Ouch! Developed a pain in your tooth recently? Before you immediately assume it’s going to take a long and painful visit to the dentist to fix, make sure you know what you’re dealing with – you might just need a quick filling to solve the problem. A dental filling is a commonly prescribed treatment, and with today’s technology, can be applied to a tooth affected by decay quickly and easily to provide long-term relief.
What are dental fillings?
The reason that many people aren’t keen on going to the dentist when they suspect that they need a tooth filled, is because they are thinking of the fillings of yesteryear, which commonly featured gold, silver or even glass fillings. These days when you have tooth decay or need a gap filled, the materials used are much more natural-looking, and hardly stand out, if at all.
When do you need a filling?
Tooth pain is normally the classic indicator that you might need a filling, but remember it might also be accompanied by other symptoms, such as having floss fray when cleaning the affected tooth, or a feeling of raggedness when you run your tongue over it. The only person who’ll be able to determine definitively that you require your filling will be your dentist, who will need to take an X-ray of the site to diagnose the cause of your discomfort.
What does the process involve?
Once your dentist has confirmed that you have a cavity, there are a couple of things you can expect:
- In most cases, a single cavity can be resolved in an hour or two in the dentist’s chair.
- A local anaesthetic will be applied to the affected area, which means that you won’t have to worry about feeling any pain.
- During the process, any residual decay will be removed from the inner tooth and then a filling will be placed in the cavity and secured.
- When all is said and done, you might have to wait anywhere between an hour and a day to eat solid food again.
- If you suspect you have a cavity or cavity-related problem, visit your local dentist as soon as possible, to ensure the problem doesn’t become any worse. If you’re in the Caulfield, Brighton, Malvern, Elsternwick or Elwood areas, contact us today or request an appointment online.
