Restorative Dentistry
Dental caries are cavities that are mostly seen with dark or opaque (white) colorations in the hard tissues of the teeth, enamel, dentin and cementum. Bacteria in the mouth secrete acid from the residues of foodstuffs in the mouth to obtain their own nutritional sources. These acids cause the wane of tooth enamel and eventually the begin of tooth decay.
Restorative dental treatments are operative treatments that mostly involving the enamel and dentin parts of the teeth. In these treatments, after the parts of the tooth that have been destroyed by caries or other reasons are cleaned and removed, the remaining live and healthy tooth tissue is restored with filling materials to imitate the structure of the natural tooth, and the process is done.
Aesthetic Filling Treatments
Composite fillings are tooth-colored aesthetic fillings that can be applied directly to the tooth, causing minimal material loss from the tooth. It is especially used in the treatment of broken teeth in the anterior region.
Apart from their superior aesthetic properties, composite fillings, unlike amalgam fillings, adhere to the tooth chemically, so there is no need to remove material from healthy tooth tissue to provide retention. In addition, since amalgam fillings are metal, they can expand and cause cracks in the tooth, causing weakening of the tooth.
Indirect fillings (inlay and onlay)On the other hand, they are fillings prepared in a laboratory environment with superior aesthetic properties, very durable and sensitive adaptation. They are mostly made of porcelain or composite. It is generally applied in cases where deep caries that cannot be applied directly have reached the gingival line, where too much tooth tissue has been lost, or in teeth that have had root canal treatment. After the decayed, old filling or broken part is removed from the tooth, the tooth is made suitable for taking impressions and the impression is sent to the laboratory. Filling is prepared on the obtained model. In the next session, the filling is adhered to the tooth.
Although in a very small amount, composite fillings shrink a little during hardening, this disrupts the contact with the adjacent tooth and may cause edge leakage. Since inlays and onlays are prepared in a laboratory environment without restrictive factors in the mouth, they are in perfect harmony with the teeth and gingiva and provide full contact with the adjacent tooth. Thus, the possibility of secondary caries to occur is minimized.
While it is possible for composite fillings to wear and edge discoloration over time, this is not the case with porcelain fillings. Since its hardness is very close to the enamel tissue of the tooth, it does not abrade the teeth it comes into contact with like other porcelains.
