When you have a cavity, which can form in smiles of all ages, we offer a restoration known as a filling. Instead of only metal options, we also have a selection that is metal-free and lifelike in appearance. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS, dentist explains how we improve smiles with composite resin dental fillings, which are durable and natural-looking, and help you enjoy relief from a toothache!
The Signs of a Cavity
When should you see our team for a dental filling? If you attend checkup and cleaning visits every six months, then our team can catch cavities in the early stages often before you experience discomfort. Otherwise, you may not realize you need treatment until the cavity is more advanced, at which point you could experience toothaches or sensitivity when you eat or drink. Once your tooth hurts like this, the risk of an infection is much higher and you need treatment right away! Otherwise, you risk infection and even tooth loss.
The Causes of Tooth Decay
What causes a cavity to form in your smile? For some, this could be due to factors that weaken outer enamel, such as an injury that cracks or chips a tooth, or teeth grinding. Poor oral hygiene, such as improper brushing and flossing habits combined with a diet high in sugar, can coat the teeth in harmful plaque and weaken the outer enamel too. When the enamel is compromised, harmful oral bacteria can reach the sensitive inner structures to cause tooth decay. The cavity then spreads with time and can cause the painful symptoms we mentioned above, and increase the risk of an infection that if not treated in a timely manner, could leave behind a gap in your smile.
The Benefits of Composite Resin
While metal fillings are effective, some contain trace amounts of memory, and changing shape gradually with time and temperature could increase the risk of further decay in the years to come. But with composite resin, we have a metal-free material that is safe for all ages, and bonds with the tooth. The material can be shaded to blend with the tooth and look natural, and can handle daily bite forces and pressure with ease. In addition to treating cavities, we can use the same material to mask common cosmetic imperfections in our dental bonding procedure, offering a brighter and more attractive smile in only one visit.
Placing a Dental Filling
To place a filling, we start by numbing the tooth being treated so you are comfortable as we gently remove all decay for the tooth. We then clean the tooth and may etch portions of the surfaces too. Our team will prepare the composite resin material and apply it in several layers, sculpting and molding the tooth as the material cures beneath a special light. The last step is to polish the tooth, a process that brightens it and offers a more attractive appearance.
Preventing Tooth Decay
Our team can then discuss ways to lower the risk of future cavities, such as eating a healthier diet. When you cut back on sugar and starch in your diet, this can deprive harmful bacteria of a meal and in the process, reduce the severity of plaque and tartar buildup, keeping your enamel strong. Daily brushing and flossing can help too, removing trapped particles from our foods and drinks. You should brush for two minutes when you wake up and then again before going to bed, using a fluoride toothpaste each time. You also need to floss every evening before you brush that second time to remove what a toothbrush alone cannot. Seeing our team for checkup and cleaning visits every six months is helpful too, as we can using advanced imaging technology to catch decay in the earliest stages of demineralization, taking action to safeguard your smile. We also conduct a dental cleansing, in which we remove all plaque and tartar, polish the teeth to make cavities and periodontal issues less likely. If you have any questions about how we treat cavities and bring relief with lifelike composite resin, then contact our team today! We want to help you enjoy a strong, healthy, and comfortable smile for years to come, a smile you won’t hesitate to show off to the world.
Do You Have Any Questions About Our Restorations?
We want to offer a treatment that looks natural and halts decay to stop dental infection. Call Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS by calling (913)681-5500 to learn more about how we treat tooth decay.
