Tooth fillings are used as a treatment for cavity, where the decayed portion of the tooth is removed and fill that area of the tooth with some composite materials.

Fillings are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth and for teeth that have worn down due to wear and tear.

What are the steps Involved in Filling a Tooth?

The dentist will numb the area around the tooth to be filled with a local anesthetic. The decayed area is removed by a drill, air abrasion instrument, or laser. Then prepare the space for the filling by cleaning the cavity from bacteria and debris.  If the cavity is near to the root, the dentists may put in a liner made of glass ionomer, composite resin or other materials to protect the nerve.  Incase of tooth colored fillings after removing the decay, the tooth colored material is applied in layers.  A special light that cures or hardens each layer is applied.  When the multi layering process is completed, the dentist will shape the composite material to the desired result, trim off any excess material, and polish the final restoration.

Available Filling Materials.

Several dental fillings materials are available such as gold, porcelain, silver amalgam, tooth colored, plastic and glass materials called composite resin fillings.

Cast Gold filling

Gold fillings are esthetics than silver amalgam fillings and are strong enough to withstand chewing forces and are durable at least 10 to 15 years.

Silver Fillings (Amalgams)

Silver fillings are less expensive than composite fillings, can withstand chewing forces and durable at least 10 to 15 years.

Tooth colored Composites.

Tooth colored Composites are esthetic, can be closely matched to the color of existing teeth; chemically bond to tooth structure and can be used to repair chipped, broken, or worn teeth.  Lack of durability is the main drawback of composites.

Other filling Types are Ceramic and Glass ionomer.

In ceramic fillings porcelain is most often used and is more resistant to staining than composite resin materials and is also more abrasive.  Glass ionomer is made of acrylic and a specific type of glass material, most commonly used for fillings below the gum line.  Glass ionomer release fluoride, which can help protect the tooth from further decay.

Indirect Filling.

Indirect fillings are similar to composite or tooth colored fillings except that they are made in a dental laboratory, which are considered when not enough tooth structure remains to support a filling but the tooth is not so severely damaged that it needs a crown.  There are two types of indirect fillings – inlays and on-lays also called partial crowns.

Over the past several years, concerns have been raised about silver colored fillings, otherwise called amalgams.  Amalgams contain the toxic substance mercury, and people think that amalgams are responsible for causing a number of diseases, including autism, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.  Although amalgams do contain mercury, when they are mixed with other metals, such as silver, copper, tin, and zinc, they form a stable alloy that dentists have used for more than 100 years to fill and preserve hundreds of millions of decayed teeth.