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When you have tooth decay in your mouth, inevitably, a visit to your family dentist is required. Often than not, after the drilling and removal of the carious spot, some dental material is put into the tooth to fill up the hole. Sometimes people wonder what the materials actually are as they can be in tooth colored or the conventional ugly silver color. To make everything crystal clear, the tooth colored filling materials are known as composite and glass ionomer cement. On the other hand, the silver filling material is actually the amalgam. There is no absolute and perfect filling material for the time being and the choice of the filling material are predominantly affected by individual preference and the site of the tooth which needs filling.

The white filling

Composite is widely used in the field of dentistry. It is gaining popularity among the dentists and patients alike for the fact that its color is closely matched with the color of the tooth. In addition, it also comes with variety of shade so as to match the color of the tooth to near perfection. Consequently, it is being used due to its aesthetic propose.

Composite is composed of resin and filler. The resin such as methacrylate is responsible for the polymerization of the composite, hence contributing to the setting of the composite. As for the filler such as quartz and silica, they are added to the composite to improve the physical and mechanical properties of the composite. Besides, the addition of filler contributes to the tooth color of the composite.

Composite has adequate physical properties. It has adequate strength to withstand constant occlusal load during chewing. Therefore, it can be used for the posterior teeth filling. When it comes to anterior teeth restoration, composite is the ideal choice of material as it is tooth colored which can perfectly match the color of the anterior teeth. In short, composite is the most commonly used white filling material. Composite is also easy to manipulate with a plastic consistency prior to its hardening. As composite comes in tube, this makes composite easy for storage after use.

Nonetheless, composite has its shortcomings and weaknesses. Composite is hydrophobic which means it dislikes water and will not attach to moist areas in the oral cavity. Therefore, it is vital to dry the cavity before filling it with composite. Composite is still not as hard and as durable compare to the silver filling (amalgam). Thus, most of the time, there will be failure

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