Dental filling

Overview

Dental filling is a dental procedure that helps in restoration of decayed or damaged teeth back to its shape and normal function. Your dentist will choose the type of filling depending upon your choice, the extent of repair required and the position of the filling.

Dental filling is the best solution for cavities or holes in the teeth. If you experience sharp sensitivity when consuming cold or hot foods, or excruciating pain when brushing your teeth, then filling is needed.

The procedure of dental filling involves removal of decayed tooth material and cleaning of the affected area. What follows next is the closing off space with different types of fillings like gold inlays or porcelain fillings, amalgam fillings or composite resins. The choice of the filling is determined by your dentist by consulting with the patient.

Gold fillings are custom-made in the laboratory and then cemented in the required place. These types of fillings have great aesthetic appeal and can last over 20 years. Although gold is regarded the best filling material, it is very costly.

Porcelain fillings are as costly as gold and they are custom made in the laboratory before cementing on the teeth. The reason why porcelain is the most preferred choice among many is its ability to restrain stain and match the colour of your teeth.

Amalgam fillings, also called silver fillings are inexpensive and resistant to wear. However, these types of fillings are avoided in visible areas like front teeth due to their dark colour.

Patients usually prefer composite resins, also called plastic fillings that are matched to the colour of your teeth to ensure a natural appearance. During the process, the ingredients used are mixed and placed in the cavities where they gradually harden. It should, however, be noted that composites chip and break over time, so they are not the ideal material for large fillings.

Whichever procedure is for you, there are certain preparations to be taken before getting a filling. The required preparations before dental filling will help enhance your comfort and result.

Before the Treatment

• Before the treatment of dental filling, consult with your doctor about your dental medications and history. Do remember and carry a list of the medications that you are taking, reports and prescriptions related to your medical condition and allergies if any. Tell your doctor everything about your prescriptions, herbal treatments, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and herbal treatments.
• Stop taking medicines that are suggested by your doctor and start taking only those medicines that have been prescribed.
• In case of pregnancy or possibility of pregnancy, the news should be intimated to the dentist.
• Clear any queries you have. Ask your dentist about the duration of the procedure, the options available for filling materials, restrictions before the procedure, whether foods and liquids can be taken, the type of pain killers can be taken after the filling procedure and the follow-up appointments.

Once you are ready for the filling, you should visit the dentist’s chamber. The below explains how to perform dental filling in a few steps.

How it is Performed

• The dentist will administer local anaesthesia so that you feel numb around the area where the procedure will be performed.
• The tooth or teeth that have cavities are now treated. The dentist uses a drilling machine to remove any decay from the tooth/teeth and ready it for filling.
• Before placing the filling in the cavity, the dentist will scrape the tooth/teeth with an acid gel.
• The type of filling to be used is decided before the procedure. Hence, the dentist will layer on the selected material in the particular area of the tooth/teeth. Then, the doctor uses a bright light to harden the composite.
• After the filling process is completed, the dentist polishes the particular tooth or teeth.

The entire procedure from the beginning till end takes approximately 15 minutes.

Recovery

The anaesthetics given before the dental filling usually last between 2-4 hours, but in some cases it can last up to 7 hours. How numb the patient feels depends upon the strength of anaesthetics given. Therefore, patients usually feel the numbness after returning home. During this time, the patient should not have anything hot.

Also, the person should avoid biting or chewing his cheek or lip since that can leave a bad ulcer in the area. Once the effects of anaesthetics wear out, the patient will feel needles and pins piercing in the area for sometime after which everything will get back to normal. Avoid eating or drinking anything as long as the effect of anaesthetics remains.

Post surgery, try to reduce consumption of tea or coffee and avoid smoking as much as possible since these can leave a bad staining on the filling area. Children should be kept under special observation after the filling procedure. The recovery time of dental filling is brief and patients usually recover on the same day, unless there is any infection in the area.