Tooth-colored fillings in Pearisburg

When does a cavity need a filling?

Decay starts in the enamel, the hard outer layer of the tooth. A very early spot that has not broken through can sometimes be stopped with better cleaning and fluoride, and we will tell you when watching it is a reasonable choice. Once decay is through the enamel it does not heal. It spreads into the softer layer underneath, and the longer it goes, the bigger the filling has to be.

A cavity often gives no warning at all, which is why check-ups and X-rays find so many of them. When there are signs, they tend to be these:

• A twinge with sweet, cold or hot things in one spot. Tooth sensitivity has other causes too, so it is worth having checked.
• Floss that catches or shreds in the same place every time.
• A rough edge your tongue keeps finding, or a dark spot that was not there before.
• Food suddenly packing between two teeth.

Why a tooth-colored filling saves more of your tooth

A silver filling is held in by its shape. The hole has to be cut with undercuts that lock the filling in place, and that often means removing healthy tooth along with the decay. A tooth-colored filling is bonded to the tooth instead, so it holds by adhesion rather than by shape, and usually only the decayed part has to come out.

Less drilling now leaves more natural tooth for any repair you need later. That, more than the color, is the real reason to choose it.

Do old silver fillings need replacing?

Not just for being silver. A silver filling that is sound, sealed at its edges and free of cracks is doing its job, and drilling it out takes healthy tooth with it. We check your existing fillings at each exam and tell you plainly which ones are fine.

When one cracks, leaks or wears at the edges, that is the time to change it, and the new filling can be tooth-colored.

What happens when you get a filling

The tooth is numbed first with a local anesthetic, and we make sure it is numb before we begin. The decay is removed, and the clean tooth is prepared so the filling will bond to it.

The composite goes in as a soft paste, a thin layer at a time. A bright blue light hardens each layer before the next goes on, which is how a deep filling ends up solid all the way through. Then it is shaped to match the way the tooth was built, your bite is checked, and the surface is polished so it feels smooth to your tongue.

Is it normal for a new filling to be sensitive?

Some sensitivity to cold, or to biting down, is common for a while afterward, especially after a deep filling, and it usually fades as the tooth settles. Two things are worth a call rather than a wait:

• A bite that feels high, where that tooth meets first when you close. It will not wear in by itself, and adjusting it is simple.
• Pain that lingers after the cold is gone, throbs, or wakes you at night. That can mean the decay had already reached the nerve, and the tooth needs looking at again.

How long does a filling last?

There is no honest single number. How long yours lasts depends on its size, where it sits, how hard you bite and grind, and whether new decay starts at its edges.

That last part is the one you control. Brushing and flossing along the edge of every filling, keeping sugary drinks and snacks to mealtimes, and a cleaning and exam twice a year mean a leaking edge gets caught while it is still a small repair.

When a tooth needs more than a filling

A filling needs healthy tooth around it to hold. When decay or an old filling has taken most of the tooth, or a cusp has cracked off, the walls that are left flex every time you bite, and a bigger filling only adds to the strain. That tooth is better protected by a crown, which covers it and holds it together.

If the decay has reached the nerve, the tooth may need root canal therapy before it can be rebuilt. We show you the X-ray and explain what we see, and when a filling will do the job properly, a filling is what we recommend.

Questions patients ask