Cavity Warning Signs Are Indicators You Need Dental Fillings

When you adhere to your dentist’s instructions and attend frequent dental cleanings and exams, they detect your mouth’s anomalies like cavities early. Cavities are permanent damages created in your tooth by bacteria present in tooth decay. The sooner cavities are treated, the better the outcome for you. The treatment with dental fillings will likely be less invasive when you treat cavities early. It is why you must invest in regular dental checkups.

Dentists detect cavity warning signs not visible to the naked eye by taking x-rays or digital images of your teeth. You may experience the warning sign symptoms, which may be sensitivity to sugary foods and drinks, sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures, a hole in the tooth, and tooth discoloration. If you notice any cavity warning signs, it helps if you visit the dentist as soon as possible to have the cavity filled. The dentist determines whether you need a filling or can have any other treatment.

What Are Cavity Fillings?

Cavity fillings are a standard procedure in the United States. The fillings procedure is generally a repair job to fix the damage from tooth decay. Cavity fillings appear painful, but the process, in reality, is painless and requires about an hour to accomplish.

People between 20 to 64 have cavities on their teeth, according to the National Institutes of health. Composite dental filling help prevents further decay allowing your tooth to function normally. If you want more information about dental fillings, please continue reading this blog providing information about the dental filling materials routinely used by dentists.

What to Expect When Getting Dental Fillings?

The dental filling procedure is relatively straightforward. When starting the dentist Columbia, MO, examine your mouth using dental instruments to check the cavity. X-rays of the tooth help dentists to see the extent of the tooth decay.

You receive local anesthesia to numb the tooth area. The anesthesia helps prevent pain to make you comfortable. If the filling is required on the tooth surface, you may not need any anesthesia.

After the tooth area is entirely numb, the dentist uses a dental drill to penetrate the enamel and remove the decay. Newer technology now makes other dental instruments available but are not as popular as the dental drill.

After decay removal, the dentist sterilizes and prepares the hollow space for filling the room. The dental filling material you receive is according to your discussion with the dentist before starting the procedure. Some types of fillings need hardening with ultraviolet light. Eventually, the dentist in Columbia, MO, polishes your tooth and checks it to ensure your bite is correct.

You experience some soreness after the numbing medication has worn off. However, it would help if you didn’t experience any pain. It could help if you avoided scorching and cold foods and beverages for a couple of days but can otherwise eat normally.

What Kind of Dental Filling Material Can You Have?

You can discuss various filling materials for the cavity in your tooth. Some widespread options the dentists offer the following:

• Silver Fillings. Silver fillings, in reality, are metal amalgams, a combination of silver, tin, mercury, and copper. Silver fillings are durable than tooth-colored fillings and relatively affordable. The mercury content in silver fillings shouldn’t concern you because amalgams are entirely harmless.
• Tooth-Colored Fillings. A mix of glass or quartz particles with acrylic resin make-up tooth-colored fillings, also known as composite dental filling material. The filling material is durable but costs more than metal amalgams.
• Gold Fillings. These are a mixture of copper, gold, and other metals and incredibly durable but also expensive. They are not aesthetically pleasing and need multiple visits to the dentist’s office because they are fabricated in a dental lab after receiving an impression of your tooth from the dentist.
• Porcelain Fillings. These filings are similar in cost to gold fillings and also natural-looking. They are fabricated in a dental lab after your dentist takes impressions of your tooth.

If you are recommended dental fillings as restorations for a cavity, it helps if you discuss the filling material, costs, aesthetic appearance, and the entire procedure beforehand to determine which filling material best suits your needs. It helps if you select the dental filling material in conjunction with the dentist, an expert in the subject. While you can have any filling on your teeth, you must remember fillers can severely impact your smile, especially if you choose the filling material incorrectly.

Cavity fillings are a dental procedure you must undergo soon as you notice cavity warning signs. The fillings help prevent intensive and expensive treatments from dental offices to restore your teeth to full functionality.