Category: Blog

Trying to decide between composite and amalgam fillings has been a continuing decision dental patients that need a filling have had to continue to try to make. Here are 3 reasons that it is argued the composite filling beats out the amalgams:

Composite Fillings Are Less Invasive:

Tooth-colored composites can be bonded right to the surface of the tooth which means only the decayed enamel needs to be removed. The rest can stay in place to protect the surrounding tooth from another possible cavity. Silver amalgams, however, require the healthy tooth to be removed before it can be wedged in to cover the damaged part of the tooth.

Composite Fillings Can Go Where Silver Fillings Cannot:

As the composite fillings are directly bonded to the teeth they are able to go in places the silver ones cannot go. They are able to hold themselves in place and are able to cover smooth surfaces on the teeth or the biting edges that may have chipped or decayed with wear overt time.

They Are Available in Many Shades Ensuring a Perfect Color Match:

Repairing your cavity with a composite filling will give you the look of a more natural, healthy-looking tooth. Amalgams are dark and pretty obvious when they are in the mouth, whereas composite resin fillings are very subtle if at all noticeable. It provides a more confident smile for the people who have to have them!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us visit us here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team “Where Family Comes First”

Courtesy of recent technological advancements there is more options for dental patients today than ever before when it comes to filling cavities. Today there are many naturally-colored options that blend right in with your natural teeth available. Some are resin-based while others are still traditional fillings made of metal amalgam materials. The new materials are much more aesthetic looking and also much more durable so they will almost always last longer. These metals are even better when there are teeth in the back of the mouth receiving the most wear that need filled!

What Is a Dental Amalgam?

Dental amalgams are the silver fillings that used to be used on all teeth back before other materials that were more naturally-colored became available. Mercury is about 50% of the compound used in dental amalgams and the metals are bound together in a tight seal for tighter fits and a longer durability. Mercury still continues to be the only compound that can hold these fillings together well enough to be used in fillings for teeth yet allowing the material to be manipulated easily enough to fit into the tooth to fill a cavity.

Dentists will often prefer dental amalgams as they are easier to work with than their newer alternatives. These are also considered stronger than the amalgam’s resin-based counterparts. It is estimated that well over 1 billion amalgam-based filling are used annually in the dental industry.

What Are Resin-Composite Fillings?

Resin composite fillings are made of ceramic compounds and are very close to the natural color of the surrounding teeth so the fillings look much less obvious. These have been used in teeth for years. When they first came out dentists often refused to use them for various reasons. Resins are often considered less durable than the amalgams as they are subject to heavy wear such as chewing and grinding they tend to wear much faster than their amalgam counterparts. The average lifespan of an amalgam is about 8-10 years but can last up to 20 years if taken appropriate care of.

Amalgams are one of the best substances to fill a tooth with when the dentist needs to fill areas that are difficult to keep dry like molars or cavities (back teeth) at the time line. Resin is harder to put on as the tooth must be completely dry for it to stick where it’s meant to and clinical experience still shows amalgams are the best for long-term durability and a long-term result for the filling.

Resin fillings are also much more expensive than the traditional amalgams such as that some insurances will pay for it some will not.

Resin is usually offered for front teeth and more amalgams are recommended for the bigger teeth such as the molars.

ADA & FDA Recommendations for Fillings:

Far as the ADA and FDA go in the recommending of fillings the dental amalgam has the 150-year track record of being the safest and most durable filling that is able to be offered by patients. The past 100-year study has proven that the level of mercury in the filling is low enough that it is not likely to affect the health of the patient it is being used upon.

Deciding which filling is the best for the patient is the decision made by the patient and the dentist. Check with your dental insurance to see if resin fillings are covered and if not realize how costly they may be to pay for out-of-pocket. The front teeth can usually use resin-based fillings where the back teeth such as molars will use amalgams but the decision ultimately comes down to what is best for the dentist and patient using the filling at that time.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us visit us here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team “Where Family Comes First”

Dental Onlays are used when a tooth is too damaged to just repair but not damaged enough to require extraction. Capping a dental problem with a crown may require removing more of the healthy tooth than is necessary, and the dentist will use the onlays to avoid having to do so. This helps you avoid excessive dental treatment that is not completely necessary. Onlays fall in that category between fillings and having a total crown put on your tooth. These onlays will help restore larger cavities without having to crown (cap) the tooth.

One of These Things is Not Like the Other:

Dental inlays and onlays are similar in restoration processes but cover different properties of the damaged tooth. A dental inlay fills in the space created by the decay from the cavity whereas an onlay covers the cusps of the tooth or the layer across the top of the tooth. The inlay goes inside, the onlay goes on top is the essential difference. These are often also known as “partial crowns”.

Direct Responses to Your Dental Problems:

There are two types of dental restorations and those are indirect and direct. The direct restorations are made right in the office by your normal dentist during a regular appointment and indirect restorations are made in a science laboratory. Dental onlays are often qualified as indirect restorations but they may be done in the offices as well sometimes based on your dentists’ knowledge and experience.

The onlay typically involves the following procedures:

Indirect Onlays: your dentist will prepare the tooth in the first appointment by removing any tooth decay. They will take impressions of the tooth and they will ship those to the dental lab to be processed. After a few days, the dentist will get the onlay back but in the meantime, they will give you a temporary filling to allow your tooth to be protected till the onlay is put on. During the second visit the onlay will be cemented into place on the tooth.

Direct Onlays: your dentist will be able to use the same preparation and the tooth will be filled with a composite resin material and the filling will be put into the oven hardened, created into a mold, and applied to the tooth. There is also a high-tech option to make these onlays now through a system called CEREC that is done through 3D computer imagery right in the dental office by simply taking a picture of the tooth and the dentist will create the needed onlays right there in the office. No impressions, fillings, or second appointment needed unless you need touchup work!

In Conclusion:

Whether you think you need a filling or dental onlay there is one certain thing: this is an easier, less invasive option than requiring the removal of part of the healthy tooth to put a crown on it when a less invasive procedure works fine as well!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us visit us here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team “Where Family Comes First”