What You Need to Know About Dental Fillings?
What is a Filling Tooth?
A tooth filling is a dental restoration that involves removing decay and repairing the affected tooth. If the damage is severe enough, you may need a root canal and a cap, but that is a different dental procedure. Instead, it’s just a larger filling. In all cases, it’s best to get regular dental exams so the decay never gets out of control.
Wondering if you need a filling for your teeth? Here are some signs that you do.
Toothache
A toothache may be the most common sign that you might need a tooth filling. But, sensitivity to certain temperatures, to pressure, or too sweet foods are also indicators that you need a filling. Finally, if you experience sudden or throbbing pain when biting or chewing, you also might need a tooth filling.
Visible Signs That You Need a Tooth Filling
Sometimes, there are visible signs that you need a filling. These symptoms include the following:
• Dark spots on your teeth
• A hole you can see or feel in your teeth
• Food that always gets stuck between certain teeth
• When your floss tears in a certain spot
• A rough, chipped, or broken tooth
• A broken or lost fillings for teeth
Fractured Teeth
Cavities are the number one reason for tooth fillings for cavities, but beyond that, fractured teeth can also be repaired with a white composite filling material. In both cases, these cavity fillings slow down or even prevent further tooth decay and damage.
Tooth Crazing
Sometimes craze lines appear on teeth. These vertical lines are cracks in the teeth’ enamel caused by stress placed on a tooth. This can be caused by a long lifetime of chewing or by activities such as TMJ, clenching, grinding teeth, or biting fingernails. These unsightly surface cracks darken the look of teeth, over time. Luckily, dentists can use tooth-colored filling material to cover craze lines and restore the look of beautiful teeth. This kind of tooth filling is sometimes called cosmetic bonding.
Tooth Wear
As we age, our teeth wear down. As the wear occurs, the flat biting edges darken and make teeth look unsightly. The wearing down and damage of teeth can also be caused by bruxism or teeth grinding. Sometimes, this causes chipping and further damage to teeth.
Again, using a tooth-colored bonding as teeth filling repairs the teeth and restores their surfaces. These tooth fillings also improve your bite and your ability to chew. Once the teeth fillings are in place, a night guard can be used at night to prevent further damage.
Do You Need a Tooth Filling?
When getting a cavity-filled hurt, fillings for teeth help dentists repair cavities, so they don’t become bigger dental filling problems down the road. Fillings can fill small holes caused by tooth decay, but they can also repair cracks and fractures in teeth.
How Long Do Fillings Take?
Left untreated, tooth decay can cause serious problems. Your dentist can design a prevention plan so root canals or even tooth extractions are never needed. The bottom line is tooth fillings for cavities are a good thing and they can keep you smiling for a long, long time. If you think you need a filling, contact Dr. Bahar Nia at Buckhead Family and Cosmetic Dentistry today.