A composite filling can restore your tooth’s integrity after enduring damage from cavities, injuries, or teeth grinding. This type of dental restoration can match the shade of your natural teeth. Because of this, your tooth’s appearance and functions come back without anyone else knowing. If you want to know how a composite filling can restore your tooth, here are the facts.
The dentist will use a shade guide to select the shade of composite filling that matches the patient’s tooth. Dental shades come in myriad varieties. The dentist will work on the composite filling that is closest to the color of the patient’s natural teeth. If necessary, the dentist may select a different shade of composite for the outer dental surface and the inner dental surface. This will make the restoration more natural-looking.
The tooth’s surface must be clean to ensure a strong bond. Preparing the tooth starts by polishing the tooth’s surface. This removes any stain, plaque, calculus, or debris. The dentist will clean as many sticky fragments as possible to make sure that the composite will adhere.
This stage usually involves trimming and drilling. Some dentists apply a numbing agent to keep the patient comfortable. If the tooth needs cosmetic treatments, there will be little or even no trimming. The dentist will restore the tooth by bonding the composite filling on the enamel and reshaping the tooth. If the tooth has decayed areas, drilling may be extensive.
After trimming the tooth, the dentist starts the bonding process by taking out an acid tooth conditioner. Tooth conditioners contain 30-40 percent phosphoric acid, which makes them taste sour and bitter. The conditioner needs to sit on the target area for at least 15 seconds and then rinsed off. This will make the tooth look like etched glass.
With an applicator, the dentist will dab a small amount of liquid plastic or bonding agent on the etched area. The dentist may blow some air over the bonding agent to ensure that the layer is thin and even. Once the bonding agent is even on the dental surface, the dentist will expose it to a curing light for about 10-20 seconds. The light triggers the catalyst in the bonding agent. This causes the agent to harden and establish a micromechanical bond with the etched dental surface.
The dentist will then apply layers of dental composite, which provides the shape of the tooth. Each layer adheres to the bonding agent. The composite filling looks and feels like putty. The dentist will apply and pat each layer into place. After this, the dentist will expose the tooth to a curing light for about 10-40 seconds. The dentist will shape and polish the composite filling after.