Common Dental Restoration Materials

Dental restorative materials are specially fabricated materials, designed for use as dental restorations (fillings), which are used to restore tooth structure loss, usually resulting from but not limited to dental caries (dental cavities). There are several materials currently used today for dental restorations. Among the widely used are gold, amalgam, and porcelain. These materials are considered the first materials to have ever been used successfully in every dental restoration procedure.

Gold
Gold fillings have excellent durability, wear well, and do not cause excessive wear to the opposing teeth, but they do conduct heat and cold, which can be irritating. There are two categories of gold fillings, cast gold fillings (gold inlays and onlays) made with 14 or 18 kt gold, and gold foil made with pure 24 kt gold that is burnished layer by layer.

For years, they have been considered the benchmark of restorative dental materials. Recent advances in dental porcelains and consumer focus on aesthetic results have caused demand for gold fillings to drop in favor of advanced composites and porcelain veneers and crowns. Gold fillings are usually quite expensive, although they do last a very long time. It is not uncommon for a gold crown to last 30 years in a patient's mouth.

Amalgam
Amalgam is a metallic filling material composed from a mixture of mercury (from 43% to 54%) and powdered alloy made mostly of silver, tin, zinc and copper commonly called the amalgam alloy. Amalgam does not adhere to tooth structure without the aid of cements, or techniques which lock in the filling, using the same principles as a dovetail joint. Amalgam is still used extensively in many parts of the world because of its cost effectiveness, superior strength and longevity. However their metallic colour is not aesthetic and tooth coloured alternatives are continually emerging with increasingly comparable properties. However, due to the known toxicity of the element mercury, there is some controversy about the use of amalgams, and its use have significanltly decreased.

Porcelain
Unlike gold and amalgam, porcelain provides a more aesthetically improved feature which is why several dentists use this material particularly with cosmetic procedures. According to porcelain veneers los angeles specialists, porcelain is the material mainly used for dental veneers, aside from composite resins. Though expensive, typically ranging from $1000 a tooth upwards to $2500 per tooth, porcelain veneers are known for its strength and durability compared to composite resins. Its shade is much more natural looking than with composite veneers according to porcelain veneers los angeles specialists.

The main advantage of using porcelain for dental veneers is that it rarely stains. According to porcelain veneers los angeles specialists, it has a natural coating. This natural coating makes the food stains, and any other stains, easy to slide off from the veneer or easily brushed off with a toothbrush. Although porcelain are hard, it could also cause wear on opposing teeth. They are brittle and are not always recommended for molar fillings thus finding its use in dental veneers.