Fillings
Spokane, WA

While you are sitting home reading this right now, do you have a toothache? Are you in pain? Has it been hurting for a while, and are you tired of it hurting? If you are, you may want to see us. You may have a cavity, which means you may also need a dental filling. Do you know what a filling is? Do you know what they are used for? If you’re not sure, why not take a minute to let Smile More Spokane Family Dentistry tell you what fillings are, and why you might need one.

Reasons You Might Need a Filling

We use fillings to save a tooth and make it stronger. We use fillings to stop tooth decay from causing further damage to a tooth. You have a mouthful of bacteria - whether you know it or not. If you don’t brush or floss your teeth as often as you should, and you don’t visit us, bacteria stay on your teeth far longer than they should. Those bacteria can eat holes in your teeth over time.

The tiny holes bacteria for bigger and bigger as they eat away more of your tooth. Holes created by bacteria can eventually reach the nerves or pulp of your teeth. That’s when you will start to feel pain. Those holes in your teeth are cavities. If the cavity doesn’t get fixed, it will continue to get bigger and deeper. You will be in a lot more pain, and other teeth could become infected as well. That cavity then might cause you to lose your tooth. No one wants that to happen.

Fillings

We do have some good news. We can end your pain by using a filling - which will also make your tooth stronger and more resistant to the infection. First, we need to drill a hole in your tooth to get the cavity out. While this sounds horrible, we numb your mouth, so you don’t feel any pain. We drill all of the cavity out of your mouth, and we clean the tooth up. That way, you don’t get another infection in that tooth. Once your tooth is cavity-free and disinfected, we use the material to fill in the hole where the cavity was. The filling works to fill in the hole and protect it from damage from the bacteria.

What Are Fillings Made Of?

There are two different kinds of fillings we can use. In the past, we only used silver amalgam fillings because they are stronger and last a long time. We still use amalgam fillings, but the silver is different now. We also use dental composite to make the fillings. The composite is a combination of glass and plastic, which resembles your natural teeth. Composite fillings can make your cavity nearly invisible. Depending on where your cavity is located, we will help you decide which filling is best for you.

Do you have questions about fillings? Do you think you might need a filling? Why not give Smile More Spokane Family Dentistry a call at (509) 505-6303. We would love to talk to you about fillings.