Restorative Dentistry

Composite restorations also known as fillings, bonding or resin, are a cosmetic and functional restoration used to strengthen a tooth, improve its shape, replace tooth structure from decay or fracture. They are a white tooth colored material that Drs. Razdolsky and Tincher can match to the rest of your teeth for more a natural aesthetic. Lake Forest Dental Associates only utilizes white or composite fillings as opposed to silver restorations at our office.

A filling is most often used for teeth that have tooth decay and the tooth is not missing a cusp or has multiple fractures. Overall, bonding is a conservative way to repair slightly chipped, discolored, or crooked teeth. During dental bonding, a white filling is placed onto your tooth to improve its appearance. This filling “bonds” with your teeth, and because it comes in a variety of tooth-colored shades, Doctors Razdolsky and Tincher can help ensure it closely matches the appearance of your natural teeth for a better overall aesthetic.

Fillings can be made from Composite (resin) or Amalgam. Amalgam restorations are a combination of silver and mercury. While the amalgamation of the two materials make the mercury inert and safe, we do not place silver fillings at Lake Forest Dental Associates.

Instead we utilize a composite comprised of a combinate of white filling material including Ceramic and Zirconia particles that transition from a dough-like texture to a rock-solid substance upon light activation. This white composite resin material is made of nanocomposite; such as 3M Filtek Supreme. Nanocomposites are a multiphase solid material which has one to three dimensions of less than 100 nanometers or nano-scale structures allowing for more a beautiful esthetic, unsurpassed strength, and a substantially lower wear rate over traditional restoration materials. 

When decay is identified, it must be removed — drilled and cleaned out, along with any old filling material already present.

A crown is required when more than 50% of tooth structure needs reconstruction. If more than half of the tooth is left, a filling is a better restoration due to its conservative nature. The materials used to make a crown are much stronger and can tolerate the chewing forces of your teeth which is why the location of the missing tooth structure is important to consider for proper function and required strength. strength

A filling is made up of composite and is very good at replacing tooth structure when less than half the tooth is missing. If greater than half of tooth or if a cusp (the part that takes more bite force) is missing.  your Lake Forest Dental Associates doctors will recommend a crown. To be more technical, a filling is a direct composite resin or amalgam restoration molded or shaped inside of your mouth while being bonded and placed the same day as the tooth is worked on. . A crown is an indirect restoration that is placed on a second visit. A crown. fabricated from a mold taken at the office, is crafted in a lab by one of our outstanding laboratory technicians – replicated unique to your tooth anatomy for optimal fit, aesthetic and strength.

YES! Our Lake Forest Dental Associates team loves the esthetics of a composite restoration. In fact, many patients prefer bonded fillings over amalgam restorations because the white color is much less noticeable than the silver amalgam fillings. Bonding fillings can be used on front and back teeth depending on the location and extent of tooth decay. And because bonding or composite comes in many different shades, we can make sure to match your teeth to the correct shade so others will not be able to even see your new filling.