Dental Filling Tooth decay is a chronic dental health issue. Luckily, there are ways to prevent decay in the first place. When decay has already occurred, there are solutions to repair the teeth and restore their strength, look, and function. Dental fillings can be used to repair small cavities, fractures, or chips. Our dentist at Columbia Dental will inspect your decayed tooth to help determine if the filling will provide the solution. If not, the dentist may suggest a different treatment. A badly decayed tooth that cannot be repaired by filling the hole may need to be extracted. A root canal may also be suggested if the decay has attacked the pulp, causing extensive damage.What is a Cavity Filling?Cavity fillings are a dental treatment that helps restore and strengthen a tooth structure lost from tooth decay. As a restorative dentistry procedure, it can be used to resolve minimal tooth fractures and stop additional tooth decay. Cavity fillings can also be installed on the surfaces of teeth to help retain their normal function and shape. If you have cracked or fractured teeth, a dental filling may be an appropriate choice. Also, if you have teeth that have become weak over time as a result of undesired things such as teeth grinding or nail-biting, our dentist can use a dental filling to restore the teeth. Dental fillings help repair cavities to avert turning into larger dental problems thereafter. Dental Filling ProcedureIt takes less than 60 minutes to complete a dental filling procedure for one tooth. Our dentist starts by administering an anesthetic. The numbing agent is injected into the gum tissue and areas around the decayed tooth. Using a laser or drill, we remove the decayed material from the hole or cavity. Our dentist cleans the hole to eradicate bacteria, plaque, and debris. After that, the dentist uses a moldable filling material that is pushed into the opening, hence filling up the cavity. On exposure to air or saliva, the filling material hardens. If we use composite resin to fill the tooth, our dentist may harden the material with a UV light. After the filling process, it is normal to have some sensitivity on the tooth, however, it disperses after a few days. Dental Filling AftercareOnce you receive a dental filling, wait until the numbing agent wears off. It may take several hours for the aesthetic to wear off. Before that, your ability to feel things within your mouth is impaired. As such, you may injure yourself if you try eating something hot. Additionally, avoid putting pressure on that tooth, at least for a day because the filling has not fully hardened. Make sure you practice good oral hygiene. Brush and floss as you normally do. Besides, avoid sucking on your teeth. If you habitually suck on your teeth, it is important to stop this habit after receiving a dental filling. Allowing a cavity to remain unrepaired can result in more damage. Additional decay may occur because debris, bacteria, and plaque are gaining entry into the cavity. You may have to spend more money on procedures such as root canal or risk having the tooth extracted. To get solutions to a cavity problem contact Columbia Dental. Call us at (860) 743-9032 to book an appointment. |
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