Four Essential Facts To Understand Before Getting Dental Fillings
Are you aware of the consequences of cavities and how they affect your dental health? Tooth decay after it begins progresses to gradually compromise the tooth to the point of needing an extraction. If you wish to preserve your tooth, you must seek help from Orange Groove Dental, providing dental fillings, the sole remedy available against cavities.
Dental fillings are standard, with many children and adults having them in their mouths. The completion of the filling procedure requires merely one visit to dental fillings near you. However, neglect getting the tooth restored, and you must schedule several appointments with your dentist for treatments like tooth extraction, replacement solutions, et cetera. Not to mention spending considerable sums of money on the remedies to replace your missing tooth.
- What Are Dental Fillings?
Dental fillings are fillers used by dentists to restore permanently damaged teeth. Whether you have a cavity in your tooth from the bacteria in your mouth or have chipped or cracked teeth from impacts, dental fillers help restore your teeth to their original appearance and functionality.
- Types of Dental Fillings
Various types of dental filling materials are available for restoring decayed or damaged teeth. Materials like silver amalgam, gold, ceramic, composite resin, and porcelain help fill your damaged teeth. However, the location of the cavity, the extent of decay, your budget, and your aesthetic preferences determine which filling material is suitable for your specific situation. For example, if you have a cavity on a molar, the dentist near you likely recommends silver amalgam fillings because they are durable and affordable. However, cavities can also develop on your front teeth, in which case the dentist recommends composite resin or ceramic fillings tooth-colored solutions to restore your teeth. It helps if you discuss with the dentist the type of fillings best suited for your situation.
The Dental Filling Procedure
If the dentist in Port Richey identifies a cavity, they will observe and determine the extent of the decay in your tooth. They use small instruments to assess the extent of enamel and dentin damage. After examining the tooth, the dentist determines the most appropriate filling and prepares to remove the cavity.
Teeth affected by tooth decay have softened enamel and dentin. The dentist drills away the softened area to ensure only the healthy part remains. The port Richey dentist then prepares it for the filling with the material decided earlier to close the cavity.
- Proper Care after Dental Fillings Is Essential
Getting dental fillings from Dr. Srividya Vulugundam can make you think you can continue with your regular habits without hindrance. However, if you don’t make attempts to prevent tooth decay that creates holes in your tooth, you will need more treatments, including replacement teeth.
After getting your teeth filled, you must remain determined to maintain appropriate dental hygiene by brushing your teeth two times per day using fluoride toothpaste, refraining from sugary foods and beverages, flossing your teeth every day, and scheduling six monthly appointments with the dentist for the exams and cleanings. You must also care for the fillings, especially if you have composite resin fillers in the aesthetic zone of your mouth. You must refrain from chewing on complex foods or using your teeth for purposes other than eating and chewing. Composite resin fillings are not as durable as silver amalgam and require replacements every five to seven years. However, with proper care, you can prolong their life span as best possible.
- Recovery Time after getting dental fillings is negligible
If the dental filling procedure intimidated you, the recovery time after dental fillings might surprise you. As you leave the dental office after getting your fillers, your mouth is likely to remain numb for a few hours until the local anesthesia injected in your mouth wears off. In addition, if you have silver amalgam fillings in your molars, you may experience sensitivity for up to 48 hours until the fillers set in.
You can begin having the foods you love and the beverages soon after you no longer feel the numbness in your mouth. Unfortunately, until the numbness wears off, you must refrain from eating anything and avoid chilled beverages that may cause sensitivity in the filled tooth. The recovery time after getting dental fillings is negligible and will likely make you happy that your tooth is fully functional after getting the restoration.