PART TWO: GETTING WELL AGAIN
could have them changed or even have a second “Sunday” set
made.
Dr. J: Many people (and dentists too) believe that porcelain
is a good substitute for plastic. Porcelain is aluminum oxide
with other metals added to get different colors (shades). The
metal does come out of the porcelain! It has many technical
drawbacks as well. Porcelain is not recommended.
Dr. C: The new glass ionomers are even more polluted than
plastic. Yet, the underlying concept is a good one; simple glass
is not toxic. Remember, though, that toxicity isn’t the only
problem with dentalware. Even if a perfect, non-toxic filling
material is developed, we would still need a perfect, non-toxic
bonding technique that solves the infection problem.
Dr. J: “Microleakage” is the dental term used to describe
the penetration by bacteria into the microscopically small
The left tooth has a plastic repair up to the faint wavy line. Above
this is gray discoloration due to bacterial invasion. The plastic filling
in the tooth on the right has a black outline of bacteria.
Fig. 33 Teeth with visible bacteria