Dental Fillings in La Palma

What are Dental Fillings?

A dental filling is designed to replace areas of a tooth that have become decayed. Tooth decay, or cavities, can often occur as a result of poor dental hygiene and a poor high-sugar diet. When plaque is allowed to sit on teeth for too long, the acids can essentially “eat” away at the teeth. Once a tooth has become decayed, the damaged part of the tooth is removed and a tooth-colored filling placed.

Why would Dental Fillings be needed?

The most common reason for needing to have a filling placed is because you have a cavity. Before the area of tooth decay can get bigger, it’s removed and a filling placed. Most fillings can last for years before needing to be replaced. A tooth-colored filling is designed to look like your natural teeth, so no one will even know it’s there.

Who is a candidate for Dental Fillings?

To determine if you have a filling, we’ll perform an examination using a dental tool known as an explorer. The explorer is used to spot areas that are softer than natural hard tooth surface. Another way to find cavities is with a dental x-ray. X-rays allow us to get an in-depth view of your dental health and to spot hard interdental cavities.

What happens during the Dental Filling procedure?

We first numb the area of the mouth needing one or more fillings. We remove the decay from the tooth and then prep the small hole left behind with a bonding gel. The composite resin filling is then placed inside of this hole and smoothed into place. It’s cured and hardened with a bright light so that it stays put for years to come. Your new filling will help to restore the tooth to its original size and shape. You should brush the tooth normally after the anesthetic has had a chance to wear off.

If you would like to schedule an appointment to come in for a filling, call us today so that we can get you in at your earliest convenience.

What is the best material for dental fillings? Dr. Ankit Vasa explores and answers this common question in this video!