- Tony
Types of Fillings: Dental MMIs
Updated: Jul 12, 2021
This came up in one of my interviews.
How to fill a tooth
Patient put under local aesthetic
Drill/ air abrasion tool used to removed decayed area
Cavity is cleaned of bacteria and debris
Liner made of glass ionomer or composite resin may be placed if filling is near a root
Filling material placed an polished
For composite fillings, material is added in layers and hardened with light.
Pros and cons of different fillings
Gold
Pros
Does not corrode
Strong
Aesthetics
Cons
Expensive (10x more than amalgam)
May require multiple visits
Battery effect
Allergen
Aesthetics
Amalgam
Pros
Does not corrode
Easily placed
Strong
Somewhat cheap
Cons
Aesthetics
More invasive than others
Discolouration of surrounding teeth
Teeth may crack or fracture in the presence of hot and cold liquid
Allergen
Mercury vapour
Look into this in depth
A post on this later...
Composite resin
Pros
Aesthetics, similar to normal teeth
Versatile- can be used for chipped teeth
Less invasive
Cons
Not as durable, easily chipped
Increased chair time and visits
Expensive
Porcelain/ceramics
More resistant to staining than composite
Can be as expensive as gold
Glass ionomer
Made from acrylic and glass
Used for fillings below the gum line or in young children
Releases flouride
Weaker than composite resin
Weaker in general
Indirect fillings
Used when there is not enough tooth structure to support the filling but the tooth is not that badly damaged such that it needs a crown
Inlays
Similar to fillings but lies within cusps
Onlays
Covers more than one cusp
AKA partial crowns