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Composite Filling
Composite or "white" fillings are tooth colored, polymer based resins whose physical properties are more like tooth structure as compared to Amalgam or "silver" fillings. When composites are bonded into a tooth, they create a chemical bond with the tooth structure. Therefore, a well bonded composite filling behaves as one with the tooth when loaded under biting forces. However, the one drawback of composite fillings is that they are very technique sensitive, meaning they need to be done in a specific way for them to be successful. Firstly, moisture control is critical, which is why we use rubber dam isolation. Secondly, a precise method of incremental placement is required. Finally, finishing and polishing of the surface of a newly placed composite filling is a must. At our clinic, we have invested in the highest quality materials and the necessary armamentarium along with a strict protocol to ensure well sealed and long lasting composite resin restorations for our patients.
Composite Filling
Composite or "white" fillings are tooth colored, polymer based resins whose physical properties are more like tooth structure as compared to Amalgam or "silver" fillings. When composites are bonded into a tooth, they create a chemical bond with the tooth structure. Therefore, a well bonded composite filling behaves as one with the tooth when loaded under biting forces. However, the one drawback of composite fillings is that they are very technique sensitive, meaning they need to be done in a specific way for them to be successful. Firstly, moisture control is critical, which is why we use rubber dam isolation. Secondly, a precise method of incremental placement is required. Finally, finishing and polishing of the surface of a newly placed composite filling is a must. At our clinic, we have invested in the highest quality materials and the necessary armamentarium along with a strict protocol to ensure well sealed and long lasting composite resin restorations for our patients.
Inlay/Onlay
These are all ceramic fillings custom made by a laboratory technician to fit your tooth. If they are well made, properly bonded into the tooth, finished and polished with precision and well maintained, they can last you a very long time. The biggest plus point of these restorations is that they are very conservative towards tooth structure.
Since these restorations are fabricated in a laboratory to custom fit your tooth, they can only be completed in two visits. In the first visit, we prepare the tooth by removing all decay and old filling materials, take an impression to send to the lab, and fabricate a temporary inlay/onlay to restore function back to your tooth. In the second visit, we try the lab fabricated porcelain inlay/onlay for good fit, bond it in place and finish and polish it.
Crowns
Crowns are like a cap for your tooth. They cover the entire tooth- from the eating surface down to the gum-line. A crown is usually placed on a tooth that has lost most of its standing tooth structure, and has a very large filling supported by very thin tooth walls, which are at high risk of fracturing under eating forces. Crowns may be made of a metal core with porcelain fused over top (to give it a tooth like appearance) or they may be entirely metal free ceramic restorations. Ceramic crowns are usually placed on the front teeth as they give ideal esthetic results.
Crowns also require 2 dental visits as they are also fabricated in a laboratory to custom fit your tooth.
Endodontics (RCT)
RCT is the treatment of canals (tunnels) running through the centre of each root of a tooth. In a healthy teeth these canals are filled with nerves and blood vessels, which keep our teeth alive. If a cavity eats away at the tooth and reaches these canals, then the bacteria causing the cavity also contaminates these canals and the tooth starts to get sensitive to hot and cold. The tooth may also ache spontaneously, with the pain getting worse when you lie down at night.
Once the canals have been contaminated, they have to be cleaned out and disinfected completely through a meticulous cleaning process using pipe cleaner like files, which gradually progress in size and taper. Following the cleaning process, the canals are dried out and then filled with a plastic like inert material called Gutta Perka. This process of cleaning and filling the canals inside the roots of a tooth is known as root canal treatment.