Porcelain Fillings: Benefits, Drawbacks & Long-Term Dental Health

With extreme dental decay, an individual is at risk of problems like trading her natural teeth for dentures. To prevent extreme decay, a dentist suggests filling teeth that have cavities with materials like porcelain or ceramic fillings. According to Simple Steps Dental, porcelain fillings are made of a mixture of plastic and fine glass particles that are used for large or small spaces in the teeth. However, porcelain fillings have advantages and disadvantages.

Major Advantage: Color

• One advantage of porcelain is that the fillings are the same color as a person's natural teeth. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), porcelain fillings are tooth-colored with excellent translucency. This means that after the dental procedure no one can tell the difference between the natural teeth with porcelain fillings and natural teeth without them. In fact, the porcelain material looks so much like tooth enamel that it's used for veneers that are placed over natural teeth.

Other Advantages of Porcelain Fillings

• Other advantages of porcelain fillings include the amount of the natural tooth removed and any potential allergic reactions. A dentist actually doesn't have to remove a large amount of the natural tooth like with other types of fillings. A smaller portion of natural tooth is removed because a dentist doesn't have to shape the tooth to securely hold the filling as he would with an amalgam filling. According to Simple Steps Dental, the porcelain fillings are then cured with heat, which strengthens the fillings. Also, porcelain fillings won't cause any allergic reaction.

Major Disadvantages: Strength and Shrinkage

• The porcelain filling material isn't as strong as other types of dental fillings. In fact, the material is brittle and may crack when an individual forcefully bites down. Also, once the fillings are placed in the natural teeth, there is a possibility of shrinkage. This means fillings may not cover the entire surface, leading to future cavities in different areas. To reduce the possibility that the porcelain fillings shrink, the dentist typically repeatedly layers the hole in the natural tooth with more than one filling application.

Oher Porcelain Fillings Disadvantages

• Porcelain fillings have additional disadvantages. A porcelain filling takes a longer time for the dentist to infuse into natural teeth than other types of fillings. A dentist has to complete the porcelain fillings in approximately two or more separate appointments because he must place the fillings in layers. Also, according to the ADA, the fillings are not recommended for molars. Therefore, an individual may have to consider another filling option other than porcelain.