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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Fillings for Teeth: What Are Your Options?

    Related Topics
    Dentistry Oral Health
    Today, several dental filling materials are available. Teeth can be filled with gold; porcelain; silver amalgam (which consists of mercury mixed with silver, tin, zinc, and copper); or tooth-colored, plastic, and materials called composite resin fillings.
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  • Dr Roland Chong

    Dentist

    Restorative dentistry today is spoilt for choice. There are a many materials which can be used to restore teeth.

    The procedure to restore teeth are divided into two main methods:

    1) Direct restoration.

    2) Indirect Restoration.

    Direct restorations.

    These restorations are carried out directly in the mouth whilst the patient is in the dental chair. It is often completed in one visit. The choice of material types include, amalgam (silver restorations), Composite resin (tooth coloured resin based), and GIC (tooth coloured material which releases fluoride).

    Indirect Restorations.

    Crowns, bridges, onlays (three quarter crowns), are indirect procedures. These procedures require at least 2 visits but in some cases can be done in one visit. The former requires the prosthesis to be fabricated in a laboratory and inserted in a separate appointment. The latter has the prosthesis manufactured by CAD CAM technology which mills the prosthesis chairside.

    The procedure type chosen will be dependant on the presenting case. There are pros and cons for each procedure.  

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