Composite restorations (white fillings)
Is it true that amalgam is bad for your health?
Research has shown that grey fillings (amalgam) pose certain health risks. Since they contain 50% mercury, toxic emissions and small quantities of metal dissolve in your saliva when you chew, brush your teeth or clench your jaw. Just a tiny amount of mercury enters your body, but these particles can damage kidney function, pass on from a pregnant woman to her baby via the placenta, and make their way into the lungs, liver or digestive tract.
In addition, amalgam fillings are weaker and not as aesthetically pleasing. They can expand over time, causing cracks in the walls of your teeth.
Fortunately, we now perform white composite restorations made from a combination of glass and resin. These fillings are safe and natural-looking.
Clinique dentaire Dr. Dabar stopped offering amalgam fillings several years ago.
To restore a tooth with composite resin, the material is glued to the tooth, creating an attractive result. This is now the most popular material for treating cavities. Old grey fillings can be replaced with white ones.
Indications
- Fill the portion of the tooth damaged by a cavity
- Replace a damaged or broken filling
- Replace a visible amalgam filling
- Treat worn teeth (erosion, abrasion, attrition)
- Correct enamel defects (hypocalcification or hypoplasia)
- Treat a fractured or chipped tooth
- Improve tooth colour or shape
- Correct tooth position or improve alignment
Advantages of composite restorations
- Reinforces the tooth by adhering to its structure and making it stronger
- Can be installed in a single appointment
- Affordable
- Looks natural
- Easy to remove
Disadvantages
- Not as strong or as durable as dental porcelain or zirconia
- Teeth may be somewhat sensitive for a few days following the procedure
Steps
The restoration is done in a single appointment.
- Local anaesthetic is applied
- The damaged tooth is prepared (if necessary)
- A bonding agent is applied to the tooth
- Composite resin is applied layer by layer. Then a special light is used to immediately harden the material
- Shape and thickness are adjusted
- The restoration is polished
Important
- Patients should avoid biting into hard foods to prevent composite resin restorations from breaking.
- Patients should not bite their nails or the skin around their nails, or use their teeth to open items.
- Patients who grind or clench their teeth should wear a protective bite plate or hard mouth guard to prevent their composite resin restorations from breaking.