How are White Fillings Placed?
Everybody likes beautiful white teeth.
Did you ever wonder how a white composite filling is placed?
What is involved in replacing a silver mercury/amalgam filling?
Well, here is a quick step by step outline demonstrating the placement of a white filling.
ISOLATION:
We need to isolate the tooth with or without a rubber shield. Below you can see how some of the fillings are isolated. In some of the teeth the silver mercury or decay has already been removed. We use a clamp to separate the teeth so a tight contact can be achieved in the final restoration.
We then use high powered magnification and strong lights to look for fractures in the tooth. More often than not a silver mercury filling/amalgam results in the tooth being fractured. If fractures are present, as seen above, then a white filling cannot be placed, but rather a full cuspal coverage restoration such as a crown is needed.
FILLING:
Proper filling of the cavity is key to avoid post-operative sensitivity. The white filling material has to be placed in a dry, clean environment and layered in no more than 2mm increments. This is where most errors take place! Meticulous handling of the materials is essential.
FINISHING:
Once the restoration has been placed and hardened with a strong LED like light it needs to be polished and adjusted. If the filling hits the opposing tooth even a little bit too much then it can kill the tooth! So, proper adjustment is critical. Once the filling has been adjusted correctly it needs to be polished to a high gloss.
I hope this helps everyone understand the basic principles of a white filling. Of course there are many more details and variables, but that is for the dentist to understand 🙂
Keep smiling.