A dental filling is designed to replace one or more surfaces that have been decayed in a tooth caused by bacteria. At our office, we are able to restore your teeth with composite resins or amalgams (silver) restorations. Teeth are restored by removing the bacteria decayed tooth structure and restoring those missing surfaces with the dental restorative materials. Longevity of the restorations will last as long as you care for them and keep them as hygienic as possible.
WHY MIGHT DENTAL FILLINGS BE NECESSARY?
You may require a restoration if you have a tooth with decay or a “cavity”. Cavities are areas of bacterial growth on teeth that cavitate, destroy, and cause healthy tooth structure to breakdown. Contributing factors that lead to decay on teeth can be poor oral hygiene (not brushing twice a day and flossing daily), poor diet and even certain types of medications which cause dry mouth that can lead to tooth decay. If not taken care of, this decay can get worse and cause tooth pain or even an abscess or dental infection.
WHO IS A CANDIDATE FOR DENTAL FILLINGS?
When you come to our office for a comprehensive exam, we will evaluate all the teeth to make sure they are health. In most cases, x-rays or radiographs are needed to diagnose areas of tooth decay where we cannot see clinically. It is highly recommended if you have a cavity that you get the tooth restored as soon as possible.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE DENTAL FILLING PROCEDURE?
In most cases, we will use anesthetic to help numb your tooth/teeth so that there will be no discomfort when we clean and restore it. There are also often times where the decay is found soon enough that anesthetic is not required to help restore the teeth. We have a vast array of options to go with when cleaning and restoring your tooth from laser technology to the types of restoration materials we can use.
If you would like to learn more about fillings and how they’re done, call us today to schedule an appointment with one of our staff members