A composite filling is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture used to restore decayed teeth.
If the decay is near the root, your dentist may first put in a liner made of glass ionomer, composite resin, or other material to protect the nerve. Generally, after the filling is in, your dentist will finish and polish it. Several additional steps are required for tooth-colored fillings and are as follows. Composites tend to wear out sooner than silver fillings in larger cavities, although they hold up as well in small cavities. Updated: March 2007. A composite filling is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture used to restore decayed teeth. Composites are also used for cosmetic improvements of the smile by changing the color of the teeth or reshaping disfigured teeth. Composite resin is a filling material designed for aesthetic dental restorations. Formulated to resemble the color of your natural tooth, composite resin is often used for filling dental cavities or for dental bonding front teeth. Most people recognize dental amalgams as silver fillings. Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury, silver, tin and copper. Mercury, which makes up about 50 percent of the compound, is necessary to bind the metals together to provide a strong, hard, durable filling. Composite resins are tooth-colored, plastic materials (made of glass and resin) that are used both as fillings and to repair defects in the teeth. Because they are tooth-colored, it is difficult to distinguish them from natural teeth. Composites are often used on the front teeth where a natural appearance is important. Tooth-colored fillings are now used more often than amalgam or gold fillings, probably due to cosmetics. In a society focused on a white, bright smile, people tend to want fillings that blend with the natural color of their teeth. Ultimately, the best dental filling is no dental filling. Prevention is the best medicine. Dental amalgam is a dental filling material used to fill cavities caused by tooth decay. It has been used for more than 150 years in hundreds of millions of patients around the world. Dental amalgam is a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid (elemental) mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper. Composite Fillings. Composite resins, or tooth-colored fillings, provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to mid-size fillings that need to withstand moderate pressure from the constant stress of chewing. They can be used on either front or back teeth.
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-health-fillings http://www.knowyourteeth.com/infobites/abc/article/?abc=f&iid=286&aid=1241 http://www.1800dentist.com/composite-resin-fillings/ https://www.deltadentalins.com/oral_health/amalgam.html https://www.sharecare.com/health/dental-fillings/what-composite-resin-dental-filling http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/c/composite-fillings/ http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DentalProducts/DentalAmalgam/ucm171094.htm http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/c/composite-fillings/
what is a composite filling