Have you ever put off any dental procedures because you were afraid? If so, you are not alone. Many people avoid getting a dental correction because they have a fear of the unknown. Our goal in this article is to help you understand exactly what happens when you go to the dentist for a dental filling.
Dental fillings are used to restore teeth that have been damaged by decay, tooth structure decay, or fracture. Modern types of dental fillings such as white and colored fillings are available if the patient wishes to avoid silver amalgam fillings, which consist of a metal alloy.
A skilled dentist is able to provide virtually invisible white fillings, by achieving a color similar to your original tooth color. Removing old amalgam fillings can provide patients with whiter fillings, resulting in a more pleasing smile free of visible fillings.
Why is dental filling necessary ?
In the beginning, when I was a child, there were no harmful bacteria inside the mouth, and as I got older, these bacteria found their way into the mouth. The bacteria are then permanently resident and will have to be dealt with for the rest of your life.
These bacteria live on your teeth, and every time you eat something like candy, these microorganisms will feed with you. After eating, bacteria produce a very strong acid that feeds on your teeth. If you don’t remove this sticky layer of bacteria known as plaque by brushing and flossing, the bacteria will continue to destroy a tiny amount of tooth structure each day until you get a hole in the tooth. These holes are known by many names, such as dental caries, dental decay, and dental caries.
Our bodies have an amazing ability to repair injured structures. For example, when a bone breaks, our body is able to heal the bone by creating new cells that make the bone heal again. Unfortunately, this is not true when it comes to our teeth. Even though we get two sets of teeth in our lifetime, once a hole forms in a tooth, the body is unable to repair it. Hundreds of years ago, dental cavities caused so much pain that the tooth was removed using traditional methods.
Amazingly, modern dentistry has discovered a way to save your rotten teeth. All that needs to be done is to completely remove the bacteria and then replace the hole in the tooth with a tooth-like material known as a dental filling. This is considered an effective solution if the tooth or molar can still bear it, but in other cases when the damage has worsened to the root of the tooth, the doctor may advise you to resort to dental implants .
Types and materials of dental fillings
White and silver dental fillings
There are a variety of dental filling materials that can be used depending on the medical condition. Among the most famous and most common of these fillings are silver, amalgam or mercury fillings. It is made of silver, tin, copper, zinc and mercury in one cohesive metal alloy. The second type is composite resin fillings, also known as white fillings, colored fillings, and direct veneers. It is made of very small pieces of silica surrounded by a plastic resin.
Amalgam fillings
Amalgam fillings have been used for more than 180 years in dentistry and are sometimes also called platinum fillings. When the minerals in amalgam come together, they form a soft material that can be used to build the tooth back to its original shape. After a few minutes, the amalgam begins to harden as the minerals fuse together. Although pure mercury is toxic, the mercury in amalgam fillings is fixed to it when the filling solidifies and is therefore not harmful. Numerous studies have shown that dental amalgam is a safe, time-proven filling material. Compared to other types, amalgam fillings have a few things that are special.
Amalgam fillings are less expensive, and they are also very strong and long-lasting. But amalgam fillings are not without flaws. They are silver in color at first and tend to get darker over time, making them easier to notice when you open your mouth. Although the FDA has determined that the level of mercury in implants is safe for people over the age of six, you may prefer not a filling made of this material.
Composite fillings
Composite fillings are newer than amalgam fillings and are constantly improving. Composite resins are in the form of soft clay in the color of the compound. In order for the compound to harden, the dentist shines a bright blue light on it. Through a series of chemical reactions, the composite resin hardens into a very strong material that closely resembles natural teeth.
Composite dental fillings are usually made of crushed glass and acrylic resin. This type offers advantages over amalgam fillings. First, the filling can be shaded to match the color of a person’s existing teeth, making it less visible, which is why some call it a cosmetic filling. Patients always want a natural smile, which makes composite fillings a popular choice. Composite fillings can bond directly to the tooth, making the tooth stronger than it would be with an amalgam filling.
However, this type of filler is not always the right choice. The material from which it is made is considered to be less durable than metal or amalgam. Therefore, the compound filling process’s shelf life is not always as long as other options. It is ideal for small fillings, and is best suited for teeth that experience a moderate amount of pressure when chewing, compared to teeth that handle the bulk of the chewing action.
gold filler
When it comes to dental fillings, gold fillings can be an important type. It is one of the long-term options, noting that it can remain effective for more than two decades. Of course, this durability comes at a higher price than other fillings, as gold fillings are among the most expensive. They are usually indirect fillings, so you will need to spend more time in the dentist’s chair to get this type.
Porcelain filling
Porcelain fillings (or as some call them: ceramic fillings) are similar to gold, and are a form of indirect filling, usually require more than one visit to the dentist and tend to be quite expensive. However, they also differ from gold fillings on the one hand, they are more fragile and breakable and on the other hand they look like actual teeth and can help you maintain a natural appearance.
resins
Anodised glass is commonly used for discreet liner fillings. It is also used for fillings in the front teeth, around the dental sockets, or in the roots. Ionized glass is usually used in people who have a lot of decay in the part of the tooth that extends below the gum. It is also used to fill baby teeth and as a lining for other types of fillings. When used on a permanent tooth, this type of filling is usually placed where it is not subject to intense pressure or chewing action because it tends to be very delicate.
What dental filling materials should you get?
Many people prefer white fillings because they are less visible in the mouth. The dental clinic in Turkey usually recommends amalgam fillings for the back teeth and resin composite fillings for the front teeth. To help you make an informed decision, here’s a shortlist of eight factors to consider before starting your filler business:
Amalgam fillings are stronger than composite fillings: We recommend amalgam fillings on the back teeth because this is where the majority of forces when biting down take place. Since amalgam is made of a variety of metals, it is a very strong material. Composite resin fillings wear out more quickly than amalgam fillings and need to be replaced more often.
Composite fillings are more expensive than amalgam fillings: Normally, amalgam fillings are cheaper than white composite fillings by about half the price. Some patients prefer the appearance to be natural and do not prefer the cheap price, but many patients resort to amalgam filling as an alternative to the back teeth because they are stronger.
Amalgam Fillings Last Longer Than Composite Fillings: We are confident that with future technological advances, it is likely that one day composite fillings will be as permanent as amalgam fillings. But for now, if you want the filler to last for a long time, you should choose amalgam because it is longer lasting.
Composite fillings are less visible than amalgam fillings: If you get an amalgam filling on the back teeth, you and your dentist will most likely notice it. But if you don’t like seeing silver in your mouth at all, a composite filling is probably the way to go.
Amalgam fillings contain mercury: The mercury in amalgam fillings enters the filling. However, amalgam fillings release very small amounts of mercury. The amount of mercury released is less than the amount of mercury you’d get from eating fish, but this isn’t a problem for people with a mercury allergy.
In a press conference on July 29, 2009, Dr. Susan Runner of the Division of Anesthesia, Infection Control, and Dental Appliance stated the following about dental amalgam: Patients are not at risk of long-term health events associated with mercury.
She added, “We do not rely on dental amalgam in any group of patients other than those with sensitivity.” Amalgam has been used for over 180 years without any major problems. The only absolute contraindication to an amalgam filling is a mercury allergy.
Amalgam fillings require the dentist to remove healthy tooth structure: Since amalgam fillings are not attached to the tooth like composite fillings, the dentist has to make the filling wider at the bottom than the top so that the tooth is pressed into place.
In order to do this, the dentist will usually cut through the healthy tooth structure. With composite fillings, the dentist can simply remove the decay and then place the filling without cutting into the healthy tooth structure to preserve the filling.
Composite fillings shrink when hardened: Most composite fillings shrink between 2-5% smaller when hardened. Sometimes this can result in gaps between the filling and the tooth that allow bacteria to enter and start a new cavity.
Other times, when a composite filling contracts significantly as it hardens, it can place more stress on the tooth causing the affected tooth to become more sensitive. The shrinkage effect can be minimized if the dentist adds the compound in small, gradual layers.
Composite fillings are more sensitive: this means that the dentist must pay attention to detail when placing a composite filling. There are more steps that your dentist must follow precisely when filling teeth with a white filling. For example, if your dentist doesn’t properly prepare a tooth for a set amount of time, or if it does.
But some of your saliva gets into the tooth after it’s drilled, the filling may not adhere to the tooth tightly and can end up leaking and eventually need to be replaced after only a year or two. Most dentists have a lot of experience doing white fillings and will do a good job. As long as they follow the mentioned steps to fill the compound, the filler should last a long time.
Steps involved in getting a dental filling
The first step
The first step when getting a dental filling is to make sure that you are comfortable and not feeling pain during the procedure. Dentists usually do this with a local anesthetic. We have always found it interesting for dentists to administer an anesthetic to relieve pain, but the local injection process is usually the patient’s biggest fear.
Temporary local anesthesia breaks the connection between the teeth and the brain. This way, if the tooth sends a pain signal, the anesthetic blocks the pain signal from reaching the brain and you don’t feel any pain as a result.
Injections have a painful reputation, but the truth is that the amount of pain you experience during an injection depends to a large extent on the skills of your dentist. Our doctors mentioned that the administration of local anesthetic should not be painful. Each of the techniques of local anesthesia can be performed easily and many skills and attitudes of the drug administrator are required, the most important of which is perhaps empathy with the patient.
If the administrator truly believes that injections of a local anesthetic need not be painful, then through conscious or subconscious effort small changes in technique can be made that will result in previously painful procedures being made less painful for the patient. You’ll need to find a dentist who truly believes that injections don’t have to be painful.
The first thing that is done when anesthetizing the patient when filling a tooth is to dry the area where the injection will be given. This is done by gently spraying air into the mouth. Then the doctor applies numbing gel or local anesthetic to the area. Then he dries the area first so that the anesthetic gel soaks in faster and deeper.
After the anesthesia gel has been in place for a minute or two, the patient is given local anesthesia. If the anesthesia gel soaks in fairly well, the patient will hardly notice the injection. To summarize, the anesthetic gel is given to the patient to make the injection a comfortable experience, and the injection is given to make the removal of tooth decay a comfortable experience.
Step two: prepare the mouth
Once your mouth is numbed, your dentist may use several different materials to help make the filling procedure easier and more efficient. The first of these materials is known as a rubber dam. A rubber dam is simply a thin piece of rubber that covers your mouth and around the teeth where the dentist will work.
Some patients enjoy the presence of a rubber tampon because it provides a barrier between the dental procedure and the person. When working with children, we replace the rubber dam with a dental coat because this helps keep the mouth nice and dry while the teeth get wet.
Another tool your dentist can give you is a bite block, which is a soft rubber triangle that can be inserted between your upper and lower teeth to support your open jaw. During long dental procedures, it can be difficult to continually use your jaw muscles to hold your mouth.
A bite block propels your mouth open, preventing you from using your jaw muscles to keep your mouth open, thus relaxing. A bite blocker can also keep you from closing your mouth during the procedure, allowing your dentist to work efficiently and get your filling in as quickly as possible. If you prefer not to use a bite block, let your dentist know.
Depending on where the filling is located and on what material is used, your dentist may not prefer to use a rubber dam or bite block. For dental colored fillings, it is especially important to keep the area dry so that the composite resin can properly bond with the tooth. This can be achieved with a rubber dam.
If you are getting tooth-coloured fillings, this is usually the time when your dentist will hold several different colors of your teeth to see which filling material to use. When you are sedated and your mouth is ready, the dentist will begin to remove the part of the tooth that has been damaged by tooth decay.
Step three: get a dental filling
Now that you are ready for the procedure, your dentist will begin to remove the cavities. There are a number of tools that are used to clean the damaged part of the tooth. First, your dentist will likely use what’s called a high-speed handpiece. The high-speed hand piece sprays water while the dentist works.
It also makes a high-pitched whistling sound. Since you’re already numb when the dentist uses the high-speed handpiece, you shouldn’t feel anything. It moves so quickly that it glides through cavities and hides damaged tooth structure.
While the dentist is using a high speed handpiece, the dental assistant will be using the suction tool in your mouth. The high-volume suction quickly removes water from the high-speed handle and any debris from your teeth. You can think of it as a mini vacuum cleaner, which helps the dentist remove tooth decay from your mouth. The last suction you may encounter is a low-volume saliva ejector.
If you get some extra water in your mouth and don’t want to swallow it, your dentist or assistant can allow you to close your mouth around this smaller suction to remove any extra water that may be in your mouth.
After the dentist has finished removing the cavities, he or she will use a slow speed handpiece to polish the preparation and help remove any remaining bits of worn tooth. This is a slower grip than the high-speed grip and doesn’t hiss. Because it is slower, you may feel a sense of vibration in the tooth.
Finally, the dentist may choose to finish the cavity removal with some hand tools. These are simply small metal tools that the dentist can use to improve the area where the filling will be placed or to remove any remaining tooth decay.
During the process of removing tooth decay, the dentist will most likely use an air or water unit. This is a small attachment that can spray any air or water into your mouth. It is helpful to rinse off any debris obstructing your dentist’s view. Now that the damaged portion of the tooth is gone, the dentist will replace the missing tooth structure with a filling.
Step four: replace rotten teeth with fillings
Next, the dentist will fill in the tooth and make it look like a real tooth again so that you can use it to chew food and talk. Since the procedures for restoring teeth with amalgam and composite are somewhat different, we have separated this part into two separate sections. First we’ll talk about what happens when you get an amalgam filling. Then we’ll talk about what happens when you get composite fillers.
Get an amalgam filler
If your cavity is in the center of the tooth’s biting surface, it’s a composite filling. But if the cavity is between the teeth, the dentist will place a metal tape tightly tied around the tooth to help build the tooth wall again. Your dentist will also place a gauze pad between the teeth so that when the filling is complete with the adjacent tooth, the new filling will touch and prevent food from getting stuck between the teeth when you chew.
Often dentists place what are called bases or liners on the exposed inner part of the tooth to help prevent the tooth from hurting after the filling is complete.
Liners are placed to close the passages that go to the tooth’s nerve. Once these passages are closed, you should not have any sensitivity after the procedure. Dip a small brush into the paint and paint it over the tooth. Then we spray some air on it to dry. It smells similar to the paint that is often used on wood.
Bases are used when tooth decay is very close to the tooth’s nerve. The procedure is similar to applying the liner, but the base is slightly thicker. Some bases can be air dried and others require a toothpaste light to shine on.
After placing the base or regular lanes, the dental assistant will mix the amalgam. We use a spinning machine to make a capsule of unmixed amalgam very quickly. The machine makes a loud noise and vibrate. Many patients turn around to see what happens when we mix up the amalgam.
This must go quickly because the mercury is enclosed in a plastic bag and the machine must break the mercury out of the bag and mix it with other metals in moments.
Once the amalgam is mixed, the dentist uses an instrument called an amalgam carrier to place the amalgam inside your teeth. Next, your dentist will push the amalgam into the tooth to make sure it is firmly compressed and that there are no empty spaces.
After the amalgam is compressed, the dentist will carve the amalgam to look like a tooth. When you’re done, your dentist will have you bite down on a thin sheet of carbon paper. This helps us know if the fill is too high. The carbon paper is engraved on the filling and shows the dentist what he needs to do in terms of lowering the filling.
Once this is done, the doctor will usually ask his patients if the filling looks okay. The only problem is that they’re still drugged, so it’s hard to tell.
Composite resin filler
There are many similarities between the process of obtaining a composite resin filler and an amalgam filler. Just like when you get an amalgam filling on the edge of one tooth touching another, your dentist will need to place a band around the tooth and a brace between the teeth.
The main difference in this part is that the scale is pronounced other than that which occurs with metal. This allows the curing light to shine through the separators and interstitial spaces where light cannot pass through the metal.
When placing a composite resin filling, the dentist will first apply some acid, usually in the form of a blue gel, to the prepared tooth. This acid creates tiny holes in the tooth that allow the composite resin to bond with the tooth. This also ensures that the filling does not fall out.
The dentist will rinse the acid away. Next, your dentist will dry the tooth and apply a small amount of gauze wick and dental bond to the teeth using a small brush. The priming and bonding agent helps form a strong bond between the tooth and the final filling.
Next, the dentist will use a pre-selected shade of resin filling material to composite and place it inside your teeth. Depending on the method your dentist prefers, he or she is either placed directly into your tooth or placed on a small metal tool used to place it in the tooth.
Next, the dentist will make sure that the compound spreads evenly over the tooth and that there are no air bubbles between the portions of the filling. Then the dentist shines a bright blue light on the compound which will polish it and make it very strong.
This process is known as compound curing. Because light does not penetrate deeply into the composite, your dentist may have to apply and treat multiple layers of the composite if you have a deep cavity.
After your dentist has finished filling your tooth, he or she will make you bite down on the carbon paper to make sure there are spaces. If this is the case, your dentist will lower the filling using an ultra-fast handpiece.
Finally, if there are any hard spots on the filling, the dentist can use some mild abrasives to smooth the filling back to the original tooth texture. After completing the dental filling, you may feel some sensitivity in the teeth for a few days.
If the tooth only starts to feel sensitive when you bite down, you should go back and bring it up to the dentist as this could be a sign that your filling is too high. Your dentist will be able to check your bite again and then work down the filling using some specialized accessories and a high-speed handpiece. Since your dentist should only need to loosen the filling and not the tooth, you won’t need to get a local anesthetic.