Fillings (Restorations)

Even though we spend time trying to maintain our  oral health cavities (decay) can still occur.  This is usually diagnosed through a combination of visual examinations, the use of x-rays and using dental instruments that can feel for decay.  If left untreated the cavity will continue to progress and become more extensive.  This can lead to teeth that become abscessed or have so much tooth destruction that restoring them may become impossible.

Generally we begin to restore teeth by freezing the area.  This allows us to work on the tooth painlessly.  After the tooth is numb we can proceed to remove the decay using dental drills.  This instrument is usually run using water and air to keep the tooth nicely cooled.  Once the Dentist is satisfied that all the decay is removed the resulting hole is restored using various materials such as silver amalgam or white resin restoration. These materials can be either tooth colored, silver or gold.

With the filling (restoration) placed the tooth will be completely functional and the cavity (decay) will no longer be able to develop.