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Posted on 7/13/2019 by Dr. Elizabeth Vivona |
 Most of our patients end up having at least one filling. It is difficult to go through life without any dental decay. You may have the best oral health habits in the world, but there will always be some particle of food or some bit of acid that you can't reach. These cause the silent cavities. That is why we recommend semi-annual dental checkups. We can spot these as they are forming. This also increases the choices of filling material we can use to fill the cavity and prevent further decay. In the earlier days of dentistry, the only choices you had for filling materials were silver and gold. These metals that are placed in the cavity and shaped to your tooth. The advantage is that they last a long time. The disadvantage is that you can see them. They are typically used now for back teeth because of their strength and also because your back teeth aren't generally seen. What Other Choices Are There? Dental science has come a long way and we have more tools in our tool chest than we used to have. Now you can get fillings that match your natural teeth. There are three kinds of filling material that are less noticeable they are ceramic, composite resin and glass ionomer. Ceramic fillings are also called porcelain fillings because they are made of porcelain. They are stain-resistant, abrasion-resistant and can last for about 7 years. Ceramic fillings require two visits to complete. Composite resin also looks like your natural teeth. It is made of powdered glass and acrylic resin. This material bonds to your teeth and requires just one visit. We will apply the resin and then use a special light that heats and hardens the filling. They last about five or more years. Glass ionomers are also made of glass and acrylic. They are applied differently than composite resin, usually in layers. They also last approximately five or more years. . |
