By Gardens Dental July 30, 2019 Blog

When Does A Filling Need To Be Replaced?

Cavities are perhaps the most common dental problem and can be excruciatingly painful if not treated immediately.

If a person is experiencing tooth decay, a hole develops in the tooth and continues to grow bigger and deeper if ignored.

While the enamel can repair itself at some point when a cavity is formed, there are two options – fill the tooth or extract it if the damage is extreme.

Cavities are bad news for your oral and overall health. Therefore, it’s imperative that you get fillings to fix cavities (unless you need to have the tooth extracted).

Dental Fillings: What To Expect

Step 1: When you go to a dental clinic, you can expect the dentist to perform an oral and dental x-ray examination to get a clear picture of the level of decay and damage.

Step 2: The dentist will then take a minute or two to walk you through the steps involved in the procedure.

Step 3: Before filling the cavities, the dentist will proceed to numb your gums and teeth to make sure the process is as painless and comfortable as possible.

Step 4: Next, the dentist will clean away the decay/plaque inside the cavity with a drill.

Step 5: Finally, the dentist will replace the decay with fillings to cover the hole.

Most dental filling procedures are straightforward and only take a few minutes.

However, you can expect your mouth to remain numb for a couple of hours to keep you comfortable.

Fillings work in such a way that they are moulded to match the shape of your teeth. This helps to keep your teeth and jaw feeling as natural and comfortable as possible.

Types Of Dental Fillings

When you visit a reliable dental clinic, such as Gardens Dental, you can expect the dentist to present you with several dental filling options.

There are different types of fillings depending on the material used, and each type determines the method used to insert fillings. Types of dental fillings include:

Composite fillers
Cast gold fillings
Amalgams (silver-fillings)
Ceramic fillings
Glass ionomer fillings

While the different types of fillings perform the same primary function, each type of filling has its advantages and disadvantages.

Also, factors such as the cost of filling material, your medical insurance policy, the extent of tooth decay as well as the dentist’s recommendation might affect the type of dental filling you choose.

Composite Fillings

These are the most commonly used dental fillings since they are affordable and replicate the colour of the patient’s teeth.

Composite fillings are made of plastic material and resin. They are quite durable with a lifespan of up to 15 years when coupled with excellent oral hygiene.

Composite fillings are usually inserted in a paste form and then mould themselves inside the cavity.

Ceramic Fillings

Ceramic cavity fillings are often made of tooth-coloured porcelain and are both aesthetically appealing and durable.

However, ceramic fillers can be quite brittle and expensive.

Amalgams

You’re probably familiar with silver fillings. These types of dental fillings have been used in the dental profession for more than a century.

The reason why amalgams are popular is that they are quite strong hence suitable for molars where most of the chewing and grinding takes place.

Amalgam fillings are also easy to fit, and there are no known complications with saliva and blood contamination.

The only disadvantage of silver fillings is that they are not aesthetically pleasing.