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Dental Fillings
What is a Dental Filling?
A Dental Filling helps to repair a damaged or decayed tooth, so you can eat, drink and talk. First, the dental decay is removed from your tooth. Then, the affected area is cleaned, and the cleaned out area is filled with filling material.
Fillings help prevent further dental decay by removing areas on your tooth where bacteria may hide and cause damage.
How Do You Know If You Need a Dental Filling?
Generally only your dentist can tell if you have dental decay in your tooth that may require a Filling. An examination by your Dentist will reveal if a Dental Filling is necessary. They will use a small mirror to examine all the surfaces of your teeth and may recommend x-rays to see between your teeth and under the gums.
What Type of Dental Filling Is Best for You?
There are various types of fillings and your Dentist will discuss with you a number of factors when choosing the type of filling that is going to be best to restore your tooth.
These factors include the extent of the repair, whether you have allergies to certain dental materials, where in your mouth the filling is needed and the cost.
If you have dental decay or a crack in your tooth that has damaged a large portion of your tooth, your Dentist may recommend a crown or cap to restore your tooth.
If dental decay has reached the pulp inside your tooth, it may be treated in two ways: through root canal therapy or a procedure known as Pulp Capping.
What Can You Expect During a Standard Composite Filling:
Local anaesthesia – at the beginning of your Filling procedure, Dr Linc will normally give you local anaesthesia with The Wand to numb the area around your tooth
Placement of rubber dam – Once numb, Dr Linc will place a sheet of rubber around your mouth, isolating the infected tooth. This helps keep the tooth dry and clean during the Filling procedure
Remove tooth decay – Dr Linc will usually cut through the enamel using a drill to remove any dental decay and then shape the area so it is ready for the placement of the Filling material
Etching – for bonded Fillings, Dr Linc will etch the tooth surface with an acid gel before the Filling placement
Composite Filling placement – Dr Linc will layer the composite and harden it using a bright light to make it strong
Polish – after the Filling has been placed and is hard, Dr Linc will trim and polish the new Filling to the correct height and shape