Dental fillings, Inlays Dental fillings are nowadays differentiated according to their size. The old amalgam fillings have been replaced by white plastic fillings, which do not have any harmful effects on the body. Smaller fillings, which require less tooth material, are made by the doctor, but there are also cases where so much tooth material has to be removed during the cleaning drilling that a so-called inlay is a better solution. In this case, the doctor prepares the filling site and takes an impression, and then a dental technician in the lab makes the inlay.
Different materials can be used to make this type of filling: gradia (a type of plastic), ceramic and gold.
It requires a longer and more complicated procedure if the root of the tooth is affected by decay or inflammation. Bacteria that cause a lot of pain and tightness must first be cleaned out of the root canal (or canals, if more than one root of a tooth is affected) and then, once the tooth is completely free of symptoms, it can be filled.
This procedure is one of the most important steps in tooth preservation. In many cases the treatment requires more time and frequent sessions, but the result can be a tooth that can be pain-free for many years to come. A final step, tooth extraction, can often be avoided.