Dental Fillings and Their Significance

Tooth decay or dental injuries can cause cavities, cracks, and chips in your mouth. The large dental cavities and grooves harbor bacteria that increase the risk of root canal infections. Infections in your root canals progress to the gums and jawbone, causing gum disease and bone loss.

Apart from the risk of infection, you might experience chewing difficulties and smile imperfections when you have dental cavities. Therefore, you can consider getting tooth fillings to fill the dental cavities.

What to Expect When Getting Tooth Fillings

Before getting tooth fillings, your dentist will examine your teeth to ensure they are the right treatments. During the dental exam, your dentist might recommend dental x-rays to determine the extent of decay and size of your dental cavities.

Next, the dentist will prepare your tooth for fillings by removing any signs of tooth decay. Your dentist will then clean the grooves to eliminate debris and micro-organisms. When preparing the tooth, your dentist might use local anesthesia to numb the area around the site of treatment.

After drilling out the decay, your dentist will replace it with a filling material. Apart from a tooth cavity, your dentist might recommend tooth filling after a root canal treatment.

There are no risk factors associated with tooth fillings. However, you can contact your dentist if you develop any complications after receiving cavity fillings.

Types of Fillings

When getting tooth fillings, you can choose one of the following types:

Amalgam fillings

Amalgam fillings are strong and durable. Therefore, your dentist might recommend the silver-amalgam fillings for your back teeth since they are subject to more pressure. Since amalgam fillings are alloys of silver and other metals, they are noticeable when you laugh.

Composite Resin Fillings

Composite resin fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler and composite material. When getting such tooth fillings, your dentist can choose a shade that matches your natural tooth color. However, such tooth fillings are not suitable for back teeth since they are prone to chipping and cracking.

Ceramic fillings

Ceramic or porcelain fillings are tooth-colored and are not likely to show stains overtime. Therefore, you can get ceramic cavity fillings for front teeth.

How Are Tooth Fillings Important?

When you have dental cavities, grooves, or after a root canal treatment, your dentist might recommend tooth fillings for the following reasons:

Prevent Spread of Tooth Decay

When you have tooth decay, it might spread to other parts of the tooth and cause root canal infection. Sometimes the infection spreads to the gums and jawbone, causing gum infection and bone loss.

One of the main reasons your dentist will recommend tooth fillings is to prevent the progression of tooth decay. By preventing the spread of tooth decay, you reduce the risk of the above complications.

Keep Your Teeth Strong

When you have a large cavity on your teeth, the teeth become weak and prone to breaking. Sometimes you might experience discomfort when chewing if you have a large dental cavity.

When you get a tooth filling, your tooth becomes strong, reducing the risk of damage or the need for other treatments such as dental crowns.

Maintaining a Healthy Smile

When you smile, the first thing that people see is the appearance of your teeth. If you have damaged teeth due to decay or cracks, you might feel conscious about your smile.

When getting tooth fillings, your dentist can choose a shade that matches your natural tooth color. Apart from improving your tooth color, the filling restores your tooth’s shape, enhancing smile aesthetics.

The Takeaway

Not all dental cavities require tooth fillings. Therefore, your dentist will recommend tooth fillings after examining your teeth. If the pits on your teeth are small, the dentist might recommend dental sealants. For large holes on your teeth, your dentist might recommend dental crowns.

Apart from the above reasons, tooth fillings prevent your teeth from shifting. When you have a hole in your teeth, the adjacent might shift towards it. However, with tooth fillings, you can prevent the shifting.

Dentist Near You

Are you looking for a dental clinic near you to get tooth restorations such as fillings? You can consider visiting our dentist at Sonia Tailor DDS dental clinic for such dental treatments.