Dental Fillings are a treatment for patients with a decayed or chipped tooth. Dentists will fill a portion of the tooth with materials such as amalgam or composite resin tooth-coloured fillings.
Fillings can be divided into 2 types depending on filling materials:
- Traditional amalgam filling
- Composite resin tooth-coloured filling
Our clinic chooses the 3M ESPE Filtek for composite resin tooth-coloured filling since its nanotechnology, which is considered highly effective and powerful in filling, is well accepted.
A comparison between the traditional amalgam and the composite resin tooth-coloured fillings:
Amalgam filling is a metallic silver filling material, which contains tiny amount of mercury.
Advantages
- Last at least 10-15 years
- Withstand grinding forces
- Less expensive than composite filling
Disadvantages
- Colour does not match natural teeth
- A large space to hold the amalgam filling is needed, so some healthy parts may have to be taken out
- Amalgam filling can cause a grayish hue to the nearby teeth’s surface
Composite resin tooth-coloured filling is a natural look tooth-coloured filling material
Advantages
- Colour shade can be matched with the natural teeth
- Can be used as filling material to restore chipped, broken, or worn teeth
Disadvantages
- May not last as long as amalgams
- Longer treatment time due to more complicated process
- Chipping may occur (depending on positions)
