Macrofill Composites This was the first type of resin composite marketed for filling front teeth.

As the name implies, the particles in a macrofill are fairly large. Crystalline quartz was ground into a fine powder containing particles 8 to 12 microns in diameter. The acrylic matrix in a composite tends to shrink on setting. Excessive shrinkage in a filling material is undesirable because it would either leave a gap between the tooth surface and the filling material, or, if well bonded, would cause cracks in the tooth structure as the filling contracts during setting. The inclusion of glass particles reduces this problem because they reduce the volume of acrylic, and act as a mechanical "skeletal structure" within the composite to help maintain the original volume of the filling. The advantage of large particle size is that more of them can be incorporated into the mixture without making it too stiff to work with. Macrofills are 70% to 80% glass by weight. Unfortunately, macrofill composites have two undesirable qualities:

Due to large particle size, macrofills are not very polishable. The relatively soft acrylic polymer polishes below the level of the glass particles, which constantly pop out of the surface leaving holes in their place. This leads to a surface which, on a microscopic level, looks like a series of craters interspersed with boulders. Large particles are relatively easily dislodged from the surface of the restoration during function exposing the relatively soft acrylic polymer which wears away exposing more filler particles which again pop out ad infinitum. This tendency to abrade away makes macrofils unsuitable for posterior restorations.

Microfill composites Microfill composites use particles of very small size as filler, about .04-.5 microns in diameter. The very small end of this range is called colloidal silica and is produced by "burning" silica compounds in an oxygen and hydrogen atmosphere to form macromolecular structures which fall into this size range. This type of composite was invented to overcome the esthetic liabilities of the macrofils. Microfill composites polish beautifully and can be formulated to be quite translucent. A smaller particle has a relatively greater surface area in relationship to its volume than a bigger one. In order to include many small particles in a composite mixture, their total surface area increases. As friction is a function of involved surface area, the increased surface increases internal friction and makes the composite so stiff that it cannot be manipulated. According to Phillips Science of Dental Materials, "Colloidal silica particles, because of their extremely small size, have extremely large surface areas ranging from 50 to 400 square meters per gram." Therefore, due to its relatively low filler content, this type of composite is weaker than composites with larger particle size, and has a relatively greater shrinkage during setting. Microfills are only 35 to 50 percent by weight filler particles. Microfils are used for small fillings in front teeth. They are also used for direct veneers on front teeth because of their superior polishing capability.

Microfil composites have three main disadvantages.

Due to the relatively low density of filler particles, microfils are not as strong as composites with larger particle size, especially on the incisal edges of front teeth where the bulk of material is likely to be fairly small. Also due to low density of filler particles, microfils are more prone to shrinkage while setting, and this limits their use in large, bulky fillings. Due to the relatively high level of acrylic matrix material, microfills tend to be quite translucent which gives them an overall tendency to cast a slightly gray hue.

In order to overcome these limitations, it used to be common practice to use a layer of microfil composite over a bulk of macrofil in order to correct the hue problem and increase the strength of the structure to be built with it. The microfil's purpose in this case is to lend the restoration a more polishable finish, and a translucent enamel-like appearance. The purpose of the underlying macrofil is to give the restoration strength and reduce shrinkage stresses. Microfill composites are not generally used for posterior fillings because of the relatively unfilled nature of the material. The relatively large amount of acrylic matrix wears too much when subjected to the stresses of grinding and chewing. Hybrid composites Hybrids contain a range of particle sizes ranging from 0.6 to 1 micrometer. Developed in the late 1980's, these composites achieve between 70 to 75 percent by weight of filler particles. The first generation hybrids achieved excellent wear characteristics which made them acceptable as posterior filling materials. They also had fair polishability. The second generation of hybrids achieved greater polishability and superior color optics by using uniformly cut small filler particles between the larger particles, as well as resin hardeners which help to maintain a surface polish during prolonged function. Hybrids also have unique color reflecting characteristics which gives them a chameleon-like appearance. In other words, these materials are able to emit their own color as well as absorb color from the surrounding and underlying tooth structure. Hybrid composites are today the workhorse of the modern dentist. They are used in nearly all anterior restorations, and are becoming commonplace in posterior restorations as well. Microhybrid composites Microhybrids are similar to regular hybrids except that they employ microfil particles (very fine colloidal silica particles, approx 0.04 microns) to fill in between the larger particles. The extremely small filler particles lend superior polishability and allow for finer color characterization, while the composite, as a whole, remains about 70% 75% filled. This formulation comes closest to the surface characteristics of microfill composites while maintaining the durability and strength of standard hybrids. Microhybrids are formulated to be layered, and some of the shades are opaque which mask the gray of the more translucent shades. Microhybrids are stiffer than standard hybrids, and do not slump, so they are often more appropriate for rebuilding large areas of a tooth freehand. On the downside, they do not flow as easily as standard

hybrids, and it can be difficult to get them to flow into marginal areas and tight corners. The availability of opaque shades allow for better masking of the gray color that is visible when microfill composites are used to close diastema (spaces between the teeth). Microhybrids can also be used for posterior restorations. Flowable composites This composite restorative is formulated with a range of particle sizes about the same as hybrid composites. The amount of filler is reduced and the amount of unfilled resin matrix material is increased. This makes for a very loose mix. It is delivered into a cavity using a syringe. It flows freely over the inside surface of the cavity preparation. This material has made it possible to fill small cavities in the tops of teeth without a shot since the area of decay is often small enough to be removed with little or no sensation in the tooth, and the flowable composite will bond even if there are no undercuts in the cavity preparation. Flowable composites are often used to seal the dentin of a tooth prior to placing the filling material. Due to the low level of filler particles, flowable composites are more prone to shrinkage, so they are generally not used by themselves to fill large cavities.