What is the best material for filling a tooth cavity?

If your teeth are loose or there is a hole after tooth extraction due to tooth decay, and if a new tooth cannot grow in the hole, we need to fill the tooth for the convenience of our daily life. Dental fillings can be said to be the use of artificial substances to supplement missing teeth. There are many types of filling materials used for teeth, such as amalgam, composite resin, etc. So what is the best material for filling a tooth cavity?

Any tooth tissue defect caused by caries, wedge-shaped defects, trauma, etc. needs to be repaired to restore its appearance and function. When the lesion has spread to the dental pulp and even caused periapical disease, the dental pulp should be treated first and then the tooth should be filled.

Dental filling materials:

Amalgam

Composition: A mixture of silver, tin, copper and mercury

Features: strong, not easy to wear, easy to use and safe

Safety of amalgam The following are some common questions people have about amalgam: Amalgam contains mercury, which is toxic. Is it safe to use amalgam? Amalgam is a mixture of different metal components, such as silver, copper, tin and mercury. When mercury is mixed with other metals, it becomes very stable. Only under great pressure and wear will the amalgam release very small amounts of mercury. The amount of mercury released from amalgam is negligible compared to the amount of mercury absorbed by the human body from food, water and air every day.

Should patients have their oral amalgam removed to avoid serious diseases such as Alzheimer's disease? There is no scientific literature to prove that removing amalgam can cure a patient's disease, nor is there any evidence to show a direct relationship between the two. Unless the patient is allergic to amalgam, it is not appropriate to replace amalgam. Here are the reasons:

Changing filling materials can lead to more tissue damage

As of 2014, amalgam is the safest and most effective dental filling material. Other filling materials such as composite resins are not as durable as amalgam and are not suitable for filling large cavities. Some metal materials, such as gold, are also effective dental filling materials, but they are very expensive.

Do some people have allergic reactions to amalgam? Only a very small number of people have an allergic reaction to amalgam (only 100 cases documented in over 150 years of use). Such patients should choose to use other filling materials.

Disadvantages: Silver-gray color is not very beautiful as a tooth filling material. It is used to repair the back teeth and can withstand strong bite forces.

Treatment procedure: First remove the decayed part of the tooth, fill the cavity with amalgam, modify and polish the filling material.

Composite resin

Ingredients: Based on acrylic resin, with glass, quartz and other particles added for strengthening;

Beautiful features, close to the natural color of teeth, suitable for repairing front teeth;

Disadvantages: Slightly weaker than amalgam;

Applying dental caries to restore the appearance of teeth, such as improving the shape, size and color of teeth;

Treatment procedure: If used to repair tooth decay, first remove the decayed part of the tooth, or remove the most fragile part of the tooth. Use diluted acid (such as 30% phosphoric acid) to etch the tooth surface, then rinse and dry. Apply adhesive to the etched tooth surface. Use composite resin to fill the tooth cavity. Use a light-curing device to solidify the composite resin to repair the missing part of the tooth. Modify and polish the filling material.

Glass ionomer cement

Ingredients: A compound mainly made of aluminum glass and polyacrylic acid. It is beautiful and close to the natural color of teeth, but not as transparent as teeth. It can stick to the surface of teeth and release fluoride to prevent tooth decay at the connection between the material and the teeth.

Disadvantages: low material strength, easy to wear and tear, not durable;

Application: To repair worn teeth. Due to its low durability, it is mostly used as a semi-permanent material to repair deciduous teeth, as deciduous teeth are replaced at a young age;

Treatment procedure: Remove the decayed part of the tooth, fill the cavity with glass ion cement, use a light-curing device to solidify the material, modify and polish the filling material.

Glass ionomer resin

Composition: A mixture of glass ionomer cement and composite resin;

Characteristics: It has the characteristics of glass ionomer cement and composite resin. It is more beautiful and more resistant to damage than glass ionomer cement, but not as good as composite resin. It is easier to use than composite resin.

It should be used as a semi-permanent material to repair deciduous teeth, as deciduous teeth are replaced at an early age;

Treatment procedure: First, remove the decayed part of the tooth and apply adhesive on the tooth surface. Use glass ionomer resin to fill the cavity, and then use a light-curing device to solidify the material, modify and polish the filling material.

Stainless steel artificial crown

Color: Silver, comes in fixed sizes, usually used for molars of deciduous teeth.

The installation process: Grind the teeth appropriately, select the most suitable size of stainless steel artificial crown, cut the stainless steel artificial crown according to the shape of the teeth, clean the teeth, and fix the artificial crown on the teeth with adhesive.

Zinc oxide clove oil cement

This material is easy to remove and contains clove oil, which has a soothing, analgesic and pulp-protecting effect. Due to its low strength, it is often used as a cavity pad and a material for protecting the dental pulp in medical education during treatment, and is often used as a temporary sealing material when sealing with medicine.

Zinc phosphate cement

It is made by mixing zinc phosphate powder and phosphoric acid liquid. It has high compressive strength and certain adhesion, but is a poor conductor. It can be dissolved if in contact with saliva or water for a long time. It is mainly used as a base material for caries, an adhesive for dental restorations and a filling material for deciduous teeth. Since this material is somewhat irritating, it cannot be used directly to cushion deep caries, otherwise it will damage the dental pulp.

Polycarboxylate cement

Also known as polyacrylic acid cement, it is a padding and bonding material. It can be used as a backing material for holes, a sealing material for holes within six months, a root canal filling material, and a bonding material.

The crown and bridge of the tooth restoration can be cemented with an excipient as a periodontal plugging agent.