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Due to poor oral hygiene and improper brushing habits, bits of food can get stuck in your teeth. This leads to bacteria development on your teeth, which starts to dissolve the tooth enamel and thus causes a gradual decay of teeth. Once a tooth has been permanently damaged by such bacterial action, a cavity or a hole is formed in the tooth. These small holes or cavities in teeth are serious dental issues, but are fairly common, especially among children.
To treat cavities, dental fillings are necessary. The process of dental cavity filling involves a dentist taking out the decayed tooth material from the cavities in the teeth, cleaning the area, and filling it with a filling material. If you or your child is suffering from dental cavities, you should not delay getting your teeth filled otherwise the decay will spread, leading to even more cavities. Consult a dentist for dental fillings Merrylands as soon as you notice signs of decay in your teeth.
How do you know if your teeth are decaying?
You need to know how it looks like and feels like when decay starts in your teeth so that you can go see a dentist at the earliest. In general, when your teeth will start to decay, you will notice a few things in your teeth. In the back teeth, mostly in the valleys and grooves, there may be discolored, yellowish-brown areas.
Grayish black and dark spots will appear on your front teeth. You’ll notice that your tongue often touches chipped off areas in your teeth, and holes might develop where food gets stuck on your teeth. If any of these signs are noticed, you should see a dentist get your dental filling. If you already have your teeth filled, this means that you need a replacement.
Apart from these, you can also feel it when your tooth starts to decay, in varying degrees. You may feel mild sensitivity on drinking cold water, temporary sensitivity when you chew something sweet, or prolonged sensitivity on consuming hot or cold items. There may be a slight pain when you bite or chew anything, which can escalate to sudden electric sensitivity while biting or chewing some foods. This can further escalate to constant incessant pain lasting for hours, needing medication. Consult a dentist as soon as you feel the first signs of tooth decay so that the matter doesn’t go this far.
What is your tooth cavity filled with?
Filling material is generally of four types: gold, amalgam (silver), porcelain and plastic resin. The filling material is filled in the cavities so that no more food gets stuck in the holes and prevents further bacterial growth and consequent tooth decay by sealing off the cavity spaces. The type of filling which is best for you depends on various factors such as the condition of your teeth, cost, etc.
Composite (plastic) resin fillings are most commonly used these days as it is the best for maintaining a natural appearance, as these fillings match the colour of your teeth, and are cheaper than gold or porcelain fillings. However, it is sometimes avoided for filling large cavities since it gets chipped off easier than other materials. They last for three to ten years in general. Talk to a dentist for dental fillings Merrylands to know which type of filling is best for you.
