Fissure Sealants and Dental Fillings
Fissure Sealants
Fissure sealants are an excellent means to preventing tooth decay and cavities on the biting surfaces of teeth. In nature the shapes of the occlusal (biting) contours of the teeth can be likened to hills and valleys. Sometimes the fissures, pits and grooves (valleys) are very steep and as such attract and retain plaque and foodstuffs. The acids which get produced by the fermentation process which follows results in cavities forming. Fissure sealants are a non-invasive effective way of sealing these grooves beforehand.
Dental Fillings
Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-colored filling. They are sometimes referred to as composites or filled resins. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Composites can also be “bonded” or adhesively held in a cavity, often allowing the dentist to make a more conservative repair to the tooth.
The cost is moderate and depends on the size of the filling and the technique used by the dentist to place it in the prepared tooth. It generally takes longer to place a composite filling than what is required for an amalgam filling. Composite fillings require a cavity that can be kept clean and dry during filling and they are subject to stain and discoloration over time.
Ionomers
Glass ionomers are translucent, tooth-colored materials made of a mixture of acrylic acids and fine glass powders that are used to fill cavities, particularly those on the root surfaces of teeth. Glass ionomers can release a small amount of fluoride that may be beneficial for patients who are at high risk for decay.
Glass ionomers are primarily used in areas not subject to heavy chewing pressure. Because they have a low resistance to fracture, glass ionomers are mostly used in small non-load bearing fillings (those between the teeth) or on the roots of teeth.
Resin ionomers also are made from glass filler with acrylic acids and acrylic resin. They also are used for very small, non-load bearing fillings (between the teeth), on the root surfaces of teeth, and they have low to moderate resistance to fracture.
Ionomers experience high wear when placed on chewing surfaces. Both glass and resin ionomers mimic natural tooth color but lack the natural translucency of enamel. Both types are well tolerated by patients with only rare occurrences of allergic response.
Have Old Fillings?
Your smile can change your entire appearance, old filings in our teeth can make us feel self-conscious and may affect our personal and professional life. Some of the treatment options at Kissing Point Dental for old filings are.
Tooth coloured Fillings
Composite fillings that are tooth coloured, no more ugly amalgam.
Inlays/Onlay
Porcelain restoration that can be bonded to your teeth to give it more strength and are the same colour as your teeth.
Learn more about Fillings and Fissure Sealants
Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-coloured filling. They are sometimes referred to as composites or filled resins. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Composites can also be “bonded” or adhesively held in a cavity, often allowing the dentist to make a more conservative repair to the tooth.
The cost is moderate and depends on the size of the filling and the technique used by the dentist to place it in the prepared tooth. It generally takes longer to place a composite filling than what is required for an amalgam filling. Composite fillings require a cavity that can be kept clean and dry during filling and they are subject to stain and discoloration over time.
We can use onlay or inlay to replace old filings on back teeth if they don’t have a lot of tooth structure left, but not enough damage for a crown.
Onlays can strengthen teeth unlike amalgam fillings that reduce the strength of a tooth, this will lengthen a tooths life.
Onlays are tooth coloured and are constructed outside the mouth in one or two appointments. With our own state of the art CAD Cam machine we are able to make inlays and onlay in one appointment.
Fissures are the grooves that occur naturally on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. All back teeth (molars and premolars have these grooves. Occasionally these fissures occlusal on the inside aspect of the upper from teeth as well.
Sometimes the grooves can be quite deep and as a result, bacteria and food particles can become lodged inside and are not always effective cleaned away by our saliva or even tooth brushing. The presence of this trapped plaque can result in tooth decay on the chewing surfaces.
Fissure sealants are plastic coatings that fill these tiny, deep grooves and prevent food and bacteria getting trapped in these grooves.
The best time to place a sealant is soon after the permanent tooth has erupted. Studies have shown that sealed teeth have much less risk of developing decay than teeth which have not been sealed.
This treatment is painless and non-invasive and requires the careful cleaning out of the grooved surface. A stain is applied to ensure complete elimination of plaque, the surface is prepared with a mild acidic solution, it is then washed and dried, a bonding agent is placed and then the tooth coloured sealer is then applied and set hard with a specialised light.