Sometimes other teeth may also need fissure sealant treatment. It is done to prevent food and bacteria from sticking in the grooves and to decrease the risk of tooth decay developing.įissure sealants are most commonly placed in the grooves of the back adult molar teeth in children and teenagers. When food and bacteria keep getting stuck over and over again, it can increase the risk of tooth decay developing inside the grooves.Ī fissure sealant is a thin layer of dental filling material is placed over the grooves of the teeth.

This can cause food and bacteria to become stuck. This filling was completed using a rubber dam to isolate the tooth from the rest of the mouth.įissures are the grooves that are naturally present on the top, biting surface of the back teeth. Right Cavity filled with a tooth-coloured composite resin filling. Left Cavity cut into the tooth after removing tooth decay. When the colour is well matched, the filling may not be able to be seen by other people looking at your teeth.īefore and after a composite resin filling in a molar tooth. The colour of the material can be matched to the colour of the tooth being fixed. This means more natural tooth structure can be kept with composite resin fillings. Because composite resin is bonded to the tooth’s surface, less tooth structure needs to be cut away for composite fillings to be placed. It is commonly used to fix broken or decayed teeth and for cosmetic dental treatments, such as veneers.Ĭomposite fillings are glued to the surface of the tooth, which is called bonding.

It can be used for fillings in both the front and back teeth. Read more about this here.Ĭomposite resin is a tooth-coloured or white filling material. 'Should I have my amalgam fillings removed?' is a commonly asked question.

This filling material is silver in colour and can appear darker over time.Ī dental amalgam filling in a molar tooth. Amalgam does not stick to the tooth surface like white filling materials do. This is because the amalgam is held in place by the shape of the cavity that is cut into the tooth. Amalgam is strong and long-lasting, but more tooth structure needs to be cut away to fix a tooth with an amalgam filling. Some dental clinics choose not to use it at all. Dentists and scientists have done a lot of research on dental amalgam.Īmalgam was commonly used in dental fillings by dentists in the 1990s. It has been used as a filling material to fix teeth for over 150 years and has one of the longest life expectancies of dental filling materials. It is made of mercury, silver, copper, zinc and tin. Dental amalgam is a silver-coloured filling material.

Gold filling mummy