Composite Fillings

Recent advances in dental technology have made composite fillings advantageous for many patients. In the past the only material that was available was amalgam, and patients who wanted restorations which looked more natural had to opt for more expensive procedures such as dental crowns. However, resin gives dentists the ability to manage dental cavities without resorting to procedures which are invasive.

Though resin has been used as a composite filling for decades, it has only recently matured and gained popularity. This is because the material used in the past was not strong enough to function with the back teeth, and would quickly wear out. This put the patient’s teeth at greater risk of decay or fracture. But over the years dentists and scientists have experimented with resin to develop a composite that is strong and can be used as a filling.

Composite fillings will typically be implanted by a dentist that specializes in cosmetic dentistry. The task is more complex than that used for the implantation of an amalgam filling. The dentist will first need to isolate the tooth from the patient’s saliva, so it can be dried. He will then use a drill to clean out the areas of the tooth which have deteriorated. Next the composite resin will be placed above the opening, usually in the form of layers.

The dentist will then make use of a light to harden every individual layer that comprises the resin. Once the tooth becomes filled with the resin it will be shaped in a manner that allows it to look like a natural tooth. As you can imagine, placing and shaping the composite filling requires a significant amount of skill and dexterity on the part of the dentist.