Dental Fillings

Composite Fillings

There are a variety of options to fill holes in the teeth, and composite is one of them. Apart from filling holes, composite can be used to build-up broken teeth.

Composite has been favoured because it is tooth-colored and therefore, appealing to the eyes. In the past, there used to be concerns about the strength of composite for use in posterior teeth since we use those teeth more for chewing. However, there are newer formulations of reinforced composites. Truly, we can have the best of both worlds with composite; aesthetics and strength.

 DENTAL INLAYS AND ONLAYS : INDIRECT FILLINGS

 If you have a decayed tooth, there are a variety of options to restore your tooth to its form and function. A couple of those options are dental inlays and onlays.

Dental inlays and onlays are tooth fillings, made in a single piece, outside the mouth (that is, in a dental laboratory) and fitted or bonded into the tooth cavity. Hence, they are called indirect fillings. They are different from direct fillings (done with amalgam, composite or glass ionomer cement) which are built up inside the mouth.

 These indirect fillings are used in the back teeth; they are called inlays when they fit inside the tooth, and called onlays when they cover one or more of the pointed chewing surfaces called “cusps”. They can be made from gold, ceramic or composite materials.