A dental cavity and a dental filling. You might have come across these words very often and wondered are these any different from each other?
A dental cavity is what is left behind after removal of the dental decay from your teeth. Obviously, we cannot leave your teeth with a gaping hole. It needs to be filled immediately and the material that the tooth receives is known as a cavity filling.
Cavity fillings or dental fillings can be of various materials such as dental cement, silver amalgam or composite material.
At Reiyal’s Dentistry, Kemps Corner we believe in only providing the best for our patients and hence only dental composite material is used when you come to us for a filling.
Dental cements tend to break apart over time and need to be repeated often whereas silver amalgam contains mercury which exposes you to harmful vapours. Not to mention both these materials are extremely unaesthetic.
Procedure: Usually, these fillings are superficial and can be done without the use of local anaesthetics. However, your specialist will take a clinical call if this is required as your comfort is his priority.
A shade is first taken to ensure that the filling material matches the colour of your existing tooth perfectly. The decayed portion of the tooth structure is removed as conservatively as possible. The remaining tooth structure is then treated with special agents to receive the composite restoration. The prepared tooth structure is filled with the composite material which is soft, like clay. Dr. Reiyal then shapes the material to exactly match the shape and contour of the tooth and it is cured using a special light source. This hardens the filling material to match the strength of your tooth.
The filling is completed by matching it to your bite and is highly polished for a long-lasting restoration.
Once the decay process starts it is cannot be reversed. Initially the decay is only in the outermost layer of the tooth known as the enamel. You will not feel anything as this layer has no nerve endings. The decay has to be removed else it will progress to the second layer of the tooth known as the dentin, leading to sensitivity. At this stage it will just be the cavity filling cost however, if this is also neglected you will pay a much higher price in terms of pain as the decay will reach the nerve. This is the stage where pain becomes significant and there are chances of a swelling as well. A root canal is mandatory now. Once the root canal is complete the tooth will have to receive a dental crown as its integrity has been damaged.