A visit to the dentist is often stress that you want to avoid. Modern medicine is ready to provide a dental treatment method with a guarantee of about 10 years. Ceramic fillings and tabs allow you to forget about a repeated visit for a long time, which makes the method in question as popular as possible.
What is a seal and why is it needed?
Almost every person was in the dentist's chair - someone for a routine examination, someone for treatment. The process of installing a filling is no longer surprising; it is considered the most effective and affordable way to save a tooth.
A seal is used in dentistry in the following cases:
- Caries treatment.
- Blockage of the dental canal or canals.
- Elimination of defects.
- Aesthetic restoration of the appearance of the dentition.
In each of these cases, the doctor may use various materials. The patient is not always interested in which particular seal is being installed. Only the issue of the final quality of the procedure comes to the fore.
The most high-quality material in modern dentistry is ceramic. Ceramic fillings have gained unprecedented popularity. However, this material requires detailed consideration.
Advantages of Ceramic Fillings
At its core, ceramics is a type of denture that is made in a dental laboratory. Such a filling does not possess the properties of other dental materials (shrinkage, brittleness, staining, etc.), which allows it to be more durable.
The main advantages of ceramic fillings:
- Suitable for tooth restoration with a high degree of decay.
- Selection of material that does not differ in color from a natural tooth. The reflection of a real tooth is simulated.
- Completely repeats the shape of the tooth.
- The material is resistant to food dyes, acidic environment and various bacteria, microbes.
- The average period of high-quality use of such a filling is about 10 years, which for dentistry can be called a breakthrough.
With the use of modern technology, it becomes possible to get rid of dental prosthetics of the old generation. Using ceramics allows you to recreate a healthy smile, indistinguishable from a natural one.
The disadvantages of ceramic filling
Despite all of the above advantages of a ceramic filling for a tooth, the disadvantages of this material are also present. It is important to consider them in advance in order to be confident in the upcoming treatment in the dental chair.
Cons of ceramic filling:
- The cost of the procedure. Despite the prevalence of this method of prosthetics in modern dentistry, the price of such a service is quite high. Not everyone can afford to install ceramic fillings, light composites and cementitious dental formulations several times cheaper.
- The duration of the procedure. If urgent tooth restoration is necessary, the time frame is limited, then installing a ceramic fill will not work. A similar procedure is carried out in several stages, the treatment process is individual in nature, which significantly increases the treatment time.
If the cost of the procedure does not scare the patient, and there are no restrictions on the timing, it is best to agree to install a ceramic seal. This will forget about the repeated restoration for a long time.
Tab or seal?
Often, ceramic pads are used in the treatment instead of a seal. The question arises: what is the main difference between a tab and a seal. A filling allows you to restore an almost completely destroyed tooth, this approach is used instead of crowns and other prosthetics methods.
A ceramic tooth pad instead of a filling allows you to restore a tooth that is destroyed by a third or less. Such pads are made according to the individual sizes and color parameters of the patient, which are determined upon a visit to the dentist. They are made in the laboratory and only after that are installed in the oral cavity.
In aesthetic restoration, especially of the front teeth, which make a person’s smile unforgettable, they use a special type of ceramic lining - veneers. Often the "Hollywood smile" is achieved by installing ceramic veneers, but it is important to remember that the manufacturing and installation process will take a long time.
It is difficult to independently determine the need for restoration, only a visit to the dentist will allow the patient to make the right decision. Ceramic inlays instead of fillings from other dental materials are a common way to treat a tooth. It can significantly extend its life in the oral cavity.
Production technology and installation of seals and tabs
Ceramic tabs and fillings are popular, but certain conditions and skills are required to install them correctly.
The process of manufacturing dental ceramics is divided into several stages:
- A complete sanitation of the oral cavity, cleansing of carious lesions. The tooth surface is fully prepared for a tab of a certain shape.
- A cast of the tooth or teeth is made, which will be sent to the dental laboratory for the manufacture of a plaster cast.
- The resulting tooth model is scanned, data is downloaded to a special computer. After that, the necessary form for the ceramic coating is made. This process is carried out automatically on a special milling machine, without human intervention.
- The resulting workpiece undergoes a procedure of firing and applying a porcelain coating.
Only after passing through all the stages does the workpiece go to the doctor, who will install it in the patient’s oral cavity.
The installation process also takes considerable time, since the tooth surface must be specially prepared. Stages of installing ceramic tabs (seals):
- The top layer of enamel is grinded off the damaged tooth. When installing veneers on a number of teeth, enamel is removed from the entire row.
- A special adhesive solution is applied to the ceramic blank with which it is fixed on the prepared tooth surface.
- The dentist processes the installed workpiece, fitting it to the shape of a natural tooth, polishing it.
As medical practice shows, aesthetic restoration with veneers is the most common way to maintain a healthy smile.
Care for seals and ceramic linings
As noted above, ceramic fillings and inlays are resistant to various external influences, from which ordinary materials lose their strength and appearance.
However, experts advise observing a number of simple rules that will extend the life of dental ceramics:
- For the first time after installing a seal, limit the use of too hot or, on the contrary, too cold food (drinks). If the pulp is not removed from the tooth, this will lead to painful sensations.
- Avoid getting solid food on the healed tooth. This rule should be observed the first time after treatment.
- Even in the dentist's chair, you need to make sure that when closing the jaw there is no discomfort. The ceramic coating should be ideally adapted to the patient’s bite so as not to damage the enamel of healthy teeth.
- In the process of oral hygiene, use dental floss, not just a toothbrush.
- Eliminate alcohol-based mouthwashes. Such tools can adversely affect the quality of the glue that was used to fix the ceramic tab.
- Do not expose the restored tooth to increased exposure.
In simple terms, a careful attitude to the health of the oral cavity and tooth surface will maximize the life of ceramic fillings, inlays, veneers.
Patient Reviews
Patients who have already gone through the procedure for installing a ceramic filling, note its high quality and the absence of external differences from natural teeth. It is noted that a similar procedure is carried out if the tooth is badly damaged and other methods will not work. This approach is due to the price of the ceramic coating, however, at the individual request, the ceramic insert can be installed in any case.