Next to general cleaning perhaps the next most common dental procedure is having a tooth filled which has decayed. When filling a tooth a Southport dentist does two things:
* Removes the tooth matter which has been caused by decay
* Apply material which fills the void left from preparation, returning the tooth to its normal state
Although the majority of decayed teeth can be repaired by filling the cavity there are times when a dentist will see a tooth which is beyond repair in the normal manner, in these situations the Southport dentist will suggest a crown or a dental implant if the tooth must be extracted. A crown is made in a dental lab; once the decayed tooth has been prepared the dentist will make a cast, a crown, often made of porcelain is fitted to the prepared tooth and held with a special adhesive. A dental implant is used if the tooth has to be removed. The dentist will fit a titanium screw directly into the jaw bone, after the bone and implant have become one the dentist fits a crown. Both alternatives give excellent results.
Phase one of the procedure for filling a cavity is the elimination of decay and preparing the site. This is the part of the procedure that causes anxiety in most patients; this is not a problem as the dentist will use a topical material to numb the area. The decay is excised by using a rotary drill and various other instruments. Even though the dentist has numbed the area and little or no pain will be felt there is still noise and odor which can have an upsetting affect on the patient.
In recent years sedation dentistry has become quite popular. For patients that are nervous and anxious the Southport dentist can administer medications; perhaps the most commonly used is nitrous oxide, better known as “laughing gas.” The patient remains perfectly conscious during the entire procedure; however patients are basically unaware of what is going on around them and they remember nothing once the procedure is completed. Sedation dentistry adds little to the cost of the treatment but it is something that is certainly recommended for patients who suffer anxiety.
Stage one is the difficult part, stage two is far less severe or traumatizing. The Southport dentist prepares the filling material, the material can either be a tooth colored polymer resin or amalgam. Amalgam contains mercury and as a result more and more patients are requesting tooth colored restorations regardless of the tooth that has been filled.
No matter how well a person looks after their teeth it is possible to get a cavity. A Southport dentist finds that polymer resin fillings to be superior, not only because they look better, the material creates a superior fit. Contact Art of Modern Dentistry by visiting their website.
