Things You Need To Know About Dental Fillings

You are definitely among the lucky ones if you do not have a cavity. However, you are not alone if you have at least one cavity. According to a survey, nearly 78% of people have cavities when they reach the age of 17. However, the good news is that there is a treatment you can get in order to get rid of the cavities. It’s the dental filling.

Filling, as the name suggests, is the process of filling a hole in the tooth. Although cavity is itself pretty painful, the real reason it needs the treatment is that it exposes the nerves to bacterial attack. If a cavity is not treated on timely basis, it can lead to the tooth abscess which is the condition related to infected jawbone near the tooth root. So, cleaning the cavity from germs and filling it is absolutely necessary in order to save the tooth.

There is a wide range of materials being used for filling in the modern-day dentistry. However, the process of filling remains the same regardless of what material is being used. It starts with the dental x-ray test. The level of decay is examined through dental x-rays. The treatment starts with the administration of anesthesia in order to prevent discomfort. The decayed area is then removed using instruments. If there is infection in the pulp of your tooth, the infection will be removed. After this thorough cleaning, the tooth will be filled.

It would be worth talking about the materials used in dental filling.

Metal fillings

There are a few metals used in the preparation of filling materials. Typically, there are two types of dental fillings to talk about.

• The first and most common type of metal fillings is the dental amalgam, also known as silver filling. The amalgam is usually made of an alloy which consists of copper, mercury, silver and tin. The mercury in this composition is responsible to ensure stability of this material.
• Another type of dental filling is the gold filling. This one is the most expensive filling you can get. Although it is called gold filling, it is not entirely made of gold. Nevertheless, gold filling is one of the most durable fillings you can get.

Tooth-colored filling

Although metal fillings are strong, they are not good looking due to their metallic color. In this scenario, you can go for the tooth-colored fillings. A few types of tooth colored fillings are worth mentioning here.

• If you want the filling in your tooth to look exactly a part of your tooth, you can go for the composite material. Composite usually consists of plastic and glass. Although the prices of these filling can range depending on the quality of materials being used, these fillings are more expensive than amalgams in general.
• Another type of fillings you can go for is the porcelain. Porcelain fillings are strong and more lifelike as compared to other tooth colored fillings. Good news associated with the porcelain fillings here is that they do not stain in a way composite does.