When there are cavities in the teeth, the implication could be devastating. In the majority of the cases, it is tooth loss. Since your dentist would never want it, he performs procedures like a root canal.

However, it is possible to avoid it if you visit the dentist regularly for a check-up. When the cavities get detected early, they can be treated by a dental filling. 

It is a procedure where the dental expert removes the damaged part of the teeth by drilling. He uses a suitable dental material in the empty space. The filling is absolutely safe for the teeth. It avoids further cavity spread and decay, 

Since the dental filling cost is not exorbitant, you save money by avoiding root canal treatment that is relatively expensive. 

Let’s understand some important points of dental fillings.

The procedure

Once you find a dental surgeon near me on the Internet, you should meet the doctor and understand the procedure. 

Your doctor will check the condition of the teeth and assess it. When the doctor performs the procedure, he numbs the teeth by giving anesthesia. 

He removes the damaged part by drilling the teeth. It creates appropriate space in the teeth. To protect the nerve properly, a liner will be put on the space.  Once the filling is done, the doctor performs a gentle polishing on the outer surface. 

The procedure is not painful. There is  no pain felt while performing the filling treatment. Before starting the treatment, local anesthesia is put on the gums. Patients feel some discomfort while performing the drilling to clean the cavity.

Doctors should know the level of pain felt by the patient so that they can manage the pain.

Types of dental fillings

Amalgam Filling

The Amalgam filling is made of mercury and some other material. People call it silver filling also. These fillings bring strength and durability to the molar teeth. They are not considered quite suitable for front teeth. It is because they are not aesthetically nice.

Composite Filling

A composite filling is made from acrylic and powdered glass-like material. They are tooth-colored fillings because they resemble the color of natural teeth. Therefore, composite fillings are suitable for front teeth also. 

These filings are aesthetically nice. They not only give stability to the teeth but improve their aesthetic appearance also. 

Indirect Filling 

Sometimes, the structure of the teeth is not sufficient to support the filling, but doctors want to save it.

In such a situation, doctors take an impression to ensure proper shape and size. Then, an indirect filling is made. It is made in dental labs.

First, a temporary filling is done to check whether it fits or not. Two types of indirect fillings are there-

• Inlays- In this, the filling is done on the upper surface only, the part that is responsible for chewing.
• Onlays-In this, a major part of the teeth is covered by the filling.

One should check the dental treatment price list to know about the approximate cost of treatment. 

Which filling is the best?

Doctors decide the type of filling based on the preference of the patient. The cost of treatment depends on the choice of treatment.

Are there any risks?

As such, there are no potential risks with dental fillings. However, some risks are involved in the filling. In some cases, allergic problems may cause complications in the treatment but this is very rare

There is some amount of teeth sensitivity as shrinking or expansion also happens in the filling.

Benefits of dental fillings

When dental filling is done, it prevents further tooth decay and avoids tooth loss. Your teeth last longer and remain healthy. 

Teeth filling on the front teeth improve the aesthetic appearance also.

Conclusion

Dental fillings are one of the nice treatments for tooth decay. Discuss with the dentist to get the proper dental fillings for tooth decay treatment. 

Once done properly, fillings remain there for quite a long time. Of course, the patient has to take care of the teeth. Very hard food items or sticky food should be avoided in certain cases

The quality of filling and treatment also determines its durability.