White Fillings

Modern techniques and materials allow us to place safe tooth coloured (white) fillings which are strong, durable and in many instances better than the older amalgam (silver) fillings. Currently there are two techniques we use for restoring teeth with tooth coloured materials:

Composite fillings

Porcelain inlays

Composite Fillings

Composite is made from very fine silica in a resin matrix. It has been around for over 25 years. In that time improvements have been made that make these fillings very successful.

Composites offer advantages over the old-style packed amalgams. They are available in a variety of shades, so it is possible to "colour match" the filling very closely. This makes the new filling almost invisible in natural light.

Less tooth substance has to be removed in order for the filling to stay in place. This means the filling will be smaller and last longer than if we used amalgam.
Composite fillings are bonded to the tooth enamel and dentine, thus ensuring that bacteria cannot get underneath the filling and cause early failure.
Composite contains no mercury.
 

Porcelain inlays

This is a 2 visit technique where the filling is manufactured in a dental laboratory and then cemented into the tooth.

These restorations are made from exceptionally strong reinforced porcelain. Its physical and chemical properties are very similar to tooth enamel.

Porcelain inlays offer superior durability and strength. They are recommended where the filling is very large. In complex restorative cases, the filling can be made so it functions very accurately with the opposing teeth in the mouth.