Plastic filling

Valeria Dahm is a freelance writer in the medical department. She studied medicine at the Technical University of Munich. It is particularly important to her to give the curious reader an insight into the exciting subject area of ​​medicine and at the same time to maintain the content.

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The plastic filling (composite filling, composite tooth filling) belongs to the plastic tooth fillings. In contrast to rigid tooth fillings (inlays, onlays), it is inserted into the tooth defect while still deformable and adapted to it. Read more about what a plastic filling is, how it is used and what advantages and disadvantages it has.

What is a plastic filling?

The composites, popularly known as plastic fillings, are a tooth-colored filling material for the treatment of tooth defects such as those caused by caries. They consist of around 80 percent of a salt of silicic acid or the finest glass particles and around 20 percent of plastic.

When do you make a plastic filling?

In the case of many defects on anterior teeth, but also on posterior teeth, plastic is used for the tooth filling. The hole is closed with the composite filling. The inside of the tooth and the sensitive tooth nerve are then no longer exposed unprotected.

How is a plastic filling used?

In most cases, the affected tooth is first given a type of rubber bandage (called a rubber dam) to protect it from blood and saliva. This drainage is necessary for the later adhesion of the plastic filling. Chemical roughening and a binding agent (dentine adhesive) also improve the hold between the tooth and the composite. Now the dentist brings the deformable composite into the hole in the tooth and hardens it with cold light. If the defect is larger, the plastic filling is built up in several sub-layers. Finally, the dentist removes the rubber dam and polishes the tooth so that chewing, speaking and swallowing work properly.

What are the advantages of the plastic filling?

A plastic filling results in a visually harmonious result, as the color of the composites can be matched to the teeth. This is particularly advantageous with the front teeth.

The plastic filling not only withstands great chewing loads, but also stabilizes the tooth substance through the bonding with the binding agent.

There are hardly any known allergic reactions to composites.

What are the disadvantages of the plastic filling?

The composite filling contracts very slightly as it hardens. This allows a minimal gap to form between the filling and the tooth substance, in which caries can develop again.

The manufacture and insertion of a composite filling are more complex and expensive than an amalgam filling. In the posterior region, the health insurance companies only cover the costs proportionally (in the amount of an amalgam filling). In contrast, the costs for a tooth-colored plastic filling (using a single-layer technique) in the visible anterior region are covered in full.

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