Conservative Direct and Indirect Resin Posterior Restorative Alternatives for Cracked Dentition

Amalgam (silver) fillings statistically last 8-15 years. Most failures are because of fracture of the tooth, not the filling. Metal fillings do not adhere to the tooth, but actually weaken it, reducing the total strength of the tooth to 1/2 before it was filled. Most molars filled with amalgam if left until failure will crack and require a crown, and possibly a root canal as well. To avoid this, Dr Behle developed a new technique of replacing amalgams with bonded composite or porcelain and repairing any discovered cracks with a microsurgical techinique which preserves tooth structure. This was published in an international Dental Journal Practical Periodontics and Aesthetic Dentistry in May 1997. All cracks are invisible to x-ray, and the most dangerous are generally not visible to the eye as they occur at the base of the old fillings, spreading outward:

 


Cracks visible the base of the cusps on both these molars.   Restored with bonded composite to as strong as an unfilled tooth.




Two old amalgams separated by a tooth that had to be crowned because of a fracture.   Both teeth restored with bonded porcelain; Notice no dark line of metal that the crown has.