Dental Fillings at Aesthetic Dental Center of Hackensack

Dental fillings are one of the most commonly performed dental procedures. They help to protect teeth that have developed cavities. A special material is used to fill in the cavity after decay has been removed by your dentist.

Tooth Decay

Although you may not realize it, your mouth is teeming with bacteria. Not all bacteria is harmful. However, some of it plays a role in tooth decay. This happens when bacteria consumes food that is in your mouth, particularly sugary drinks and foods. The bacteria mixes with food, forming a biofilm that sticks to your teeth. The acid produced within this biofilm can wear away your tooth enamel, helping bacteria gain entry into it.

The resulting biofilm can develop into plaque that hardens into something called tartar. This substance damages your teeth, as well as irritates your gums. This buildup can eventually lead to periodontal disease, popularly known as gum disease.

Fluoride found in your drinking water and toothpaste, along with your natural saliva, can help the tooth repair some of the enamel that it has lost through mineral replacement. But when you do not properly care for your teeth, or regularly consume sugary drinks and snacks, your enamel continues losing minerals faster than they can be replaced. This eventually leads to tooth decay.

Eventually, weakening enamel leads to the development of a cavity, which is simply a hole in the tooth. This type of permanent damage must be repaired using a dental filling that your dentist places within the cavity.

Dental Fillings

Left untreated, a cavity can result in an infection that spreads to the dental pulp, which is the soft tissue found at the core of every tooth. Your dentist will create a filling by first removing the tooth decay. The cavity is then filled with a special filling material, which protects the tooth from being further damaged.

Today, most dental fillings are formed from something called composite resin, although silver amalgam is still widely used. Your dentist will replace the section of tooth that has been harmed by tooth decay. Your dentist will match the filling to the size and shape of the cavity. This restores the integrity and strength of your tooth to protect against further damage due to the reentry of bacteria. A filling can even be used to match the color of your tooth.

Getting a Filling

Your dentist begins by thoroughly numbing the tooth with a local anesthetic that is delivered via injection. This anesthetic will also numb the jaw and gums near the tooth. After the area is completely numb, your dentist will drill away the decay. Once the tooth decay is removed, they will place the dental filling in the cavity.

Are you displaying symptoms of tooth decay? Or have you noticed that a previously filled tooth is missing its filling? If so, please reach out to Aesthetic Dental Center of Hackensack to schedule a dental appointment right away.