fillings

Fillings are a common procedure and are carried out when decay has caused damage in a tooth, when a tooth fractures or an existing filling wears out or breaks, allowing new decay to start.

A filling is when the dentist removes decay from inside the tooth and then fills the cavity from a wide range of filling materials – there is no reason why this procedure should cause any pain if effective local anaesthetic is used. What’s more, some fillings use bonding technology where decay is absent and no drilling is required, which may be done without any need for anaesthetic.

Gold inlays can be made when greater strength or durability is required. They are expensive and not to everyone’s aesthetic taste but they can be the best if made well.

Silver based fillings, called amalgam fillings, have been used for a long time, are simple to use and relatively inexpensive. However, they require drilling to create 'undercuts' in order to hold the filling in place and as such can be unsightly.

White fillings, called composites are made of plastic material and ceramic or glass filler which are bonded to the tooth substance and allow light to pass through them, looking much more natural than metal. However, composites tend to be more expensive than amalgam. In addition, they are not as easy to handle as amalgam and there can be problems of shrinkage, especially in larger restorations.

The rules of good oral hygiene apply to fillings as to the rest of the mouth to prevent decay occurring and further fillings becoming necessary:

If a filling is cracked or falls out, ORBIT Complete sugarfree gum can be used as a very temporary measure to pack the hole until you can get to the dentist! See a dentist as soon as possible to have the filling replaced.