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What Is a Dental Filling?

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One of the most popular procedures under restorative dentistry in Midtown Manhattan is dental fillings. Your dental decay can easily be addressed by filling cavities or spaces left by chipped teeth.

Cavities can hurt and make your teeth sensitive, which worsens with time. The relatively quick and efficient technique to fill a cavity is with a dental filling.

Illustration of Restorative dentistry in midtown Manhattan

What You Need to Know About Dental Filling

What Is It?

Dental fillings replace missing tooth structures after decay or a fracture. Cavities are the small holes that tooth decay leaves in the tooth’s enamel (surface layer) while it is in its early stages. The missing part of a tooth from the holes is replaced with a dental filling, which stops any additional decay.   

Remember that the longer dental decay is left untreated, the worse it will get. Too much time without treatment can result in illness, pricey dental work, and tooth loss.  

What Is the Process?

Before starting with the actual procedure, a local anesthetic may be used by your dentist to numb the area. Your dentist will use a special tool to remove rotting and damaged teeth while also cleaning the region after the area has been numbed.

After that, a dental filling substance is applied to the area and hardened by a specific light. Once the filling is in place, your dentist performs a few final inspections to ensure it is smooth and the bite feels normal.

The entire procedure can be completed in a single visit and typically lasts between 30 and 90 minutes. Not much downtime is required; most of it is spent simply waiting for the anesthetic to wear off. In the first 24 to 48 hours, there might be a little bit of sensitivity, but that should pass relatively soon.

What Are the Types of Dental Fillings?

  • Porcelain Inlays and Onlays

To fill teeth, porcelain inlays and onlays may be used. They are manufactured specifically in a lab and then cemented into place to fill your tooth. Porcelain matches your teeth’s color and is stain-resistant, making it more appealing. They may, however, also be a more expensive choice.

  • Gold Inlays and Onlays

Additionally, gold inlays and onlays may be utilized as tooth fillings. They are regarded as the strongest option and have a lifespan of up to 10 or 20 years. Before going into your mouth, they are manufactured just for you in a specialized lab. The cost of gold fillings is unfortunately costly and they are also colored, so they do not match the color of your teeth.

  • Composite Resin

Acrylic resin that has been coarsely crushed is used to make composite fillings. They can provide a flawless finish since they match the color of your natural teeth. Composite fillings are among the solutions with the most realistic appearance, but they are not as durable as some other materials. They may require more frequent replacement.

  • Amalgam   

Silver, copper, tin, and mercury are combined to make strong substances in amalgam fillings. It is a sturdy, simple-to-use substance that is quite affordable. Because of the color, it isn’t utilized as much these days. Amalgam fillings do not naturally blend in with your surrounding teeth since they are metallic grey.  

Can a Cracked Filling Be Fixed?

No. In essence, you’ll need to get the old filling taken out and a new one put in. To prevent bacteria from leaking through holes in the broken filling, it is crucial to replace the damaged or broken filling as soon as you can. Infection and more involved therapy may be needed if the condition is not managed.

Tooth that underwent Restorative dentistry in midtown Manhattan

Discover Other Treatments Under Restorative Dentistry in Midtown, Manhattan

Visit Coliseum Dental to meet one of our welcoming dentists. Our patients enjoy positive dental visits and have healthy teeth and gums. Don’t be reluctant to contact us.  

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