An indirect resin is white plastic restoration that is custom-manufactured in a dental lab.  Its purpose is to bond to a damaged tooth.  This restores the majority of the tooths original strength in most cases, and it improves its cosmetic appearance.

One of the most important benefits that this procedure offers to patients is they preserve much more of the original structure of a tooth than a normal filling does.   This is important, because any removal of original tooth mass can weaken it further and cause the restoration to work against itself. 

The term indirect resin originates in the manufacturing process.  As previously noted, these restorations are made in dental laboratories, not in a dental office.   This must be done in order to ensure maximum possible fit to the tooth.  The lab both makes the material and then hardens it with a special process.  Part of this process involves curing the material with specific amounts of heat and pressure, which makes the restoration more durable.   

The material that is used to make an this cosmetic dental restoration is either a very special kind of plastic or plastic-like material, mixed with glass.  Because this material is colored by nature, it is easy for cosmetic dentists   to match it to the color of existing, natural, healthy teeth.

 Restoring teeth with indirect resins it takes multiple appointments.  The first appointment involves removing decayed, damaged, or weakened parts of the tooth.  The dentist will also remove old dental fillings at this time.   This procedure is done with the comfort of the patient in mind.  All areas around the tooth being worked on are numbed so the patient will not feel pain. 

The dentist then takes an impression of the patients teeth in order to create a working model of his or her mouth.  This model is sent to the lab so that the technicians who work there can accurately match the size and shape of the indirect resin to the parameters of both your existing teeth and any teeth prepared for treatment.  By treating a tooth as one of many that exist in relationship to one another, the dentist can better correct the natural bite as well as repair a single, damaged tooth.

In the meantime, the dentist places a temporary restoration in the tooth in order to preserve the preparatory work done and to ensure that no further decay commences in the meantime.

When the patient returns for the second appointment, the dentist removes the temporary filling and places a conditioning gel on the tooth in order to get it ready for the indirect resin filling.  The resin is then bonded to the tooth, and a special, high-intensity light is used to harden the bonding agent.

After removing all excess cement, the dentist adjusts the patients bite and polishes the restoration to a high luster.

While it is normal for many people to feel some sensitivity to hot or cold around the restoration for a few days, this minor discomfort should disappear shortly.  However, if there are any concerns, problems, or questions, the patient should notify the dentist.