Everything You Need to Know About Cavity Filling and its Procedure

November 26, 2024, Ziva Dental

Did you know that dental cavities are one of the most common chronic diseases globally, affecting around 2.3 billion people? These tiny holes in your teeth may seem harmless at first, but if left untreated, they can lead to serious oral health problems.

However, one of the most common ways to treat cavities is by getting dental fillings from a dental clinic in San Antonio.

But what are dental fillings? How many types are there, and which one should I opt for?

If these are some of the questions that are hovering in your mind, then this article is for you.

What are Dental Fillings?
A dental filling is a restorative dentistry treatment that is used to repair cavities or fix minor chips and cracks in your teeth.

Types of Dental Fillings
There are many types of dental fillings that dentists on Culebra Rd offer. But they all come under one of two categories: direct or indirect.

Direct Fillings
In direct fillings, dentists place fillings directly in your mouth without requiring a dental laboratory or temporary restoration.

Common materials of direct fillings include:
● Resin Composite: This is a tooth-colored, resin-based filling that contains powdered quartz, silica, or glass.
● Glass Ionomer: This is also a tooth-colored filling that is made from silica glass powder.
● Amalgam: This is a silver-colored filling which contains mercury mixed with silver, tin, zinc, and copper.

Indirect Fillings
In this method, your dentist will first take impressions of your teeth using CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) technology.
Inlays and onlays are two popular types of indirect fillings used when a tooth is damaged for a regular filling but not damaged enough to require a dental crown. These fillings are designed to fit seamlessly into your tooth structure, just like a precise puzzle piece.

Common materials for indirect fillings include:
● Gold: This filling is gold in color and contains gold mixed with other metals like silver, tin, copper, or palladium.
● Porcelain: This indirect filling is tooth-colored and contains a blend of minerals like feldspar, quartz, and kaolin.

Maintenance and Care
If you have got dental fillings, here are some tips to help maintain and care for them:
● Brush twice daily, floss once, and rinse with antimicrobial mouthwash to keep your dental fillings clean.
● Avoid hard and sticky foods like ice, hard candy, popcorn, etc., as they can damage or crack the fillings.
● If you are into contact sports or grind your teeth at night, wear a mouthguard to protect the fillings.

Ultimately, these are some of the things about dental fillings. However, if you wish to direct filling or indirect filling, consult dental experts at Ziva Dental today.

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