Tooth Filling

The permanent filling materials are composite resin ( white fillings ) and amalgam ( black fillings ). Because aesthetics are a determining factor in my work, in our dental office we exclusively use resin. In the past, there was a belief that polymer materials (composite resin) are, in terms of strength, inferior to amalgam, a fact that is untrue due to the fact that their composition now gives them great strength.

Also, amalgam has occasionally been linked to various unpleasant findings. Research has been published which claims that the appearance of lichen in the oral cavity is directly linked to the existence of amalgam fillings. Additionally, another study states that the upper limit for this material to be in a patient’s mouth is four blockages – due to its mercury content. It is worth noting that the retention of the amalgam by the dental tissue is purely mechanical, while that of the resin is chemical. This simply means that in order to make an amalgam filling the tooth must be ground much more – and in a specific way – than it would be if we made a resin filling .

It is worth noting that there are now techniques for blockages in which neither anesthesia nor the use of a wheel is required, but the application of these techniques cannot be done in all cases.