Filling Materials And Their Use In Cosmetic Dentistry

By Author: Ivan Cuxeva Jr
Total Articles: 779
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Dental fillings also known as amalgams are extensively used in cosmetic dentistry, dental fillings as the word implies are put in place in order to fill a cavity in a patient's tooth or to restore a portion of it. Dental fillings are also very controversial because recent studies have indicated that some of the materials previously used in dental fillings may cause long-term health related problems, some of the materials used today if this procedure are: Gold, porcelain, composite resins, etc.

The controversial use of Mercury:

This is a very controversial topic because there have been studies which show that this particular material used in dental fillings may cause long-term health related problems, according to such findings, people have grown wary of dental procedures and in some extreme cases patients will not look for most needed dental care.

The American dental care Association released their official statement which said that there has been no scientific evidence which shows that amalgams could be potentially dangerous or hazardous to humans, they based such statement in the fact that the amount ...
... of mercury used in amalgams is very stable thus it would be very rare for someone to become ill due to their dental fillings. While some people have reported mild allergies these are in no way life-threatening.

Alternative materials used:

In order to reassure patients about the safety of the materials used for a dental fillings dentists are now using composite resins which are not as strong as the original amalgams but provide a more natural look instead of the old metallic appearance. Because composite resins they are not as strong as other materials used in dental fillings they sometimes have to be cemented in order to allow better adhesion.

A very popular material used today in dental fillings and crowns is porcelain. The material used in dental fillings is actually a mixture of porcelain, ground glass and ceramic, unlike other materials porcelain tends to be more durable and will have a more natural look which is what most patients want, the only downside to porcelain is that they've may become cracked if they are exposed to prolonged biting pressure, aside from this minor disadvantage porcelain remains the favorite material when it comes to crowns and dental fillings.