been helping save high caries risk teeth since

Some say yes and some say no, which is one of the controversy of amalgam. Mercury being toxic and considering that fillings are subjected to tooth pressure, wear factors and leaking risks, the possibility of mercury leaking into tooth sockets and poisoning patients had to be taken into consideration. Mercury poisoning depends on the patients age, build, gender, bone strength, blood regulation, and eating habits (ADA.org, 2009). So, as we can tell mercury is one of the disadvantages to dental amalgam. Other disadvantages include poor esthetic qualities, marginal breakdown, and long-term corrosion leading to replacement ("Dental Amalgam",

With all these results, many variations among materials, operators, and patients can contribute to these clinical failures. Therefore, further clinical research and studies are necessary to evaluate the performance of the restorative materials and to determine the factors related to the failures as many conditions cannot be reproduced in the labatory. In previous studies, evaluations of the studies showed that in a period of 5-12 years, the success was 85 to 98 percent. In the longest follow-up mentioned by Dr.

A composite filling is a glass and colored plastic mixture used to restore decay. Composite fillings provide excellent resistance and durability to fracture that need to withstand pressure from constant chewing. They reshape disfigured teeth and change the color of the teeth.

When in doubt, you can ask your orthodontist for a sample of each material and hold the up to your teeth to see which you think looks better!

Around 1774, Alexis Duchâteau created the main porcelain dentures. Be that as it may, these were inclined to chip furthermore had a tendency to show up too white to possibly be persuading. Porcelain molded teeth were put onto gold plates. These were the main dentures that appear to be like cutting edge dentures. They were extremely white in shading, however could

We prefer “Huggins protocol” for safe mercury removal of safe amalgam removal with an oxygen mask, rubber dam and removing Amalgam fillings in one piece, rather than grinding the old mercury filling in a messy soup of saliva, water, and amalgam waste.

Pit and fissure sealants have been around since 1895, but were not commercially available until 1972 (Harris, 2013, p. 274). Sealants should be placed on any teeth that have pits and fissures, which are the premolars and molars. The sealants may be placed on primary or permanent dentition as well. Sealants should not be placed on partially erupted teeth, teeth with “sticky” pit and fissures, teeth with stained pits and fissures, or decayed/cavitated teeth ("Pit and fissure sealants in the prevention of dental caries in children and adolescents: a systematic review", 2008).

Resin Composite – These are thinner and can be applied without having to remove as much enamel.

Mercury is a highly toxic substance and in high doses is known to trigger a host of health problems, including kidney, immune system and neurological damage. What is not well understood is the potential harm from low dose, long term exposures, such as exposure from dental amalgam. It is true that the amount of exposure from dental amalgam is low, however these fillings are often in the mouth for decades or longer so there are concerns over the potential health risks from prolonged mercury exposure. The potential for mercury-related disease, illness and disorders can be very concerning to those who have these controversial fillings. Over 50% of every amalgam filling is made up of mercury (in weight terms) and the rest is a mixture of silver,

When The Filling Goes Under The Gum Line: It is much more difficult for a dentist to perform a filling under the gum line of the tooth. A filling is also much more likely to begin leaking under these circumstances within a year or two of being placed.