A majority people today are diagnosed with the problem of cavity when they visit a dental clinic. The doctors bring forward that if they examine around 30 patients a day, then out of those only 3-4 are those who have no such issue. The solution for the same in maximum case is Dental Fillings.
Dental fillings are a way to restore the tooth damaged by decay or trauma back to its normal shape and function. Most commonly it is due to decay/cavity. And cavity is formed when the enamel of the tooth wears off causing sensitivity.
The development or rather advancements in dentistry has brought about a lot of options for getting cavity filled. The treatment today along with having various options is pain-free and a smooth single visit treatment.
Gone are the days when getting dental filling was a painful treatment due to which people avoided it to a greater extent. It is important for people to know that ignoring it for too long has major consequences which can even lead to extraction of the tooth. Being aware in the beginning itself will save us from further consequences.
With lot of options we now today pick and choose what suits the best and what will work best for us in the near future. But yet getting the dentist advice is also a necessity.
Different types of Dental Fillings are:
Silver Filling
The traditional kind of filling as it is being called as is the most commonly and widely set of filling used since so long. Silver filling though as the name sounds is not purely made of silver. It is a mixture of silver, copper, and tin with silver in highest ratio. As it is made up of metal, therefore, they are strongest and the most stable type of dental filling material. They works the best the cavity is too deep and due to which it has deep pockets. Silver fillings fits the best in such case.
But it also has a lot of drawbacks one of them being the issue of visibility. The silver fillings are visible and therefore not at all suitable for front set of teeth. also, on heating the metal expands, hence the chances of them expanding in the teeth also increases. If this happened, then the filling will not fit to the tooth thus leading to issues of sensitivity and tooth damage.
Composite-Resin Filling
One of the biggest advantages of having the composite resin filling is that it is invisible, therefore, all the aesthetic concerns which were attached to the silver fillings were clearly met. These types of dental fillings are invisible as they are a mixture of powdered glass and resin. Having resin as the material adds to the natural appearance of your tooth, thus, restoring the actual structure and color of the tooth. It restores the natural tooth and the tooth is prepared easily for this type of filling. The drawback of this type of filling is that it is not as durable as silver filing. Also, the process of this type of filling might take more time than the usual filling.
Porcelain Inlay & Onlay Filling
The above-mentioned fillings solve one of the two concerns. Either they give stability or natural appearance. On the other hand porcelain inlay and onlay filling solve both the purpose.
The porcelain dental filling is crafted in a laboratory, therefore, it may take some time. This will eventually lead to extra visit to the dentist. It maintains the natural appearance of your tooth. They are durable and also stain resistant.
The best suited dental filing comes with only one disadvantage i.e. it takes more time than other fillings and is a bit expensive than others.
Once you are sure about the option to go ahead with, the procedure will not take much time. The process is simple and can be completed in a few simple steps.
Step 1 – Once on dental chair, your dentist will numb the area so that you do not feel any pain.
Step 2 – After this, your dentist will clean out the part which is damaged.
Step 3 – The filling you choose is then inserted in the empty area. The filling is then smoothened with a special tool which helps in correcting the bite
Normally the treatment of dental filling is not time consuming and is done in single sitting. But under special cases, as discussed above, you might first visit the clinic to get the molds ready basis which your treatment will then proceed. This might take more than one dental visit.
The effect of anesthesia takes almost 3 hours to wear off and during this time you will be advised to not consume anything for that period.
The dentist nearby is the best person to visit if you feel you have to undergo the treatment of tooth filling. It is advisable to visit the dentist soon because ignoring it for long will lead to more trouble and then the chances of Root Canal Treatment increases. The RCT treatment cost is quite high and can be avoided if proper preventive measures are taken.
