Dental Insurance Plus, What is A Dental Filling
A filling is a way to restore a tooth damaged by dental decay back to its normal function and shape. A dentist will first remove the decayed tooth material, cleans the affected area, and then fills the cleaned out cavity with a filling material. By closing off spaces where bacteria can enter, a filling can also help to prevent further dental decay. Materials used for fillings include gold, porcelain, a composite resin (tooth-colored fillings), and an amalgam (an alloy of mercury, silver, copper, tin and sometimes zinc).