If you don’t work at a dental practice, you might not know just how much dental fillings and the process of filling a cavity have changed in recent decades. Dental fillings are used to protect the health and integrity of a tooth after decay has been removed. In effect, a filling helps form a seal to keep bacteria away from the more sensitive parts of the tooth below the enamel—structures like dentin and pulp.
In this post, we’re going to talk about what dental fillings are made of and a little about how we got to the composite fillings, which are the most common ones uses today.
A Brief History of Dental Amalgam Fillings
Dental amalgam fillings—fillings made from a mercury and metal alloy mixture—have been around for a long time. In fact, there are documented uses of metal amalgam filings in China from 7th century. Today, dental amalgam fillings are made with a mixture of mercury and a silver, tin, and copper alloy. Although the exact mixture of materials has changed over time, the basic science behind dental fillings has been pretty consistent.
The popularity of dental amalgam fillings has waned in recent years due to the potential health risks of mercury and the difficulty of disposing of patients’ old amalgam fillings. In recent decades, a new type of tooth-colored filling made out of composite resin has gained immense popularity.
What Are Composite Dental Fillings Made Of?
Composite fillings are a strong material made of a mixture of acrylic (a type of plastic) resin that’s reinforced with another mixture of quartz and silica, which is almost like a type of powdered glass. Composite fillings gained popularity because they’re not made with mercury, and because they are the same color as your teeth, as opposed to the silver color of amalgam fillings.
What Are the Benefits of Composite, Tooth-Colored Fillings?
One of the biggest benefits of a tooth-colored filling made out of composite resin material is its ability to strengthen a weakened tooth. Composite resin is very strong, and it will last a long time if you take good care of your teeth. One of the other big benefits of using this type of filling is that it often requires less drilling and tooth removal to prepare a tooth for a filling placement.
And, there’s obvious aesthetic benefit of a tooth-colored filling. They simply don’t stand out like a silver-colored amalgam filling does, and many patients like that if they have a cavity toward the front of their mouth.
Thanks for Reading!
If you have a cavity and need a filling or need a filling replaced, talk to your dentist about which type of filling is best for you, composite or amalgam.
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