These fillings were earlier used by dental clinicians. In this a silver colored element named amalgam is mixed with mercury to form a paste and the cavity is filled with that. It is not that durable and gets easily fractured on excessive forces while biting or chewing. It is aesthetically not pleasant and hence cannot be used in the front teeth. The only pro to this filling is that it is less expensive than the others as it is an age old technique.
These are white colored fillings that are currently used by majorly all the clinicians these days. It is a clay type material which is placed inside the cavity and is hardened by using a blue light.
Advantages:
Can be used for both small and large cavities.
It is long lasting
Does not gets fractured easily
They are very aesthetic as they are tooth colored
There is less destruction of the tooth while preparing the cavity for the filling.
They have a very high strength.
They can also be used to cover cracked teeth or rebuild a broken tooth.
These fillings are usually used for cavities below the gum line and most commonly in children. The main advantage of this filling is that it releases a component called fluoride which is very important for the protection of the tooth from any further decay. However it is lesser in strength as compared to the rest of the two fillings hence it cannot be used as a substitute for permanent filling.
Indirect fillings are basically fillings which are not exactly done inside the patient’s mouth. Impression of the entire mouth is taken and then is sent to skilled lab technicians who make fillings according to the specific shape and size of the cavity which is determined by the impressions taken and then is adjusted in the patient’s mouth using a cement.
They are of 2 types depending upon the amount of tooth structure lost by the decay.
INLAY : An inlay is used in smaller fillings which only cover the chewing surface of the molars or the posterior teeth.
ONLAY : An onlay is made when the cavity is large and involves more are than only the chewing surface of the teeth.
The major advantage of inlays and onlays over any kind of filling is that they are much stronger and they last longer than any fillings material.
They are different from crowns as crowns cover the entire tooth surface and require some cutting of the tooth material for the fitting and incorporation of the crown material. However in inlays and onlays there is no extra cutting of the tooth surface.