The difference between black and white padding and which one is better

the filling

The filling is an artificial material by which the damaged part of the tooth that contains decay is replaced in order for the tooth to perform its anatomical and physiological function.

Types of dental fillings

Amalgam or gray filling

It is a mixture of silver, tin, zinc, copper, and mercury and contains 50% mercury. It fills the back teeth and lasts for at least 10 years. It is one of the most expensive types of fillings and is less sensitive to moisture during the filling process. Its disadvantages are the following:

Its color is different from the color of the teeth.
It can be corroded for a long time due to discoloration, and it does not stick to the tooth bone.
The doctor also needs to remove most of the teeth to create a cavity for the filling, and some people may have an allergy to mercury.

Optical filling

It is a mixture of fine plastic and glass particles and is divided into: direct and indirect, and the doctor uses direct filling with bright blue rays to soften the material, while the doctor takes from the indirect filling the size of the tooth and prepares it well provided that the laboratory specialist or the doctor makes a filling for him to put, and continues For at least 5 years with the front teeth or the visible parts of the teeth, and its price is usually more expensive than amalgam and cheaper than gold, and its advantages are the following:

Similar to the color of the teeth.
It ends with one session at the clinic and sometimes it needs two sessions.
It directly supports the teeth, making the teeth stronger compared to amalgam fillings.
Needs less dental drilling.
An indirect filling is heat bonded which increases strength.
The filler can be mixed with other ingredients, such as glass ionomer, to support the properties of the ingredients.
Among its disadvantages are the following:
Its price is high compared to the amalgam filling.
Despite the strength of the optical filler, it is not clear whether or not it can withstand chewing.
The filling can be reduced, leaving pockets between the tooth and the filling, which may lead to excessive decay in these areas. Then the doctor cements the tooth with an additional thin layer of the same type of filling.
Photovoltaic filling takes a long time to operate, and production at laboratories increases costs.
The patient must visit the doctor twice, because the first time he works to prepare the tooth and take its size, in order to put the filling in the second visit.

Golden Cast Filling

It consists of gold alloys, a mixture of gold with other materials, which are used in castings and tarpaulins, and it lasts at least 15 years and usually lasts longer than that, and its price is more expensive than other types by about 6: 10 times more expensive than amalgam fillings, and its advantages: It is not corrosive, but some prefer the golden color made of silver with a gray filling, as it is a durable filling that bears the force of chewing, and its disadvantages are the following:

It is necessary to visit the dentist at least twice to make a gold filling, because the doctor takes the size of the tooth the first time, then puts the filling again, and if there is friction between the material and the tooth, the metal in the gold filling is combined with the metal materials in the grey fillings and saliva Which do not match the color of the teeth.

Ceramic filler

It consists of porcelain used in fillings, fixtures, veneers, implants and orthodontics, and it lasts more than 7 years, and it is one of the most expensive types and more expensive than gold fillings, and among its advantages is that it matches the color of the teeth, and is resistant to stains compared to light fillings, and from its disadvantages, it is more fragile than light fillings and can be To be exposed to fracture, and it must be increased in size so as not to crack, which means reducing the size of the tooth.

Vitreous filling

It consists of an acrylic and glass filling material called “Fluoro-aluminosilicate”, and it is used on the front teeth, the neck of the tooth or its roots, and it is usually used for people who suffer from erosion of large parts of the teeth in the lower part of the gums (the roots), because it is used for children’s teeth lasting 5 years Or more, and its cost is equal to the cost of an optical filling.

The difference between black and white fillers

black padding

It is a filler that is used for many reasons in many developing countries, including Egypt and many African countries, the most important of which is the relatively cheap price and relatively long life, and there are many studies that try to prove that this filler is toxic because its chemical composition contains mercury. Toxic, and recent research says it is well aware that amalgam (silver, black filler) is not safe.

white filler

White fillings are characterized by being very similar to the color of white teeth, and they are widespread in developing and developed countries and we often find dentists in Egypt who do not use anything else, due to its aesthetic form and ease of use, but there are disadvantages to white fillings, such as the age of no more than ten years, And it lacks durability, as white fillings wear out early, unlike black fillings, where white dental fillings last at least five years compared to about 10 to 15 years at least from black fillings.

It also may not last under chewing pressure, especially if it is used in large cavities, and it takes a lot of time to install white dental fillings, as these fillings can take up to 20 minutes longer than amalgam fillings and a visit to the doctor may be needed.

White dental fillings are the most likely to fall out, and the cost of white fillings can reach twice the cost of black fillings, and when comparing the two types of fillings in which one is better, the following should be considered:

If the decay is on the back teeth, black fillings or certain types of modified white fillings such as (3M nanohybrid) can be safely used.
But if it is in the front teeth, a white filling should be used because of its aesthetic shape and the appearance of the front teeth during speech.
In the end, and in many cases, the choice of the type of filling depends on the dentist and his vision of the treatment and has nothing to do with the patient.
Among the advantages of glass filling: the similarity of the color of the teeth with the modified glass filling is better than the traditional one, it is also supported by fluoride, which helps protect the teeth from decay, and it is well attached to the teeth.
One of the disadvantages of the vitreous filling is that it is traditional and weaker than the optical filling. The traditional vitreous filling does not match the color of the tooth, and an additional layer is added to the filling to strengthen the tooth.

Principles for choosing the type of tooth filling

The basis for choosing the type of dental filling depends on the following:

Age position.
The size of the tooth decay.
The cost of materials to be filled for tooth filling.
Patient comfort to fill the material with the teeth.
Causes of the dental filling falling out and breaking.

The causes of the dental filling falling out and breaking are due to the following:

Poor packing quality.
Improper installation of the implant due to the insufficient experience of the doctor.
Failure to follow the patient's instructions inserting the implant, such as eating two hours before the implant.

Temporary dental fillings.

They are fillings that the dentist installs for a short period of up to a month, and the doctor uses them in emergency situations before installing fillings that need to install more than one session, such as gold fillings and they are also used to treat nerve before placing the permanent fillings.

Dental filling steps.

The doctor rubs the area around the teeth.
The doctor drills the tooth and completely removes the part of the carious cavity.
The doctor cleans the cavity well of bacteria or debris, then fills it with the appropriate filling.
The doctor polishes and polishes the filling.

How To Prevent A Dental Filling From Falling Out?

To protect the dental filling from falling out, the following must be followed:

Follow your dentist for dental cleaning sessions.
You should brush your teeth with a high-quality fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
Use dental floss to get rid of food particles between the teeth.
Consult a doctor if a tooth filling falls out, breaks or becomes painful.