Dental Fillings: Indications, Procedure and Complications

Dental fillings are space filler that is used to treat dental cavities. They can also be used to repair a cracked or broken tooth. There are varieties of materials available for filing. They have a wide range of applications. With the help of modern technologies, the procedure is less time consuming and virtually painless. If this is something you need, be sure to consult this Dentist in Greenbelt for professional dental guidance.

Material of Dental Fillings

The choice of material depends upon the extent of damage, place of damage, and the cost. The materials available are gold, silver, amalgam, composite resin. The most commonly used materials are amalgam and composite resin filling. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages

• Gold: It doesn’t easily corrode and has high durability. It can last for about 10 years but it is highly expensive
• Silver Amalgam filling: also known as silver or mercury filling. It is made up of silver, tin, zinc, copper, and mercury. The material is soft during filling but later becomes hard. It is more durable, lasts longer, less expensive but it can be easily noticed. So, used where more force is required means for molars or premolars. Part of a healthy tooth is to be removed before filling because the filling site is made narrow from above and widen form below so that the filling remains in place. Its color doesn’t match with the teeth. It can’t be used in people having an allergic reaction to mercury.
• Composite filling: These are also known as a white filling or tooth-colored filling. It is made up of silica and plastic resin. It has a consistency similar to modeling clay. Blue light is shown to make it hard by chemical reaction. They are less noticeable but less durable and more expensive. It makes a chemical bonds with the tooth structure and provides firm support. A healthy part of teeth need not to be removed. It has versatile use as it can be used to repair broken and worn out teeth.

Indications for Dental Fillings

• Dental cavities
• Cracked or broken tooth
• Worn-down teeth

Steps in a dental filling

• Numbing the area: to make you comfortable your dentist will numb the area by a gel and then by injection so that you don’t experience pain in the entire procedure.
• Preparation of mouth: Your dentist can use a bite blocker which is a soft rubber material to keep your jaw open.
• Removing the tooth decay:  Now your dentist will remove the decayed part of the tooth by using a high-speed water spray also called a water drill.
• Filling the space: your orthodontist will fill the space with a specific filling and will polish it after finishing.
• For tooth-colored resin: the material is deposited layer by layer. Each layer accompanied by the blue light. After completing all the layers, your orthodontist will give the final shape to the composite materials by trimming and at last polishing is done.

Complications of Dental Fillings

• Infection: during the of filling there are chances that the pulp can get infected if the cavity is deeper.
• Damage: surrounding teeth structure can get damaged.
• Allergy: Mercury amalgams cannot be used in people having an allergy to mercury. Your dentist will ask you about allergic history, so this is important that you are aware of it.

Prognosis of Dental Fillings

No dental filling last lifetime but you can delay their wearing off easily by taking proper care of them. By action of biting and chewing for years, they finally start to wear off and need to be refilled as soon as possible. So, always look up for any signs of cracks or worn areas. The procedure of filling may be painful for some individuals which depend upon the dentist operating on you

Caring for Dental Fillings

It is important that you take good care of your fillings by

• Brushing twice daily
• Flossing your teeth regularly
• Visiting your dentist for a regular check-up.

Reference:

• American Dental Association.
• Dental amalgam: An update
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010024/