Working of the filling.
The dentists in most cases begins with an injection to relieve any pain in the tooth by use of anesthetic. Xylocaine is mostly used as the anesthetic. The tooth is then removed from the mouth. The decay present in the tooth is ejected and the tooth prepared for filling. The tooth is prepared accordingly taking into considerations which material is used. The sensitivity of the tooth is reduced by a liner. Examples of liners include: gluma and dycal. Dycal contains calcium hydroxide and is useful in deep cavities. Bases are mixed with liner in deep fillings. Such bases include: zinc phosphate. Bases help in protecting the teeth from varying temperature conditions in the mouth. The most common materials for filling the tooth are porcelain, silver, resin and gold. The dentist in Citrus Heights put these materials over the base or liner to complete the process of reconstructing the tooth.
Recovery.
A tooth that has been filled takes about two days to lose its sensitivity. However, the deeper the filling, the more time required for the tooth to lose its sensitivity. A filling completely recovers after approximately two weeks. In case, the filling builds to higher levels, a second visit to the dentist is required to bring back the filling to a more comfortable level. Sensitivity should be over within two weeks otherwise there are some voids beneath the filling. If the discomfort also persist, it indicates that the tooth has infected pulp and root canal therapy process is needed to remove it with immediate effect.
Types of fillings.
There are many materials that can be used for teeth filling. Some of two common filing materials include:
Amalgam fillings: they are made of metals such as tin, zinc, copper and silver. They are also known as mercury of silver fillings. Dental amalgam is safe since the mercury present is locked inside during the process of hardening of the filling hence not harmful. They are recommended on the back teeth since they are strong and hence able to resist the forces involved in chewing of food.
Composite fillings: these are more improved than the amalgam fillings. They are also known as white filings and are composed of tiny pieces of silica. These pieces are surrounded by a plastic resin.
Why are filings necessary?
Different habits of feeding and eating of junky foods without brushing your teeth results to accumulation of bacteria in your teeth. These bacteria feed on the food that accumulates on the teeth and produce a strong acid that damages the teeth. This in turn leads to development of a sticky bacteria layer called plaque. Holes develop in teeth causing cavities, dental caries and tooth decay. This can be prevented by use of fillings to recover the appearance of the teeth.