Until the advent of composite resin fillings, or white fillings as they are more commonly known, patients had little choice but to have unseemly amalgam fillings. These amalgam fillings, invented in France in the early 1800s, had been widely used around the world to fill dental cavities. Made form an alloy of silver and mercury, these amalgam fillings, while very strong, were very noticeable in the mouth. They also expanded over time causing further damage to teeth and were notoriously difficult to fit, with dentists often having to inflict unnecessary damage on teeth to fix them. More concerning is the controversy that surrounds amalgam fillings with regards poisonous and dangerous mercury vapours that are released into the body when placed and during eating. Although this has never been resolutely confirmed it is enough of a concern to many patients to want to have them replaced.
The white resin filling was, therefore, a welcome addition to the dentistry arsenal when it arrived. Dentists are able to match the colour of the resin to the patient’s existing teeth to give a more natural appearance. Nearly all dentists now use white fillings because of the reduced safety risk and vastly improved aesthetic qualities of white fillings. The composite resin material is very durable and can in fact also be used for dental bonding procedures to repair and restore cracked and broken teeth.
In cases where resin bonding is not suitable, for example when filling large areas that come under great force, dentists are able to use state of the art CAD/CAM CEREC technology to produce white ceramic fillings that are incredibly strong and have the necessary aesthetic quality now expected by most patients.
For most cases however, the composite resin will be more than enough to restore the appearance and structural integrity to a tooth in just a single visit to the dentist. If you think you may need a filling, ask a Central Leeds dentist about white fillings.
Tags: amalgam fillings, broken teeth, composite fillings, dental bonding
