Dental Fillings: Why fillings are done and the process
The idea of having your first filling (whether you’re young or an adult) can be quite daunting. Not knowing what goes into your mouth or the steps involved in a filling procedure is always left up to the imagination and sometimes can be worsened by the multiple cartoons or horror stories from other family or friends.
However, it is a very easy and pain-free appointment once you know what is happening and why! In most cares, a filling is performed when a tooth has a hole or decay in it! Therefore the tooth structure is not remineralized and will not reform/regrow and needs to be removed and restored with a filling material.
The appointment begins with the dentist explaining to you what will happen and how. The next step is usually numbing up the tooth so your filling is pain-free and there are no excessively cold sensations. You should only be able to feel some water spraying on your tooth and nothing else. This is usually the most ‘difficult’ part of the appointment for most patients however once your tooth is numb it’s all smooth sailing from there on! Next, the dentist will remove all the infected tooth structure and then rebuild the missing parts of the tooth with a filling material. Although this material is not equal in qualities to your natural tooth – it is the best solution in the situation of having a filling.
Once the filling has been placed the dentist will then adjust the bite, so it is comfortable for you to chew with! Just like that the appointment will be over sooner than you know and you can get back to using your tooth normally (after the numbing sensation has worn off)
