Tooth coloured fillings
Fillings are basically dental materials that restores the damage caused by a tooth decay or fracture. It replicates the original appearance of a decayed or previously filled tooth.
One of the most commonly used filling material in today’s era is the tooth coloured fillings or rather composites.
What are Composites?
Composites are tooth coloured filling material made of resins and silica. Owing to the tendency in replicating tooth structure quite similarly, it’s usuage boost in the field of dentistry.
These composites come in various hues and values of whites which help the dentist to pick the perfect shade that matches your tooth colour. It is also differentiated in two forms according to the consistency.
Composite material comes in two form :
- Packable composites
- Flowable composites
Packable Composites :
Packable Composites are initially soft in nature which then hardens when cured with light. They are soft as it can be shaped according to the shape and size of the tooth to replicate it’s original structure. With every increment it hardens using a curing lamp.
Packable composites can be used in high strength as well as low strength areas, in places where there are larger cavitations.
Flowable Composites :
Flowable composites are flowy in consistency which is used to reach those areas of tooth structure where packable conposites are hard to reach. Due to it’s flowy nature it seals even the smallest part of the tooth.
These composites are also used as an aid to prevent caries in early childhood which we term as pit and fissure sealants.
How is the cavity filled using a tooth coloured filling material?
Firstly the dentist will determine the spread of carious lesion using an X ray. He will then prepare a cavity using the dental machine and excavate the caries.
After complete debridement, the amount of tooth structure lost due to caries will be replaced by tooth coloured filling material.
If the carious lesion is very deep dentist might put a layer of medicated filling first. Over which, tooth coloured filling material will be placed entirely restroting the tooth surface.
Benefits of Composites/ Tooth Coloured Filling Material :
1. Composites are highly esthetic in nature
Due to it’s vast variety of hues and values in white, they are esthetically pleasing as it matches one’s tooth colour.
2. Composites are quite durable
They are less prone to rust. In comparison to metals they have less fracture toughness.
3. They have high dimensional stability
4. Less tooth structure is lost
Composites require very limited tooth preparation in comparison with other filling material such as the traditional silver amalgam.
This helps to preserve the tooth structure and increase the shelf life of a tooth.
5. Composites set immediately
When you compare the setting time of other filling material with composites, they set in no time using a curing light. One can eat or drink immediately after the filling.
6. Composites bond well to enamel of the tooth
This property of composites help to prevent breakage of the material as it adheres well to the enamel of the tooth. Thus increasing it’s strength and stability.
7. They can be immediately replaced if damaged
One of the amazing property of composites id that they bond well to each other unlike other filling materials. This makes the replacement of damaged filling material easier and hastle free
