filling
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filling
Filling
in dentistry, the restoration of the shape and physiological functioning of a tooth by means of an inlay. The filling of teeth prevents progress of dental caries and isolates affected tissues from the microorganisms present in the mouth.
Cavities formed in the hard tissues of the teeth are filled with a malleable material that eventually hardens. A tooth is prepared to receive a filling by the surgical excision of tooth tissues that have lost their firmness. A cavity of a definite outline is then formed. Temporary fillings are sometimes used to cover cavities in which medicinal substances have been applied.
Permanent fillings are made from materials with sufficiently high sturdiness, hardness, and resistance to the effects of saliva. They differ little in color from the crown of the tooth and are harmless to both the tooth and the entire body. Filling materials include phosphate cements, silicate cements, silicophosphate cements, acrylic plastics, preparations based on epoxy resins, and amalgams consisting of a hard solution of metals (silver) in mercury. When filling teeth with amalgams, plastics, or silicate cements, a packing of phosphate cement or artificial dentin (zinc-sulfate cement) is made, and then the filling material is injected into the tooth canal with a special probe needle or plugger.
REFERENCES
Groshikov, M. I., and V. K. Patrikeev. Metody diagnostiki i lecheniia v terapevticheskoi stomatologii. Moscow, 1967.Streliukhina, T. F. Stomatologicheskie plombirovochnye materialy. Leningrad, 1969.
G. D. OVRUTSKII
filling
[′fil·iŋ]filling
filling
