Dental Fillings Fillings are a solution if you have a broken, cracked, or decayed tooth that needs repair. Our team at Jerome Riddle DDS does tooth fillings using different materials. We can help you choose the right filling material by walking you through the different materials so that you learn about their cons and pros. Some of the materials we use when filling teeth are silver amalgam, porcelain, gold, ceramics, and metal. We will discuss with you to determine what works best for your case. Types of Dental FillingsDifferent dental fillings are performed to repair and restore a decayed, cracked, or fractured tooth. The classification of the fillings is often based on the method of application. Direct fillings, also referred to as traditional fillings are placed right away in or on the tooth without needing to construct them from a dental lab. Traditional fillings can be constructed of tooth-colored composite resin, glass ionomer, ceramics, gold, or silver amalgam. Apart from traditional fillings, there are also indirect fillings. They are called indirect fillings since they are not done in the mouth right away as happens with regular fillings. They are made in a lab and then placed on a tooth. Indirect fillings require that you make two visits to our office. In one visit, you have impressions taken to show the shape of the teeth to be repaired and the surrounding teeth. A temporary filling is usually placed to protect the tooth while the final filling is being made. You will visit our office a second time to get the final indirect filling placed. Indirect fillings are available as onlays and inlays. Inlays normally cover the chewing surface of a tooth and their entire work often lies within the cusps or bumps of the tooth. Onlays, on the other hand, are more extensive. They cover one or several cusps. Dental Filling ProcedureThe procedure involving dental fillings requires our dentist to use a numbing agent around the site of the tooth. Local anesthesia is applied to promote comfort during the procedure. Our dentist uses a tool such as a dental drill, laser, or an air abrasion instrument to extract the decayed part of the tooth. The dentist makes sure that all of the decay is removed so that it does not continue to cause problems once the filling is done. Once the decayed tissue has been removed, our team prepares the tooth for filling. Cleaning the hole where the decay has been removed helps ensure that there are no bacteria or food particles that can continue causing harm. Patients receiving tooth-colored fillings may find that the procedure involves more steps. For instance, the filling material is placed in layers. Our dentist uses a special light that aids in curing or hardening each layer of the filling material. When all the layers are done, the dentist shapes the filling to get the right results. Polishing is done as the last step. Caring for Dental FillingsWith your dental fillings, it is time to keep pace with oral hygiene. Besides brushing and flossing, ensure you visit our dentist to check the fillings and your gums and teeth. Once the filling is done, avoid hard foods. Consider soft foods at first. To get more information, visit us at Jerome Riddle DDS. Contact us today at 480-991-4410 to set up an appointment. |
