Fillings Help Repair Decayed Teeth and Restore Function.
Dental fillings are required when there are cavities (decay), fractured, chipped or cracked teeth. Fillings allow dentists to remove and repair issues in teeth and restore them to function.
There are filling material options depending on expected longevity that the staff at Southbrook Dental would love to discuss with you. Most teeth can be filled with composite resins but gold and porcelain, crowns, ¾ crowns and onlays are also options.
If your cavity is quite large and close to the nerve it may be discussed with you that there is potential that it may need a root canal. If the tooth is not bothering you but it has a large cavity and the nerve is alive and reacting normal to stimuli, there is an option to do selective caries removal. This allows you to try to avoid a root canal, when it is not immediately needed. A special pink cavity indicator solution is used to aid the dentist in cavity removal to ensure all the external walls are clean of decay. This allows a sealed filling to kill the bacteria causing the decay because it has no food source and the nerve (pulp) is insulated and can help re-calcify (harden) the soft tooth structure near it. It gives your tooth the best chance to help itself and you the opportunity to keep this tooth with a live nerve.