What is the difference between a metal and a tooth colored filling? (part 3) - Frenchtown Dental

Now for our final material in this series…

• Resin modified glass ionomers – a reasonable new type of filling, is also tooth colored
  1. Upsides:
     1. Tooth colored – though do not polish or blend as well as the composites
     2. Moisture tolerant – these can be placed in areas where we might not be able to place a composite due to moisture.

• They release fluoride – Most versions of these have fluoride in them that they gradually release, they can then take in the fluoride in your toothpaste or mouthwash and continue to release the fluoride. This means that they help prevent decay forming around them.

1. The help the nerve calm down – this can be great for sensitive teeth, or we’ll often use this type of material as a base underneath our composite fillings to try and get the upsides of both combined!

1. Downsides:
   1. They’re not as hard – These fillings are softer, we can get around this by placing a top coat of resin to create a hard layer on top.
2. These fillings are usually recommended for kids (they’re easy to place!) or for older patients, who often get decay on root surfaces where they don’t need to be as hard.