Not all patients in the dental clinic are wondering what materials are available for filling a tooth. But this factor directly affects how long the seal will last. In addition, the health of the tooth, as well as the level of complexity of the process of its treatment, depends on the type of material. Today we will talk about how to choose the material for the seal. The types of fillings, their advantages and disadvantages are also discussed in this article.
General requirements for dental fillings
First of all, we will determine: what is a filling in dentistry? This is a medical material characterized by viscosity and ductility, which hardens in the tooth cavity with time or under the influence of external factors.
There is a specific list of requirements for any type of seal:
- Security. The material must comply with established hygiene standards.
- Insolubility.
- Resistance - the seal should not be erased or shrunk in volume.
- Must harden in a short time.
- The material can not change color, painted.
- Strength.
Types of materials for tooth filling
In modern dentistry, various materials are used for staging a dental filling. Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. Some materials are offered in free public clinics, while others have a fairly high cost. So, what are the main types of fillings? At the moment there are three of them:
- chemical;
- photopolymer;
- temporary.
Each of the species includes subspecies, depending on the substances that make up the tooth filling material.
Cement fillings
These types of fillings for teeth are prepared, as a rule, from a powdery substance and liquid acid. As a result of mixing the components, a chemical reaction occurs during which a pasty mixture is formed, which tends to harden after a certain period of time.
Cement fillings, in turn, are also divided into subgroups depending on the substances in the composition, namely:
- zinc and phosphates;
- silicates;
- silicates and phosphates;
- polycarbonates;
- glass ionomers.
The first four subspecies of the seals are chemical. And the latter can harden both under the influence of acid and with the help of light waves.
Cement fillings have such advantages:
- Low cost.
- No need to use special devices during filling.
- Simplicity in the technique of the installation process of the material.
They have such fillings and significant disadvantages:
- quickly lose shape, volume;
- need a long period of time for complete hardening;
- with time or under the influence of external factors easily crack, crumble;
- if the filling process is not carried out correctly, a healthy tooth can be chopped;
- does not protect against the reappearance or spread of caries;
- toxic
All subspecies of cement fillings, with the exception of glass ionomers, have such disadvantages to a greater or lesser extent. This material is widely used in modern medicine, including in private clinics. Such a seal is not toxic. Contains fluorine inclusion, which protects the tooth from the further spread of carious areas. In addition, the material not only physically fills the space of the tooth, but also enters into a chemical reaction with enamel. Due to this process, the glass ionomer seal lasts a long time.
Metal materials
What are metal types of dental fillings? These are the so-called amalgams - metal-based solutions with the hardening property. There are silver, gold and copper.
Metal fillings are highly durable, they do not dissolve under the influence of saliva. Despite this, in modern dentistry such material is practically not used. What are the disadvantages? There are several of them:
- installation of such a seal requires special professional equipment, which is not in every clinic;
- the metal slowly solidifies;
- the filling is significantly different from the natural color of the tooth;
- caries development is possible;
- cases of occurrence of itching, metallic taste in the oral cavity are often recorded.
Plastic fillings
What fillings are used in modern dentistry? There are different types of fillings, so the doctor chooses those that perform their function most effectively in a particular case. But specialists rarely recommend plastic materials to their patients. Although just a few years ago, such a seal was an innovative alternative to metal. Why did plastic not maintain its high rating among the popular materials for installing dental fillings?
The thing is that such a solution quickly erases, shrinks in volume, changes color. In addition, often plastic fillings cause pronounced allergic reactions in the form of a rash, redness in the oral cavity. Moreover, such materials are toxic.
Composites
A common type of fillings are composites. Both organic and inorganic substances are included in their composition. The composite material hardens under the influence of chemical processes, as well as with ultraviolet radiation.
Setting composites requires specialist knowledge of tooth preparation technology for this procedure. Since in case of violation of any processes, the quality and durability of the seal is significantly reduced.
An undoubted advantage is the presence of a wide color palette of such materials, which allows you to perform a dental procedure for aesthetic purposes.
Light fillings
Often, thanks to handouts, potential clients of a dental clinic are first introduced to such a concept as photopolymers. What is it really? Everything is very simple - these are the same composites or glass ionomers that are installed using a special UV lamp. These types of fillings in dentistry are used more often than others.
Today it is difficult to find a clinic that does not offer such a service as photopolymerization. What are the advantages of such types of dental fillings?
- Strength.
- Plastic.
- Aesthetics.
- Easy to install.
- Quick result.
- The absence of toxic substances in the composition.
Using photopolymers, restoration of the front teeth is carried out. The properties of the material allow you to “sculpt” the correct beautiful shape, after which it is absolutely painless to fix the result using ultraviolet radiation. Thus, in just one step, you can carry out the procedure on several teeth.
But distant teeth are difficult to fill with this method - it is simply impossible to reach the necessary part of the oral cavity with a lamp.
Temporary materials
Often, a dentist needs to install a temporary seal for therapeutic purposes. The requirements for such a material are low: it should close the hole in the tooth for a period of several days to a week, after which such a seal could be easily removed.
Temporary fillings crack and spill out, shrink, so they are not installed for a long period.
Often, drugs are added to such materials. Therefore, an unpleasant aftertaste or bad breath may occur.
The types of temporary fillings are as follows:
- diagnostic;
- intended for therapeutic treatment;
- fillings for prosthetics.
And how do children fill their teeth?
Many parents do not even think that the child, like an adult, needs a preventive examination of the dentist. Why treat teeth if they fall out anyway soon? In fact, the state of permanent directly depends on the health of primary teeth. Therefore, children need to fill their teeth immediately as soon as indications for this procedure arise.
In this case, it is important to choose safe materials. In pediatric dentistry fillings containing fluorine are used (in order to prevent further caries formation). It is much more convenient to use materials that harden under the influence of ultraviolet radiation - such fillings are most often used in the treatment of children. The types of fillings that are very popular in pediatric dental practice today are represented by glass ionomers and composites.
Colored children's fillings: what is it?
A novelty in dental practice was multi-colored children's dental fillings. The types of such materials are determined by the manufacturer.
Bright, plasticine-like fillings cause genuine interest, thereby reducing the fear of a dentist in babies.
Such material is also characterized by high strength. In most cases, it stays in children until the change of teeth. In addition, the colored seal is well polished, it is flexible, and its installation takes a short time.
Which seals to choose? The types of fillings needed in each particular medical case should be recommended exclusively by a specialist. Since it is necessary to professionally assess the situation, various factors and determine which material is best suited specifically for this patient.