Composite fillings are suitable for more people because they don’t contain mercury.
Dr. Sinha will examine your tooth to determine if a filling is sufficient or if you will need a dental crown.
A local anesthetic is always used to numb the mouth at the beginning of the procedure. You are also given the option to be sedated for your appointment.
After your mouth is completely numbed, a dental drill will be used to remove decay from the cavity.
Next, the composite resin is painted onto the tooth in layers.
UV light is used to cure the filling, which hardens it. From there, we will perform additional shaping and polishing of the tooth.
While there are typically two filling materials commonly used in dentistry (amalgam and composite resin) the traditional use of amalgam fillings has begun to dwindle in recent years.
This is because amalgam fillings are silver in color which disrupts the cosmetic harmony of the smile, they contain mercury which poses health risks to pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as those with metal allergies, and they take up to 24 hours to completely harden.
Composite fillings, on the other hand, are tooth-colored, instantly harden so you can eat immediately, and are biocompatible materials that enable us to preserve more of the natural tooth structure.
All of these advantages, coupled with their mercury-free status, have made them the clear winner among filling materials and amalgam fillings are slowly being phased out.
1 in 4 Americans has at least one untreated cavity.
Fillings are used to treat cavities and missing tooth structure by rebuilding the tooth with a resin material that bonds with the tooth. This replaces the missing tooth enamel to provide a stronger and more durable tooth that can withstand chewing forces.
Fillings also stop decay in its tracks before it reaches the innermost layer of the tooth, at which point it would cause tooth infection. Fillings are a very important and useful preventative dental tool because, without them, many more patients would need to fork out lots of money and set time aside to undergo root canal treatment that could have been avoided.
Fillings also reduce the risk of needing a tooth extraction by preserving the healthy structure of the tooth and cleaning out bacteria before it’s penetrated deeper through the tooth.
The biggest reason not to fret over getting a filling is that it’s completely painless. Thanks to local anesthetic and dental sedation, routine treatments like fillings have never been more comfortable.
While sedation is not necessary for a dental filling, it can relieve dental anxiety and make you feel more relaxed during the procedure. You’re unlikely to even remember the procedure afterward!
The most common cause of cavities is sugar.
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