Your Lethbridge Invisalign® Provider
What are Dental Fillings?
At our Lethbridge dental clinic, our dentists use fillings to repair cavities, cracks or fractures in teeth, and help restore their function and structure.
Filling Materials & Benefits
There are a variety of filling materials available, each with their own benefits. Composite (white) and amalgam (silver) fillings are the most common types of materials used.
- White Fillings
White composite fillings are popular because they can be closely matched in colour to the natural teeth. Your dentist might recommend this material if the affected tooth can be seen when you open your mouth to talk or smile.
- Silver Fillings
Silver amalgam fillings don't blend in as well but they are very strong and may be less likely to break compared to other materials.
With proper care, most dental fillings can last for many years. They are not, however, permanent and may need to be replaced.
Dental Inlays & Onlays
Dental inlays and onlays are restorations that are made outside of the mouth as a single, solid piece, and then used to fill a cavity. Inlays and onlays are used to repair molars or premolars, in cases when the tooth is too damaged to support a standard dental filling, but not damaged enough to warrant a crown.
Inlays are used to repair decay in the pits and fissures of a tooth, between the cusps. Onlays, on the other hand, will cover one or more cusps as well.