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Fillings are the simplest solution for treating dental cavities and for restoring your teeth’s natural structure and function. Fillings also help prevent further tooth decay.

Fillings are probably the most requested dental treatment all dental practices. Many people get cavities even though they feel they maintain good oral hygiene, but any difficult to reach area which is left unclean for a prolonged period of time may develop a carious lesion and a cavity may form. Caries is also an extremely common problem in young children, as they do not know how to brush and floss accurately and have the tendency to eat many sweets, which almost always causes the carious attack on their teeth.

To prevent deepening of a cavity and the spread of infection, fillings are necessary. Dental fillings are restorations of teeth to bring them back to their natural, healthy form and to stop the spread of bacteria through damaged or decayed teeth.

Fillings can be silver, usually known as amalgam fillings that have been practiced for many years. They are the most conventional filling materials. The disadvantage of these is that extra tooth substance needs to be removed in order to create a retentive cavity for the filling, as it cannot bond to tooth structure. They are very long lasting and highly durable.

White fillings have widely replaced amalgam filling materials for their superior esthetic qualities, as they have great resemblance to tooth structure and give a completely natural appearance. Furthermore, they can mechanically bond to tooth structure, and one can even tell a filling has been done. White fillings consist of composite filling materials, which are organic resin based filling materials. They are not as durable as amalgam fillings but their strength is still good enough to last many years. They can also be used to build up chipped and decayed front teeth, to give a completely natural restored appearance, where amalgam cannot be used.

Other restorations used as fillings are inlays and onlays, which give superior strength and restore tooth function completely. They are indicated where a cavity is too extensive to simply be filled in. These restorations are made of porcelain and are custom made to the exact size and shape of the cavity, then are cemented permanently into place.

Fillings are an integral part of dental practice and they continue to be one of the most needed dental treatments world-wide.

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