Dental Fillings An Overview
Dental fillings are used to restore teeth affected by cavities or decay and protect them against future problems. Infinity Dental of Fox Lake offers a range of dental fillings to meet your needs:
Resin Dental Fillings
Resin dental fillings come in a range of tooth-colored shades, matching the look of your teeth almost perfectly. This procedure is also known as cosmetic bonding because the resin is bonded directly to the tooth. In most cases, composite resin dental fillings can be placed in a single visit.
Benefits of composite dental fillings:
- Good durability for long-lasting results
- Environmentally friendly and non-toxic
- Made of bio-compatible materials
- Bonded directly to the tooth, making them stronger when compared to amalgam
- Require little to no tooth preparation
- Virtually indistinguishable from natural tooth structure
- Available in a rainbow of tooth-colored shades
Porcelain Dental Fillings
Porcelain dental fillings, also called inlays or onlays, are used in patients with more advanced tooth decay or damage in larger teeth. These types of fillings add strength to the tooth similar to a dental crown. Porcelain fillings are comfortable and durable and with proper care can be very long-lasting.
Dr. Prendergast places dental fillings for adults and children to restore and stabilize the health of the tooth.
Do you place fillings in baby teeth?
Yes, if a primary tooth has become decayed a dental filling is often placed. Removing infected tooth structure and placing a filling is important for several reasons:
- Reduces the spread of decay and infection to other parts of the tooth or neighboring tissue which could present a health risk if left untreated.
- Keeping baby teeth in place supports the growth and development of healthy permanent teeth and your child’s natural speech.
Inlays and Onlays
Inlays and onlays are used when you need more than a filling, but you don’t need a complete dental crown. Inlays are used when a large amount of decay has impacted the chewing surface of your tooth. Using stronger materials than a filling, an inlay will fit into the hollow of your tooth, but it won’t impact the cusps of the tooth. It provides more support and strength to the tooth than a filling can.
Onlays are similar, however, they’re used on both the biting surface and the cusps of your tooth. Onlays are also called partial crowns because they perform the same kind of function. They allow you to keep more of your natural tooth structure, instead of the tooth being filed down to accommodate a full dental crown.