Tooth-coloured direct fillings are one of the most common types of fillings, most of which are light-curing.
It consists in fixing the filling by cementing it in the cavity prepared after the removal of carious tissue. According to modern techniques and depending on the size and location of the caries, different tooth-coloured direct fillings should be used in the molars and in the frontal teeth. The reason for this is that different areas of different teeth have to cope with varying load conditions and cosmetic requirements. For this reason, a high aesthetic tooth-coloured direct filling is recommended for frontal fillings, which, although less hard-wearing, is sufficient for the lower masticatory load in this area. In contrast, for molars, load-bearing capacity is the primary consideration and a suitable filling material should be used. Although they are less aesthetically pleasing than the versions used in frontal teeth, they are hardly visible and therefore have no cosmetic disadvantage.
However, no matter which tooth-coloured direct filling version is placed in the tooth, the so-called shrinkage, which has a negative effect on durability, must always be taken into consideration. This results in a gap at the interface between the freshly prepared filling and the tooth, the extent of which depends on the size and extent of the cavity, the quality of the filling material used and, last but not least, the filling technique. Although the small gap is not visible to the eye, it is easily accessible to bacteria causing caries and it is only a matter of time before caries develops at the filling-tooth junction. A warning sign of decay is the appearance of a yellowish, brownish line at the edge of the filling, which is gradually getting darker and darker.

Advantage: aesthetic, can be realized in one go.
Disadvantage: limited durability.