DENTAL FILLINGS
Chipped or damaged teeth, or those with dental cavities caused by tooth decay, often need repair. This not only improves the appearance of the tooth but prevents further damage and eases a toothache and pain you may be suffering from.
Modern dental fillings are very different from the amalgam fillings used in the past. We can easily restore teeth using materials such as advanced composites, resins and glass ionomer cement. The colour of these can be matched to the natural colour of your teeth, for a near-invisible result.
Fillings are perfect for relatively minor tooth repair. If the damage is more extensive, other restorations may be required, such as onlays, inlays, crowns or veneers, which are custom-made for each patient by a specialist laboratory and fitted by us in the practice.
Can old fillings be replaced?
Yes! If you have any of the unsightly amalgam dental fillings (containing mercury) which are failing, we can usually replace them with modern alternatives that do not contain mercury.
What is the treatment process?
o complete the dental filling, we first remove the decayed area under local anaesthetic.
We then layer the composite resin onto the cleaned cavity and shape this to fit the tooth. Composite is an aesthetic material which is colour matched to your existing teeth. The composite we use is translucent like your own teeth which means that it will reflect light similar to enamel therefore when placed it is very difficult to detect with the naked eye.
A special bright light is used to harden the malleable resin, leaving you with a natural-looking and durable dental filling.
DENTAL INLAYS & ONLAYS
Dental inlays and dental Onlays are used to restore areas of more extensive decay that are too large to be treated with a normal filling and are usually placed in teeth at the back of the mouth. They provide an aesthetic repair as they are made from hard-wearing materials such as porcelain or composite resin which replicate the look of natural teeth.
Inlays and Onlays are created outside the mouth, unlike a filling, from an impression taken of the tooth. An inlay is cemented within the cavity and an Onlay covers more of the tooth and extends over the top edges.
What is the treatment process?
We remove any decay or damage, and then clean and prepare the area to be filled.
We take an impression of the damaged tooth and use this to create an Inlay or Onlay that will match the exact shape of the biting surface to be treated.
To protect the prepared cavity while the Inlay or Onlay is being made, we will fit a temporary restoration.
When we are sure the specially made Inlay or Onlay will fit perfectly, we fix it to the tooth with a strong dental adhesive.
CEREC – Quality Inlays And Onlays made at the same appointment.
If you would like your Inlays or Onlays designed, produced and fitted in a single visit – we can help with our innovative computer-aided system known as CEREC.