Materials Used for Tooth Restorations
- This information is provided to help you make better decisions about the use of materials as tooth restoration in your mouth.
- Many types of metals are used in dentistry for the replacement and rehabilitation of oral structures. *Most of these metals are considered to be inert when placed in the body while others have been criticized as potential toxins or allergens to some people.
- Tooth colored Plastic and ceramic are used commonly as tooth restoratives and have not had adverse biologic responses. Unless specially requested, our clinic generally only uses tooth colored filling materials, or tooth colored porcelain baked onto metal frameworks.
Which type of tooth restorations are best for you?
- The following information is provided to help you make that decision.
Restoration of Parts of Single Teeth (“fillings”)
- Silver Amalgam. Average longevity is 15 years, silver color; low initial cost; best in small-to-medium-sized restorations of posterior teeth. Because newer tooth colored filling materials last almost as long or longer, we no longer do Amalgam fillings unless specially requested by the patient.
- Gold Inlays and Onlays. Average longevity 20 years to life; gold color; moderate-to-high initial cost; may be used in any size restoration in any location where metal is not displayed. Our clinic generally no longer provide gold restorations as there are tooth colored alternatives that work as well or better.
- Resin Composite (plastic). Average longevity 10–15 years; tooth-colored; moderate cost; best used in small-to-medium-size restorations for any teeth; direct one-day placement.
- CEREC ceramic crown, inlay or onlay. Average longevity 20 years or longer; tooth-colored; best in moderate-sized restoration for any teeth; one-appointment placement.
- An onlay is sort of like a 3/4 crown. They preserve tooth structure and are slightly less expensive than crowns. However, they can only be done where there is sufficient sound tooth structure in the right places to warrant doing an onlay.
- Bridges
- Three major types of alloys are now available:
- High Noble Metal. Mostly gold, also palladium, silver; occasionally platinum, zinc, copper.
- Noble Metal. Mostly palladium, also silver and gold.
- Base Metal. Mostly nickel, also chrome or cobalt and other base metals.
- All of the above metals are used either as the sole constituent of a crown, or as a base on which porcelain is fired (baked). Most people have no biologic response to the base metals. If you have known allergies to metals, please tell us. We usually use noble or high-noble metals known to be low in allergic problems. The cost of these is somewhat higher than base metals.
- Your Choices for Bridges
- Metal Alone (high-noble, noble, or base metal). Longevity 20 years to life, gold or “silver color; moderate-to-high initial cost; may be used in any area where metal display is not objectionable.
- Porcelain Fused to Metal. Longevity 10–20 years; tooth-colored; moderate-to-high initial cost; may be used in any area where extreme stress or grinding habits are not present.
- Ceramic Non-Metal containing crowns (anything over a three-unit bridge constructed from ceramic alone is not advisable). Longevity 10–20 years; moderate-to-high initial cost; may be used in any area where extreme stress or grinding habits are not present.
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