Dental Fillings for Tooth Restoration
Dental fillings are one of the most common treatment options to help refurbish a damaged tooth. Dental fillings have two main categories composite and amalgam, but there are five recognized types of fillings, amalgam, composite resin, cast gold, ceramic, and glass ionomer.
Once you and the dentist at Edgeton and Glenn determined that a filling is the best treatment plan for you, the dentist will need to remove the decayed portion of your tooth. Then the dentist will clean the area that has been affected. Finally, the dentist will fill the void with the material upon which the two of you agreed. The space where the decay and bacteria were present must be closed off to ensure it stays healthy.
Dental Filling Candidates
Only a dentist can determine if you need a filling, so schedule an appointment and your dentist will examine the surface of each tooth with a metal tools. If the dentist notes any weak spots or suspicious areas of possible decay, the dentist will use more specialized instruments. Cavities are visible on x-rays and the dentist may opt to x-ray a particular section of your mouth. Once the dentist has all the information to assess your oral health, the dentist will suggest a proper treatment to address the damage caused by decay.
Caring for Dental Fillings
During the days and weeks following the more invasive appointments, eating softer foods will keep you comfortable. Once the healing process takes hold, you can gradually include harder and more abrasive foods. Once your dentist has completed work on your dental filling and you are fully healed with your new filling in place, you need to treat your dental filling like your natural teeth.
Types of Dental Fillings Available
The way to determine the proper dental bonding for you incorporates factors like your allergies to any of the materials, where in your mouth the filling will be, the amount of repair required, or the cost of the procedure. Here are the five options to choose from with the dentist for your filling:
Amalgam is half mercury and the remainder is a combination of silver, tin and copper. This office does not provide amalgam fillings.
Composite resin is a combination of plastic and finely ground glass pieces; it is not as expensive as cast gold or ceramic. In recent years there has been concern about the heart risks of plastics, our office uses BPA-Free resins. Composite resin fillings should remain in place for at least five years.
- Pros: the ability to match the color of your teeth, fillings can be completed in one dental appointment, strong adhesion to the tooth, and ability to be combined with other filling materials.
- Cons: the increased cost, the material is more likely to wear even with the more recent advancements with the material, and require longer appointment times due the proper application process requiring layers to ensure proper and snug fits.
Cast Gold is composed of gold and other metals to form a gold alloy. This material can last more than 15 years.
- Pros: the more appealing color of gold versus the silver tone to the amalgam, gold is resistant to corrosion, and the strength is highest of all the filling materials.
- Cons: multiple appointments with the dentist for an impression and placement, the high cost of the gold, the visibility of the gold and should the gold filling be placed next to an amalgam filling your mouth will experience “galvanic shock” or an electric charge.
Ceramic fillings are composed of mostly porcelain and cost you more than composite resin. They should last you at least seven years.
- Pros: tooth color of the material, higher resistance to wear and discoloration over time than composite resin.
- Cons: the brittle nature of the material and the requirement that the material be of a certain size to reduce the likelihood of breaking and the potential decreased size of the tooth.
Glass ionomer is composed of a glass ingredient, fluoroaluminosilicate, and acrylic. When this material is used with resin, it performs at its strongest and most resilient. The filling of glass ionomer should last more than five years and the costs are comparable to composite resin.
- Pros: matching your tooth color, the giving off of fluoride, and seamless adhesion to your tooth.
- Cons: the likelihood that the filling will wear or break due to its weak nature and longer appointment times due the proper application process requiring layers to ensure proper and snug fits.
Cost of Dental / Tooth Fillings
Costs for each procedure vary depending on how long the procedure takes, what materials the procedure requires, how many visits the procedure requires, and the amount of work the dentist is required to do. It may surprise you to know, but dental insurance may cover some of the costs for these as well as elective procedures as they lead to improved overall dental health and long term benefits. If you do not have dental insurance coverage or you have any questions about payment options for your treatment plan, you are more than welcome to talk to our staff at any time. Your budget’s health is just as important as your mouth’s health.
High Quality Care You Can Trust
At Edgerton & Glenn Cosmetic and General Dentistry. We strive to build relationships with our patients. You are more than just teeth, you are our patient and friend and we want to help you to achieve and maintain oral health as best we can. We look forward to meeting you and talking about what is best for you and your mouth. Please contact us to set up a dental filling appointment at (910) 256-9230.
More Information About :
- All on Four Dental Implants
- CEREC Crowns
- Cosmetic Dentistry
- Deep Teeth Cleaning
- Dental Bonding
- Dental Bridges
- Dental Crowns
- Dental Exams
- Dental Implants
- Dentist Wilmington NC
- Dentures
- Family Dentistry
- Full Mouth Reconstruction
- Gum Disease
- Gummy Smile
- Implant Supported Dentures
- Inlay & Onlays
- Invisalign
- Laser Dentistry
- Mouth Guards
- Porcelain Veneers
- Root Canals
- Sleep Apnea
- Teeth Whitening
- TMJ Therapy
- Tooth Extractions
- Tooth Fillings