Tooth fillings are a very common dental treatment. In addition to being used to repair decaying teeth (cavities), fillings are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth, as well as teeth that are worn down due to nail biting or teeth grinding.
Cavities that are left untreated can lead to a painful infection, extensive and costly dental work, and/or permanent tooth loss. If you are experiencing a toothache, mild sensitivity, or have pain when chewing or consuming hot, cold or sweet foods and beverages, you may have a cracked tooth or filling, decay or inflamed pulp (nerve). Please contact us as soon as possible.
Filling Materials
There are 2 broad categories of dental filling material: amalgam (metal), and tooth-coloured fillings. At Scarborough Dental Care, we only use tooth-coloured fillings as they are less invasive and requires less drilling of the tooth, in addition to being more aesthetically pleasing.
Amalgam Fillings:
The classic “silver” filling in use for more than a century, dental amalgam is an alloy made up of mercury, silver, tin, and copper. The mercury combines with the other metals in the amalgam to make it stable. These fillings are strong and inexpensive, but also quite noticeable. They also require more tooth preparation (drilling) than tooth-coloured fillings.
Tooth Coloured Fillings:
Tooth-coloured fillings require less drilling and allow your dentist to preserve more tooth structure. There are 3 broad types of tooth-coloured filling materials. The type used is dependent on various factors.
Recent advancements and improvements have led to a total of 3 types of tooth-coloured filling materials – the conventional composite resin, conventional composite resin + bioactive glass, and bioactive glass ionomer.
Conventional Composite Resin: Composite resins provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, which results in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Composites can also be "bonded" or adhesively held in a cavity, allowing the dentist to make a more conservative repair to the tooth.
Composite Resin + Bioactive Glass: This new-generation filling material contains all the attributes of conventional composite resin, with the added benefit of bioactive glass. Bioactive glass repels the bacteria in your mouth that cause tooth decay by creating an alkaline environment (pH greater than 7) which mouth bacteria avoids. Bioactive glass fillings also restore minerals in teeth by releasing fluoride, calcium, and phosphate, which rebuild tooth minerals after cavities. When your tooth is able to restore minerals lost from tooth decay, it grows stronger. While composite fillings simply fill in the holes left by the removal of tooth decay, bioactive glass fillings restore teeth by replenishing minerals. Bioactive glass fillings typically last longer than composite fillings, resulting in less dental visits to replace your fillings.
Bioactive Glass Ionomer: Both bioactive glass filling materials share the same bacteria-repelling and mineralization benefits. However, glass ionomer is more moisture-tolerant than its composite resin counterpart but has a slightly lower resistance to fracture. It is used in certain areas of the mouth where moisture is an issue, such as below the gumline.
At Scarborough Dental Care, we use bioactive glass filling material for all restorative dental procedures (ie. restoring decayed teeth) to help rebuild your teeth after a cavity.
The Tooth Filling Process
A filling is a routine and usually painless dental procedure. Depending on the severity of the tooth decay, a local anesthetic may or may not be used to numb the area.
After removing the decay, the remaining tooth structure is roughened or “etched” with a mildly acidic solution. A bonding agent is applied and the tooth is restored with a bioactive glass material.
What to Expect After Your Filling Procedure
The numbness caused by your local anesthestic should wear off within a couple of hours. Until then, it's best to avoid drinking hot or cold liquids, or eating on the affected side of your mouth. You may experience some sensitivity to hot and cold in the first couple of weeks after your filling. If it persists beyond that or you have any actual pain when biting, please call your dentist for a possible adjustment to your bite.
Continue to brush and floss as normal every day, and visit your dental office at least twice per year for your regular checkups and cleanings. Remember: tooth decay is a very preventable disease; with good oral hygiene and professional care, your most recent cavity can be your last!
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