Restorative Dentistry
Your dentist must clean the area of the tooth with proper tools during treatment and close the area with appropriate material. In other words, after filling the caries, appropriate filling is made on the relevant dental cavity. Below we will give brief information about the fillings applied to the teeth.
Amalgam Fillers (Black Fillings)
They are called amalgam fill, silver fill, metal fill, black fill. Amalgam; silver, tin and copper alloy is obtained by mixing with mercury. Mercury, which constitutes 45-50% of the mixture, forms a durable filling material by connecting the metals together. Amalgam fillers have been used in dentistry for 150 years and are still frequently used. The most important reasons for amalgam fillings are; This is because it is harmless, long-lasting and inexpensive filler. In addition, it is easy to apply, can be done in a short time and can be used in areas where saliva isolation can not be provided amalgam fill is one of the advantages.
Amalgam fillers contain toxic substances such as mercury and the lack of aesthetic appearance are the biggest disadvantages. No consensus has been reached on the toxicity of mercury in amalgam fillings. Many researchers indicate that the amount of mercury released from the amalgam fillers is much less than the amount of mercury that is released by water, air and nutrients. It was not scientifically proved that some diseases thought to be formed by mercury when amalgams were removed.
Composite Fillers (White Fillings)
What is Composite Resin?
The composite resin is a plastic mixture with silicon dioxide particles in it. It is defined as white fill because it is tooth color. Composite fillings can be applied successfully in the back group teeth as a filler which is resistant to chewing pressures and less wear by the advanced development of the material even though it was used only in the front teeth in the 1960s.
How to apply composite fillings?
Composite fillings are placed in the prepared cavities by layer layer and each layer is fixed with a special light. When this is done, the composite fillings are shaped and corrected according to the tooth. All these processes take longer than amalgam filling. Recently, the residence time and durability of composite fillings are close to the life of amalgam fillers.
The biggest advantage of composite fillings is their aesthetics. In addition, these fillings support the tooth tissues as they are well connected to the teeth, preventing the teeth from breaking and conducting heat. Composites can be used not only to restore caries, but also to change the color and shape of the teeth. The most important disadvantage is the precision of the tooth after the procedure. Another disadvantage is that the colors of the composite fillings can vary with coloring products such as coffee and tea.
Composite fillings can be polished in the same session. However, in case of very large restoration or restoration of many teeth at the same time, it is better to call the patient once more to check and make the necessary corrections in terms of both aesthetics and function.
With these materials, very large losses can be restored in front teeth, aesthetic problems can be corrected as acceptable. But the fillings applied to the front group also have disadvantages. The most important point is the change of the biting habit after filling. Another disadvantage is that food and beverages that can paint can change the colors of the composite fillings even if they are well polished. If the patient's teeth have been restored due to abrasion, the patient should be advised of non-rigid toothbrushes and correction of the patient's brushing methods.
