Do you have throbbing pain when you bite down on something? Or maybe your teeth feel sensitive when you consume hot or cold food. You may have tooth decay!
Tooth decay is a serious issue. If left untreated it can progress rapidly and affect the tooth root, thus leading to tooth loss while causing you severe pain and dental hygiene issues. At Cross Road Dental practice, we help patients treat tooth decay at the early stages itself with the help of dental fillings.
Do you need a filling? –
Dental decay may not have too many symptoms during its early stages. With routine dental check-ups our dentists can catch it during the earliest stages, but if you don’t go for check-ups you may find out that you have tooth decay only when one of the following symptoms present themselves.
Sensitivity of teeth –
If your teeth feel sensitive when exposed to sour, sticky or sweet foods, you may have tooth decay. You may also find it painful to consume hot or cold foods.
Unable to floss because the string tears –
If you find that you are unable to floss one particular tooth because the string tears, it may be because that tooth has developed decay and the floss gets caught in the jagged edges. A dental visit may be in order to confirm.
Food stuck between teeth –
If you notice food always getting stuck between some teeth, there may be some decay happening there.
Chipped or fractured teeth –
Damages to teeth can happen due to injuries and accidents as well. If you have chipped or cracked your teeth, you may need to get it corrected with the help of fillings.
Previous filling is damaged –
If you have damaged your previous filing, of course you must get it repaired immediately, else you are exposing your teeth to bacterial infection.
Throbbing pain –
If you feel throbbing or sharp pain when you chew your food or bite down, then it may be due to tooth decay.
Dark spots –
If you can see a dark spot or feel a small rough hole in your tooth, it may be due to decay.
After a consultation, our dentist will discuss treatment options with you. The following is the treatment procedure to expect.
First, the dentist will apply a local anaesthetic to the affected area.
The type of filling suitable for you will depend on the extent of tooth damage, the location of the decay, your budget, and whether you are allergic to certain materials.
We do not recommend amalgams because it has the highest rate of failure, causing cracked tooth and fractures in some instances. Partial ceramic fillings are also known to have long term failure, so we don’t recommend that either. We find that composite resin is a widely used tooth filling material.
These fillings match the tooth colour closely. They are made of a mixture of plastic and glass powder. The ingredients are mixed and placed directly on the tooth where they are hardened using a special light. This is the a commonly chosen filling option due to their natural appearance and quality.
To learn more about whether you need fillings, set up an appointment with our friendly dental team. We are committed to meeting all your dental needs.