One of the most commonly treated problems when it comes to teeth is the dental cavity. This is a hole in your tooth that occurs due to decay. Decay can be prevented, but when teeth are not properly taken care of, these cavities and other dental problems can emerge.
Cavities are usually treated with a filling. One of the oldest types of fillings that dentists use to fill these holes with is the amalgam filling. This is a substance that consists of around 40% mercury and another type of metal. The reason why this filling became so popular is because of the fact that this filling is tough, apart from the fact that it is rather cheap and the treatment of the cavity can be done in a single visit.
Until recently, this kind of a filling was the only type that dentists can use. These days however, with findings showing that amalgam may be hazardous to a person’s health due to the mercury content, different kinds of fillings have become more popular. One such filling option that you can choose to use these days is porcelain, and there are many good reasons why you should choose this over other options that you have.
What Are Porcelain Fillings?
Sometimes called ceramic fillings, porcelain is made using a combination of glass-like materials. Before a person can have this kind of a filling placed into the cavity, a primary visit is required in order for the dentist to do some prep work. This includes the checking of the cavity and your dental records, the cleaning of the cavity, and the removal of decay as well as debris from the hole to prepare it for filling.
Before you can get your porcelain filling, the hole is measured using CAD/CAM (a digital scanning method), the color of your teeth checked, and the filling ordered from a lab (or made in-house, if the dentist has facilities for this). The use of a digital scanning method for measuring the cavity ensures that the filling that is crafted for it fits perfectly. While waiting for your porcelain filling, your dentist may fill the hole with a temporary one so as to keep you from suffering pain from the open cavity.
Why Choose Porcelain Fillings for Your Cavities
While you may have more than just one option for your dental fillings— with possibilities like gold alloy, glass ionomer, and resin ionomer part of the list of alternatives – porcelain is seen as one of your best choices. This is because of the following advantages:
- Porcelain fillings can prevent further decay from occurring due to the near-perfect fit that these have over the hole.
- This material is durable enough to last more than two decades with proper dental care.
- This material can help strengthen the tooth more as compared with other types of filling, like composite resin and amalgam options.
- These can be colored exactly the same color as your teeth, making these virtually invisible and difficult to distinguish from your own teeth.
- Can be used together with gold alloy for a more durable filling.
- Non-toxic and does not bring about problems like tooth sensitivity.
Aside from these advantages, you won’t have to worry about bacteria getting into the cavity to cause more damage because of the fit of the custom made filling over the hole. These fillings may cause a bit of wear to opposing teeth, but these are very resistant to wear. These may seem more expensive than other filling types (except for gold alloy fillings), but with how long these last, you will find that you actually end up saving more in the long run.
