Cavities are holes in your teeth that are caused by decay. Lots of bacteria can get onto your teeth if you don’t brush them every day. When this happens, they form decay, which basically starts to eat away at your teeth. The longer you leave it, the bigger a cavity will become. 

During a dental cleaning, your dentist targets these problem areas, removes any plaque or tartar using special cleaning tools, and leaves your mouth feeling fresh and clean. The great thing about dental cleaning is that it helps to prevent gum disease and tooth decay by removing more of the plaque and bacteria in your mouth.

Fillings are a treatment used to restore cavities. In essence, your dentist removes the decay from your tooth, then use a substance to fill the cavity. From here, they shape the substance, so it forms an accurate replica of your tooth. Now, your cavity has gone, and you’ve managed to preserve the rest of your natural tooth. 

There are two common types of cavity fillings; composite and amalgam. 

Amalgam fillings are the most traditional and have been used for decades. This is a silver metal that’s very strong and extremely cost-effective. They’re commonly used for large cavity fillings in the back of the mouth. The downside of amalgam fillings is that they’re not very natural. They stick out like a sore thumb, which is why they’re often found hidden away in your back teeth. 

Composite fillings are made out of white material that offers a more natural look and feel. It’s still a very durable option, and there’s less chance of this filling falling out. They’re often used at the front of the mouth because of how similar they look to the rest of your teeth, making them hard to notice. The only drawback is that they’re more expensive than amalgam ones. 

Before you start looking for fillings near me, you should figure out if you need this treatment or not. Cavities can have various signs or symptoms, the most common of which are these: 

• Pain in your tooth
• Extra sensitivity in your tooth
• A dark mark forming in your tooth that gets bigger and bigger

Naturally, the first two symptoms can be indicative of many other oral health problems. But, if all three exist together, and they persist for over a week, then the signs are you have a cavity and need a filling. So, see a dentist and they will provide an x-ray to confirm if cavities are present. 

If you’re looking for fillings in Stamford and want to know what the procedure is like, then it will go as follows. 

Firstly, your dentist takes x-rays to see the extent of the cavity and how big it is. If it’s considerably deep and big, then a crown may be the better option as hardly any of your tooth is left over. If not, then they will go ahead with the cavity filling. 

You’ll receive a local anesthetic to numb the area, then your dentist will use special tools to drill into your tooth. Here, they’re removing all the decay from the cavity. They ensure that no decay is left, then they begin filling the hole. 

With amalgam fillings, the metal hardens as it is introduced to the hole. The dentist works quickly to shape the tooth and make it look as natural as possible. A similar process happens with composite fillings, but a UV light is used to cure the composite resin and harden it. 

At this point, the procedure is complete, and you’ll be sent on your way. It’s likely the area around the filling will be numb as the anesthetic takes time to wear off, so be careful when eating as you can bite your lip!

Cavity fillings are essential if you have tooth decay. Without them, the decay will continue to grow and get deeper into the tooth. This leads to a bigger cavity, which can eventually cause damage to the root. As a result, you end up needing either a root canal or an extraction – both of which are more expensive than a simple filling. 

If you have cavities in Stamford and need urgent treatment, then we can help you out. The team at Dental Care Stamford can provide expert fillings for your cavities. Call us today, and we will book you in at the next available appointment slot. Our dentists have years of experience, meaning the entire appointment shouldn’t take that long at all. You’ll be in and out before you know it, and your cavities will be a thing of the past.