Dental Fillings

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Protect and Strengthen Your Teeth with Dental Fillings

Dental fillings are a solution for many dental issues such as cavities, minor cracks, and chips in teeth. Filling a tooth is one of the most commonly performed procedures in dentistry. A dental filling is a restorative dental procedure that maintains a tooth’s shape and function. By removing decayed tissue and filling the space with a material that hardens, the tooth can be saved and further decay can be prevented.

At Hamby Family Dental Center, our experienced team performs many dental fillings to alleviate patients’ pain and protect their teeth. It’s important to address cavities before they progress to the point of needing a root canal or extraction.

Join our dental team as we explain what is involved in the procedure for dental fillings to that you can maintain pain-free oral health.

The Dental Filling Procedure

Preparing for a dental filling is easy. First, your dentist evaluates the extent of the tooth damage and take x-rays that show the exact location and depth of the damage within the tooth. After this analysis, the dental filling procedure can begin.

Step 1: Numbing

The first and most important step of dental fillings is to ensure your comfort. Getting dental work can induce anxiety for many people. To alleviate any discomfort, you will typically get a pre-numbing gel on the gum where the anesthetic injection will be. Then, your dentist uses a syringe to deliver the anesthetic to numb the tooth and the surrounding area.

Common anesthetic options include Lidocaine, Mepivacaine, Septocaine, and Bupivacaine. After the injection, it takes approximately 5 minutes for the anesthesia to take effect. You may experience minimal discomfort with the numbing step, but it will prepare you for the procedure ahead to be pain-free.

Step 2: Removing Tooth Decay

Tooth decay can look like brown or black areas on a tooth, which are soft and can be easily scraped off with a spoon excavator. In most cases, a high-speed dental hand piece with diamond burs is used to remove the decayed portion of your tooth. This tool is highly effective at removing decay and shaping the tooth for the filling.

Many times, a pink dye called caries indicator is used to double-check that all of the cavity has been removed. The dye stains any remaining tooth structure that can’t be remineralized to ensure that the tooth cavity is completely clean and only healthy tooth structure remains.

Step 3: Placing the Composite Filling

Once all tooth decay is removed, your dentist places the composite tooth filling inside the prepared tooth cavity. Your dentist will place this material in layers to ensure that there are no voids or under-filled areas to provide a sturdy and secure restoration. It is important to avoid placing too much material at once so as not to have gaps. Recent advancements in composite materials have introduced “bulk fill” composites, which have eliminated the need for layering. These composites can be applied in a single layer, making the filling process quicker and easier.

Step 4: Making Adjustments and Aligning the Bite

After the filling material hardens, your dentist makes necessary adjustments to your bite. These adjustments are critical for ensuring that the filling does not interfere with your normal bite pattern and prevents any discomfort during chewing or biting down. To make proper adjustments, articulating paper (blue paper) maps out your bite. You are asked to bite down a few times and any high spots or areas of discomfort will be identified. The dentist then proceeds to grind away the spots until your bite feels normal and even.

Step 5: Polishing and Finishing

The final step in the dental filling procedure involves polishing the restoration. Specialized polishers make the filling feel smooth and glossy. This process is quick and painless and leaves you with a beautifully restored tooth.

Contact Hamby Family Dental Center for Dental Fillings

Our experienced and knowledgeable team at your Fuquay-Varina dentist, Hamby Family Dental Center, will fill your dental cavities in a comfortable and stress-free environment. We put your comfort as a top priority when you come to us for a dental procedure.