Dental Restoration
Dental Restorations (Fillings) in Moorpark, California
A dental restoration or dental filling is a dental restorative material used to restore the function, integrity and anatomy of missing tooth structure. The structural loss typically results from caries or external trauma.
The process of preparation usually involves cutting the tooth with special dental burs, to make space for the planned restorative materials, and to remove any dental decay or portions of the tooth that are structurally unsound.
- Composite fillings - Tooth colored fillings are a mixture of acrylic resin and finely ground glass like particles that produce a tooth-colored restoration. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Composites can also be "bonded" or adhesively held in a cavity, often allowing the dentist to make a more conservative repair to the tooth. In teeth where chewing loads are high, composite fillings are less resistant to wear than silver amalgams.
Amalgam -
Silver filling is an alloy of mercury with various metals. It commonly consists of mercury, silver, tin, copper, and other trace metals. In the 1800s, amalgam became the dental restorative material of choice due to its low cost, ease of application, strength, and durability.