Tooth Fillings
Trust Evergreen Dental With Your Tooth Fillings
Tooth decay – A brief History – Bitumen, Bees Wax etc ….
Despite our sugary diets, tooth decay isn’t a modern phenomenon. In fact it’s as old as the human race itself. While ancient civilisations had a varied diet, cosy living quarters and a good sense of community, what they really lacked was a good old tube of toothpaste. As a result cavities were a huge problem. So right from the very start people have been coming up with ingenious ways to plug gaps in problematic teeth including dental filling material like bitumen, bees wax and even organic matter!
Thankfully you’ll be please to know that we won’t be melting tar or harnessing bees wax to fix your tooth problems and today we use a variety of fillings for teeth including silver amalgam fillings and white composite dental fillings. While silver amalgams tend to last longer than composite fillings, these types of dental restorations are less popular because of their limited aesthetic appeal. Whatever you decide, when it comes to dental fillings for teeth, we will properly repair your tooth structure to prevent further damage.
So why bother filling a tooth cavity – No pain no problem right?
While in some instances you might feel that unpleasant sensation when you bite into something cold or drink something hot, in many cases if you have a dental cavity, you won’t feel anything at all. So the question is why bother going to the trouble of filling a tooth cavity that doesn’t hurt?
The answer is this…
If left untreated cavities can become infected and painful and any serious infection can lead to root canal treatment or worse still, an extraction. For this reason, various fillings for teeth are used to plug the hole and stop any further bacteria from entering, which may otherwise cause an infection.
Oh and before you ask….when you visit our Evergreen Dental team for a regular check up, part of our service is to check for signs of dental cavities. So chances are that we’ll probably know before you. After all, prevention is better than cure right?
The dental filling procedure – So what’s the low-down?
In the past, filling a tooth cavity must have been quite an ordeal. The good news is that huge advancements in modern-day technology means that the procedure is now very quick and virtually painless. Our team at Evergreen pride ourselves on pain free dentistry so that patients can have the types of dental restorations they really need in comfort.
If left untreated cavities can become infected and painful and any serious infection can lead to root canal treatment or worse still, an extraction. For this reason, various fillings for teeth are used to plug the hole and stop any further bacteria from entering, which may otherwise cause an infection.
Here’s how it works…
- Firstly our dentist uses a topical anaesthetic to numb the area – At this stage you may feel a small prick of the needle but it only lasts for a second or two at most.
- Once the anaesthetic has taken hold, we’ll clean out any bacteria from the cavity area
- Next our dentist will mix up a compound of dental filling material of your choice (usually either amalgam or composite but they may also use gold or porcelain) and apply it to the area of the tooth. Once applied it’s checked for bite
- Finally it’s hardened using a dental curing light
So there you have it… simple, easy and effective!
The whole process from start to finish takes around 20 minutes and is usually completed in one single appointment. What’s more, the team at Evergreen Dental will ensure complete comfort before, during, and after the procedure. They will also happily answer any questions or concerns you might have.
If you’re currently experiencing sensitive teeth, haven’t had a dental check-up in a while, or are in need of one or more tooth fillings, then give us a call. We can set you up with a consultation and you can be one step closer to better protected teeth before you know it. Contact us on (02) 8599 1999 today and on behalf of Dr Chou and the team, we look forward to welcoming you to our Chatswood practice.