Restorative dentistry

Tooth-coloured fillings

At Toothopia, we use only high quality composites and bonding agents to make long-lasting white fillings. To understand why, here we compare the characteristics of composite, or white fillings, with other fillings that you may have had in the past.

Amalgam fillings and composite fillings are the two main types of filling materials used for direct tooth restoration.

Silver fillings

Despite still being widely used in dentistry, silver amalgam it is decreasingly popular today, due to its environmental impact and patients’ growing demand for more aesthetic restoration with higher quality materials. It is being phased out today in the UK thanks to the wide availability of other materials that better match the look and feel of natural teeth. The main disadvantages of amalgam fillings are their  silver-grey colour and their mechanical characteristics. In addition, the short timeframe for shaping and placing the filling in the tooth results in poor tooth relief re-creation. This compromises contact with the opposing tooth, affecting chewing. Last, but not least, this type of filling requires your dentist to file down healthy parts of the tooth in order to attach the filling properly.

White fillings

The types of materials that make white fillings are chemopolymers and photopolymers. Chemopolymer was the first “white” alternative to metal fillings. However, this solution has a similar disadvantage to amalgam fillings: it hardens too fast. Your dentist makes this filling during your appointment by combining two raw materials that harden in about 2 minutes. This short operating window makes it impossible to properly recreate the relief and shape of the tooth, which in some cases may lead to poor contact between the teeth. Another disadvantage of chemopolymers is their high abrasion rate, which can require filling replacement. Finally, the mechanical properties of chemopolymers differ from those of natural teeth. As a result, bacteria can easily enter under the filling and result secondary cavities.

Photopolymer fillings

This is why we prefer to work with photopolymers to create tooth-coloured fillings. These fillings offer the best results from a functional and aesthetic point of view. Photopolymer fillings harden only under a special blue light, so your dentist has enough time to re-construct your tooth in its original shape and relief. In addition, photopolymers come in a variety of colours, making it easy to match your teeth to perfection. Photopolymers are the most popular materials for dental restorations today, as they are easier to clean and polish, prolonging their life and improving their aesthetics.

Artistic tooth restoration

Contemporary composites allow for artistic tooth restoration. This procedure requires a longer appointment, as it uses multiple layers of different shades of material. The goal is to recreate the authentic translucency and colour  of your tooth with even greater precision.