Our clinics across Madison offer you options for dental filling procedures.
A cavity is a pit in your tooth where decay has started to form, eating away your actual tooth structure. Cavities gradually dissolve the hard enamel that covers your teeth and protects the softer, more sensitive interior of your teeth. Most of the time, a cavity will not hurt until it has extended down into that more sensitive layer of your tooth, and by that time, you may need a more expensive restoration, such as a crown or a root canal. Left unfilled, a cavity can work its way into your tooth’s interior and ultimately destroy it.
Once the need for a filling is diagnosed, your Dental Health Associates of Madison dentist will remove the decayed area of the tooth with a small drill. The tooth is numbed so you do not feel this. The filling is a certain type of material that is placed into the prepared area of that tooth and then adjusted to restore the tooth to its proper form and function.
As dentistry has modernized, several types of filling materials have become available. There are a number of factors that will be considered when choosing the correct filling material, such as: patient goals, unique tooth circumstances, cavity location, patient age, patient’s cavity risk level and history. Your Dental Health Associates dentist will review all of these factors to determine the best material to use for your unique situation.
Teeth generally do not have any sensation associated with the outer (enamel) layer. If a cavity is detected while it is still small, a filling can be placed before the cavity causes you and your tooth any discomfort. If left untreated, cavities can grow larger, causing discomfort and often times the need for further treatment such as a root canal, which is much more expensive and time consuming than a filling.
The major U.S. and international scientific and health organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization, among others, have been satisfied that dental amalgam is a safe, reliable and effective restorative material.
This depends on what type of filling material you and your doctor chose to use. Composite fillings, once placed into the tooth, are cured with a special light that instantly hardens the material. After this is done, your dentist will ensure the bite is perfect before your appointment is over by using a special type of paper that shows where the filling might be too high when you bite on it. Once you leave our office the composite filling will be as hard as it will ever get, meaning you can eat and drink right after your appointment. If amalgam is used for your filling, it will need time to harden as the light will not cure the material. Because of this, your doctor will give you instructions on when and how you can eat to avoid damaging your new filling as it hardens.
We encourage new patients to fill out a new patient form online prior to your first appointment. Be sure to select the appropriate location for your new patient forms, as once you complete them, they are sent electronically to the office you’ve chosen.
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Having trouble getting your kids to brush and floss? Dental Health Associates has some easy ways to help get your kids to brush & floss without the hassle.
At Dental Health Associates we have tips about everyday cavity fighters you may not know about, and also offer preventative dentistry to ensure a healthy smile.
