A dental filling is a dental restorative material used to restore the function, integrity and of missing tooth structure. The structural loss typically results from caries or external trauma.
Dental filling can be divided into two broad types: direct filling and indirect filling. All dental filling can be further classified by their location and size.
The technique of direct filling involves placing a soft or malleable filling into the prepared tooth and building up the tooth before the material sets hard. The advantage of direct filling is that they usually set quickly and can be placed in a single procedure. Since the material is required to set while in contact with the tooth, limited energy can be passed to the tooth from the setting process without damaging it. Where strength is required, especially as the fillings become larger, indirect fillings may be the best choice. They can be made of the “traditional” amalgam, which is a metal alloy becoming solid at room temperature, or of a mixture of “plastic” and porcelain (white filling), which realistically reproduces the natural color of the tooth, and which is made solid using a polymerization lamp.
The indirect filling so-called inlay is a technique of fabricating the filling outside of the mouth using the dental impression of the prepared tooth. Usually a dental technician fabricates the indirect filling from records the dentist has provided of the prepared tooth and the dentist affixes it to the prepared tooth surface. The finished filling is usually bonded permanently with a dental cement. It is often done in two separate visits to the dentist.
The inlays can be of plastic, porcelain or gold. This is also the most suitable method for replacing old, extensive amalgam fillings.
