Dental Filling vs. Dental Bonding
A dental filling serves as a direct restoration technique employed to mend a tooth that has been affected by decay or damage. It is typically the initial approach taken to restore a compromised tooth. To commence this procedure, your dentist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the targeted area. They will then proceed by eliminating any decayed or structurally unsound sections of the natural tooth. In contrast, dental bonding, another restoration method, uses a tooth-colored resin applied and shaped to teeth, potentially offering a more aesthetic and durable solution for repairing decay, chips, or cracks.
Following the preparation of the tooth, the process of applying the "filling" will commence. Fillings are typically made using two common materials: dental amalgam, which is an older mixture of silver, mercury, copper, tin, and other trace metals, and composite resin, a synthetic material that closely matches the color of natural teeth. At our office, we utilize composite resin fillings that are custom-matched to the shade of your natural teeth. This preference stems from the ability of composite resin to provide a natural-looking result, as well as its modern composition, which allows it to last as long as traditional dental amalgam fillings. In comparison, dental bonding, while also utilizing a composite resin, can be adept at resolving minor aesthetic concerns by adhering and sculpting material to the visible surface of teeth for a seamlessly restored appearance.
