Fillings

When a filling is necessary different types of filling materials can be used.

1. Amalgam

The inexpensive filling material mostly used fort he side of the tooth is amalgam. There are no private costs for patients with health insurance. The aesthetic disadvantage is the silver-grey color and the mercury concentration in this filling material.

2. Composite fillings

Composite fillings are aesthetically high quality tooth colored constructions. The tooth enamel is slightly etched with an acid after removing the caries. It is hence abraded so that the filling material can connect to the enamel and improves the stability of the filling. The filling is annealed with light stepwise and finalized.

Advantages compared to amalgam:

• filling is resilient right away
• very matter gentle preparation (not as much tooth matter has to be removed as with amalgam or an inlay)
• filling is tooth colored

• complex handling meaning longer treatment duration
• for this filling additional payment in necessary (depending on size and extension of the filling)

3. Inlays

Inlays are insertion fillings. They are produced in the dental laboratory after a dental imprint is made by the dentist. Subsequently they are either glued or cemented into the tooth.

They can be produced from tooth colored ceramic and metal (e.g., gold).

• longer-lasting than amalgam and composite fillings
• the ceramic inlay is barely distinguishable from natural teeth
• the tooth color can be adjusted individually which leads to a perfect aesthetic
• high color consistency and high biological compatibility

• because of the complex production the high quality aesthetic fillings have a high private additional payment to be carried by the patient
• the health insurance covers a partial payment equivalent to the costs of an amalgam filling