Dental Filling
Dental filling is single or combinations of metals, plastics, glass or other materials used to repair or restore teeth. One of the most popular uses of fillings is to “fill” an area of tooth that your dentist has removed due to decay (a cavity). Fillings are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth and teeth that have been worn down from misuse (such as from nail-biting or tooth grinding).
When bacteria eats away your tooth enamel and causes a hole, it’s called a cavity. Smaller cavities are usually repaired with dental fillings.
Dental filling materials include:
- Gold.
- Porcelain.
- Silver amalgam (contains mercury mixed with silver, tin, zinc, and copper).
- Tooth-colored, plastic and glass materials called composite resin fillings.
Procedure
First, your dentist will numb the area around the tooth to be worked on with a local anesthetic. Next, a drill, air abrasion instrument or laser will be used to remove the decayed area. The choice of instrument depends on your dentist’s comfort level, training, and investment in the particular piece of equipment as well as location and extent of the decay.
Next, your dentist will probe or test the area during the decay removal process to determine if all the decay has been removed. Once the decay has been removed, your dentist will prepare the space for the filling by cleaning the cavity of bacteria and debris. If the decay is near the root, your dentist may first put in a liner made of glass ionomer, composite resin, or other material to protect the nerve. Generally, after the filling is in, your dentist will finish and polish it.
Several additional steps are required for tooth-colored fillings and are as follows. After your dentist has removed the decay and cleaned the area, the tooth-colored material is applied in layers. Next, a special light that “cures” or hardens each layer is applied. When the multilayering process is completed, your dentist will shape the composite material to the desired result, trim off any excess material and polish the final restoration.
Benefits
During this procedure, your dentist removes the decayed portion of your tooth, then fills in the hole with a tooth-colored composite material. This halts the progression of tooth decay and reduces the risk of further damage.
Dentist at Shreya Hospital OPD recommend you the best filling that will suit you observing the location and extent of decay. You can also discuss with the specialist about your filling material that will be managed in your budget and also suits you best. Your satisfaction is our goal.