The
reduced tooth decayed area needs filling materials as it does
not fully recover by itself. There are various kinds of
filling materials such as amalgam, composite resin, gold
(inlay), ceramic (inlay) and so on, out of which gold (inlay)
is the most durable. Gold inlay refers to filling the decayed
area, where dental cavities have existed or where hard parts
of the tooth have fallen off, with molded gold from outside
the mouth.
Since
the tooth-restoring material functions as a part of the body,
it must be nontoxic and resistant to erosion or discoloration
from saliva and food. Gold satisfies these requirements better
than others. Especially for extensively damaged areas
receiving great biting pressure, gold is an ideal material.
Amalgam
is a compound of mercury and silver. While it is covered by
insurance and is rather inexpensive for treatment, its
drawback is that it doesn't last long.
Compound
resin or ceramic inlay has the same color with real teeth and
in terms of esthetics it is an outstanding material. However,
resin or ceramic inlay is not suitable for treating molars
because of their fragile characteristics. (Most Korean food is
hard to chew.) While most amalgam and resin treatment can be
given just for one visit to a dental office, gold inlay or
ceramic inlay requires two or three dental visits.
Nevertheless, it is still convenient considering its minimal
treatment time.
The
gold inlay process is as following :
First,
the dentist gets rid of the decayed or damaged part of the
tooth and takes the impression of the treated part for
filling.
Second,
the dentist sets the molded gold inlay with dental cement.
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