Composite, Dentist Charlotte NC

As a dentist performimg cosmetic therapy  in Charlotte, NC, Dr. Plascyk uses a variety of cosmetic filling material in his practice. Tooth colored composite filling material is one of these materials. Composite is a mixture of flowable resin and filler materials. Composite materials are soft or flowable when first placed in a tooth, then the material hardens when it is set with a light. Different quantities and types of filler materials give the composite various physical properties. Some composites are harder than others and are used in the back teeth. Some resist stains and look better when polished. These types of composites are used on anterior (front) teeth.

Resin:  The chief component in resin is BIS-GMA. Other components of the resin include diluents, cross-linking agents,coupling  agents, stabilizers and catalysts.

Filler:  Common filler materials include strontium glass, barium glass, quartz, borosilicate glass, ceramic, silica and pre-polymerized  resin. Fillers are categorized by size and shape.

Composites can be direct or indirect. A direct composite is applied to the tooth after a cavity is removed. The composite is "cured" or "set" with a light. An indirect composite is made outside the mouth and then cemented on the tooth. An indirect composite can be more completely cured with light, heat and pressure outside the mouth. This increases the chemical reactions and bonding of the molecules in the composite. This improves the physical properties of the composite and makes it more biocompatible. Indirect composites are more expensive than direct composites but less expensive than porcelain fillings.

There is are some of you who are concerned about the ingredients of dental composite fillings. One hot topic is the concern of bisphenol A (BPA). BIS-GMA (above) is not BPA. However, some people feel that BIS-GMA can break down to BPA or BIS-GMA being made from BPA ... (blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!). Look, this entire topic is confusing and controversial. You get different info from each manufacturer. The bottom line is this. If you are so concerned about composite fillings then just get porcelain fillings. Although I feel composite fillings are safe, porcelain fillings are more stable than composite fillings and are therefore more biocompatible.

(Remember, no matter what material is in your body, if it is not breaking down on a molecular basis at any appreciable rate, it cannot hurt you (chemical stability). Fortunately, most traditional dental materials are extremely chemically stable and are therefore biocompatible.)
Diamond Crown Composite: Some of you may have heard of Diamond Crown Composite. The company that makes it claims that is a “biocompatible” composite filling with excellent clinical properties. The composite has a different formulation than standard dental composite and excludes certain ingredients that the company claims are toxic to the body. I have not been able to acquire enough information about the ingredients in the product to tell you it is more biocompatible than other composites. The company tells you some of what is not in the product but is secretive about revealing all the other ingredients that are in the product. Why the secrecy? When you take into consideration all that is in this composite is it really more biocompatible? Walter Clifford of Clifford Reactivity Testing (www.ccrlab.com) also found it very hard to get information on their product. When he tested the chemistry of this composite, he found it was very similar to traditional composites. When I spoke to dentists who have used the product, they found it very difficult to use. Reality is a publication I subscribe to that tests and rates the clinical handling and properties of dental materials. They rate and rank the best materials. They never listed Diamond Crown Composite in their information. Because of lack of information and the experience other dentists had with the material, I do not use Diamond Crown Composite in my practice.
 
 
 
 
 
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