Fillings
Dental Fillings
In Business Since 2006Locally OwnedWhere Your Smile Is Our Priority
Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Fillings
- Are dental amalgams, or fillings, safe?
- Is it possible to have allergic reactions to an amalgam?
- Are dental amalgams banned in other countries?
- Is there a filling material that can match your tooth's color?
- If my tooth doesn't hurt and my filling isn't falling out, why would the filling need to be replaced?
Read this interesting and informative discussion from the American Dental Association.
FDA consumer update: dental amalgams
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other organizations of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) have continued to investigate the safety of amalgams, colloquially called "fillings," used in dental restorations.
There is no valid scientific evidence, however, that has shown that amalgams cause any harm to patients along with dental restorations. In rare cases, however, allergic reactions have been known to occur.
ATSDR - public health statements: mercury
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has offered some scientific data on mercury, which is contained within silver-colored fillings, and whether they believe the substance presents any hazards to one's health.
Analysis reveals significant drop in children's tooth decay
Children have significantly less tooth decay in their baby teeth and permanent teeth today than they did in the early 1970s. This data comes from the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).
The data reveals that among children between the ages of six and 18 years, the percentage of decayed permanent teeth has decreased by 57.2 percent over a period of 20 years. In addition, children between the ages of two and 10 years experienced a drop of nearly 40% in diseased or decayed primary teeth.
Alternative Materials
Thanks to modern science, advances in dental materials and techniques have increasingly offered new ways to create more natural-looking smiles.
Researchers are continuing their decades-long work developing esthetic materials. These include ceramic and plastic compounds that mimic the appearance of natural teeth.
Dentists and patients today now have several choices when it comes to selecting materials to repair missing, worn, damaged, or decayed teeth.
Bear in mind that the advent of these new materials has still not eliminated the usefulness of more traditional dental restoratives, which include gold, base metal alloys, and silver amalgam.
The strength and durability of traditional dental materials are useful for situations where restored teeth must withstand extreme forces that result from chewing. One such area is near the molars.
Alternatives to amalgam, such as cast gold restorations, porcelain, and composite resins, cost more. Gold and porcelain restorations take a lot longer to make and can require two appointments rather than just one. Composite resins, or white fillings, are appealing esthetically , but require more time to place.
Here's are some of the more common alternatives to silver amalgam:
- Composite fillings - These are a mixture of acrylic resin and finely ground glass-like particles which produce a tooth-colored restoration. Composite fillings provide durability and resistance to fractures in small-to-mid size restorations that would need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is then removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, and this may be a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Composites can also be "bonded" or adhesively held in place within a cavity, often allowing the dentist to make a more traditional repair to the tooth. In teeth where chewing loads are high, composite fillings are less resistant to wear than silver amalgams. It takes longer to place a composite filling as well.
- Ionomers - Glass ionomers are tooth-colored materials that are made of a mixture of acrylic acids and fine glass powders. These are used to fill cavities, particularly those on the root surfaces of teeth. Glass ionomers can also release a small amount of fluoride that can help patients who are at high risk for decay. Glass ionomers are primarily used as small fillings in areas that don't have to withstand heavy chewing pressure. Because they have a low resistance to fracture, glass ionomers are mostly used in small non-load bearing fillings, which are those between the teeth, or on the roots of teeth. Resin ionomers also are made from glass filler with acrylic acids and acrylic resin. They also are used for non-load bearing fillings (between the teeth), and they have low to moderate resistance to fracture. Ionomers will experience high wear when they're placed on chewing surfaces. Both glass and resin ionomers mimic the natural color of a tooth, however they lack the natural translucency of enamel. Both types are well tolerated by patients, and allergic reactions are rare.
- Porcelain (ceramic) dental materials - All-porcelain (ceramic) dental materials include porcelain, ceramic or glasslike fillings, and crowns. They are used as inlays, onlays, crowns, and aesthetic veneers. A veneer, which is a very thin shell of porcelain, can replace or cover part of the enamel of the tooth. All-porcelain, or ceramic, restorations are particularly desirable because their color and translucency look just like the natural tooth enamel. All-porcelain restorations do require a minimum of two visits and possibly more. The restorations are prone to fracture when they're placed under tension or endure impact. Their strength depends on an adequate thickness of porcelain and the ability to be bonded to the underlying tooth. They are highly resistant to wear, however the porcelain can quickly wear opposing teeth down if the porcelain surface becomes rough.
Sealants
Research has shown that just about everybody has a 95% chance of eventually experiencing cavities in the pits and grooves of their teeth.
Sealants were first developed in the 1950s and became available commercially in the early 1970s to the public. The first sealant was accepted by the American Dental Association Council on Dental Therapeutics back in 1972.
Sealants work by filling in the crevasses on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. This keeps out food particles that could get caught in the teeth, thus causing cavities. The application is fast and comfortable and can effectively protect teeth for many years afterwards.
Research has also shown that sealants actually stop cavities when placed on top of a slightly decayed tooth by sealing off the supply of nutrients to the bacteria that causes the cavity.
Sealants will act as a barrier to prevent bacteria and food from collecting and sitting on the grooves and pits of teeth that will cause cavities. Sealants are best suited for permanent first molars, which erupt around the age of 6, and second molars, which erupt around the age of 12.
Sealants become most effective when applied as soon as the tooth has fully come in. Because of this, children receive the greatest benefit from sealants because of the newness of their teeth.
Research has also shown that more than 65% of all cavities occur in the narrow pits and grooves of a child's newly erupted teeth because of trapped food particles along with bacteria.
Application
Sealant application involves cleaning the surface of the tooth and rinsing the surface to remove all traces of the cleaning agent. An etching solution or gel is applied on enamel surface of the tooth. This includes the pits and grooves.
After 15 seconds, the solution is rinsed away with water. After the site is dried, the sealant material is applied and allowed to harden, This is done by using a special curing light.
Sealants normally last about five years. A child's sealants should always be examined by the dentist. Sealants are extremely effective in preventing decay in the chewing surfaces of the molars.
Insurance coverage for sealant procedures has been on the rise, but still minimal. Many dentists expect this trend to change as insurers become more convinced that sealants help reduce future dental expenses and protect the teeth from more aggressive forms of treatment.
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1325 N Washington St.
1325 N Washington St.
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Valeri Goodnight
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