All You Need to Know About Dental Fillings
Understanding the Different Types of Dental Fillings
What are Dental Fillings
A dental filling is a way to treat decay by drilling and cleaning out the tooth and replacing it with an appropriate dental material. In some cases, a filling can also repair a tooth without decay. For a dental filling to be placed, there must be enough tooth integrity, and if a tooth is too compromised for a filling, more involved treatment planning may be necessary.
Types of Dental Fillings
Years ago, the only solution to treat decay was to place a mercury amalgam filling. Still, progressive materials are now making metal fillings obsolete in many dental practices. One of the most significant disadvantages of amalgam fillings is they consist of an average of 50% mercury. Our clinics in Mexico have not used dental amalgam in over a dozen years and are virtually mercury-free.
Composite fillings are the most widely used in our Mexico dental offices. They are a bonded acrylic material with glass filler particles; some trace metals, zirconium, and titanium dioxide are added for color. After some tooth preparation, a composite is bonded to the tooth by hardening it with a curing light.
Advantages of Composite Fillings
- Conservative Placement: a minimal amount of enamel outside of the decay is removed to place a composite filling, versus a much more significant tooth preparation needed for a metal filling
- Aesthetic: the color can be matched to one’s natural tooth color
- Bonding: the composite material bonds to the tooth as well as to pre-existing composite; many times an old composite filling can be repaired by merely bonding more material to it without having to drill the tooth further
- Tooth Repair: because the composite can be bonded to the tooth, in some cases, it can cover a cracked tooth, small chips, or worn teeth
- Prevents Tooth breakage; when chewing, there is less force on your tooth with a composite filling because it is softer than the enamel, whereas a metal filling is more complicated than your tooth and can eventually break it
Disadvantages of Composite Fillings
- Lifetime: composite fillings may not last as long as their predecessor, the amalgam
- Durability: sometimes they can chip or stain
- Cost: the composite fillings can cost more than mercury amalgam
The benefits of composite fillings far outweigh those of metal fillings, and our Mexico offices can provide them with significant cost savings. In the U.S., composite fillings range anywhere from $120.00 – $450.00, which is a considerable variance. However, we offer an affordable price starting at $75.00 a filling, regardless of size. Sometimes, replacing an old amalgam filling with a composite filling is necessary. For this, a mercury removal process must occur, and the affordable price for the entire treatment is $150.00. To learn more about the mercury removal process, visit our Mercury Amalgam Removal page.
Glass Ionomer fillings comprise glass particles called fluoro aluminosilicate, acrylic, and a setting agent. The most common use of this material is for dental cement. These fillings are not as strong as composite; however, there are occasions when our Mexico dental offices may use this as a filling material. They are commonly used for baby teeth for two good reasons: the glass ionomer releases fluoride, which prevents further decay in the filled tooth, and it is easy to place because it is not sensitive to a moist environment. They are also suitable for adult decay around a tooth’s neck or gum line, where retention may be difficult for other dental materials. Glass ionomer fillings are much more affordable in our Mexico offices than here in the U.S., for $75.00 each.
It is essential to know that the lower price for fillings in our Mexico dental offices does not mean your dental care is compromised. Our dental standards are progressive, and your care is our priority. We are proud to be a mercury-free dental experience.
If you have questions or need additional information, please Contact Us or Request a Quote to send us your dental inquiry, and we’ll get back to you.
