After dealing with some tooth pain, you may have made a trip to the dentist's office only to find out that you have a cavity. Your dentist has likely told you that you will need to get a filling to save the tooth. If this is the first time you have ever had a cavity, you might not know why you need a filling, but it is something that can protect your damaged tooth for years to come.
You Need to Have the Decaying Pieces of Tooth Removed
When the dentist notices a cavity, he or she will want to take care of those decaying pieces of tooth before the decay starts to get worse, taking over a larger portion of the tooth. When the decay goes untreated, the cavity becomes larger and eventually the tooth needs to be extracted because it is simply too infected to fix. Tooth decay is genuinely bad for you because it leads to infections that can cause excruciating pain, bad breath, and abscesses. Those abscesses could cause you to feel incredibly sick throughout the body. Too many people are not aware of the seriousness of tooth decay and the negative impact it can have on their health. When you agree to get a filling, the dentist can remove those decaying pieces of your tooth and then cover the tooth with that protective filling.
You Need to Have a Way to Protect the Tooth and Keep It Healthy
Having more protection for your tooth is a must. After the decay is removed, there may be a small or large hole on the tooth that needs to get covered. The dentist covers that hole with a durable filling. Most fillings are going to stay in place for several years. The fillings may need to be replaced every 10-15 years, but only if they are wearing down and start to cause problems for you. If you continue to take the best care of your teeth while avoiding those sticky candies that can damage fillings, you can keep your new filling in great condition for an even longer period.
If your dentist recommends getting a filling because he or she has found evidence of decay on a part of your teeth, you should agree to have the procedure done because you need to save the tooth. The dentist may use resin that matches your tooth shade when filling the tooth, so that means no one will even know that you have a filling in your mouth. After you get the filling, your tooth should feel so much better.
Contact a clinic, like Tijeras Dental Service, for more information.
Share6 January 2019
My son was outside playing with some friends when he accidentally fell down and hit his mouth on the sidewalk. The fall knocked out his front tooth, so I immediately placed the tooth in a small jar and added some milk. I rushed my son to the dental clinic and the dentist immediately took us into the examination room. The dentist placed the tooth back into the socket and saved it. My name is Beverly Tillman and thanks to the quick work of the dentist, my son didn't lose his tooth. Since this was a scary time for me and my son, I wanted to write this blog as a source of information for other parents who are facing a dental emergency. First of all, don't panic and get to your dentist as soon as possible. I hope this blog will help to answer your questions about dental emergencies.