Restorative dentistry and materials
Minimal intervention, cavity preparation, amalgam, resin composite, bonding, glass ionomer, pulp protection, cements, impression materials, ceramics, why fillings fail, dentine sensitivity, whitening and allergy to materials.
15 pages
Topic
- Biocompatibility and allergy to dental materialsTrue allergy to dental materials is uncommon in patients but common in dental staff, who handle…
- Minimal intervention: when to drill and when notNot every cavity needs a filling
- Why fillings fail: secondary caries, fracture and leakageMost fillings fail because new decay starts at their edge or because the filling or tooth breaks
Dental material
- Bonding to enamel and dentine: etching and adhesivesAcid roughens enamel so resin can lock into it
- Dental amalgam: mercury, safety and the phase-downAmalgam is a strong, cheap silver filling made with mercury
- Dental ceramics and zirconiaCeramics give crowns a natural look
- Glass ionomer cementsGlass ionomer sticks to the tooth by itself and releases fluoride
- Gypsum, waxes and dental alloysModels are poured in gypsum, restorations are shaped in wax, and many crowns and denture…
- Impression materials: alginate, silicones and polyetherAn impression is a mould of the teeth and gums
- Liners, bases and protecting the pulpA deep cavity may get a thin layer over the dentine nearest the pulp
- Luting cements for crowns and bridgesLuting cements fill the thin gap between a crown and the tooth and help hold it
- Resin composite and light curingComposite is the tooth-coloured filling: a plastic resin full of glass particles, bonded to the…
Procedure
- Cavity classes and preparation principlesBlack's classes name a cavity by where it sits on the tooth
- Tooth discoloration and whiteningTeeth stain on the surface (coffee, tobacco) or from within (drugs, fluoride, trauma)
Oral pathology
A to Z
Educational content; it does not replace assessment by a dentist or doctor and is not a clinical instruction. For facial or neck swelling with difficulty swallowing or breathing, a knocked-out tooth or bleeding that will not stop, go to an emergency department at once.
Representative model, for educational purposes only.