Ther are various types of permanent (as opposed to tempory) restorations for damaged teeth,the use of which is decided by the amount of tooth substnce lost, a filling is almost always used. The decay, fractured portion of tooth etc is removed, and the filling, in heavey paste-like form, pressed into the cavity and either made to, or allowed to, set. There are many more complicated little bits that go into the restoration but thats another story. When there is a larger amount of tooth, a tempory filling placed, and the impression sent off to a specialist laboratory. The finished restoration is then cemented into the tooth two of three weeks later. The basic repair of a cavity follows the same pattern in each case.
Creation of workable access to the cavity, removal of decay and fractured bits, often the old filling (decay may have gone beneath it) and parts of tooth that will soon break off if left there. The cavity is cleaned and (usually) lined with a cement to protect the pulp (centre of the tooth) from heat/cold damage.
Creation of workable access to the cavity, removal of decay and fractured bits, often the old filling (decay may have gone beneath it) and parts of tooth that will soon break off if left there. The cavity is cleaned and (usually) lined with a cement to protect the pulp (centre of the tooth) from heat/cold damage.
The cavity is filled with a durable material which will withstand the enormous pressure of eating in a wet environment.
Amalgam - silver-coloured, tough, strongly abrasion-resistant, economical - surely the most researched material of all time. I don't think any material has been so widely used in so many areas of the world.
Major respected scientific bodies have found no evidence of harm to the body from its use. On the other side, many other things have - eg mobile phones, radioactive materials in the environment, exhaust fumes and possibly genetically-modified foods.
Detailed advice about amalgam may be had from the American Dental Association (ADA) and the British Dental Association (BDA).
Amalgam - silver-coloured, tough, strongly abrasion-resistant, economical - surely the most researched material of all time. I don't think any material has been so widely used in so many areas of the world.
Major respected scientific bodies have found no evidence of harm to the body from its use. On the other side, many other things have - eg mobile phones, radioactive materials in the environment, exhaust fumes and possibly genetically-modified foods.
Detailed advice about amalgam may be had from the American Dental Association (ADA) and the British Dental Association (BDA).
Fillings