When it comes to dental health and the dentist’s office, there is one thing that a lot of people fear. Cavities can be caused by bacteria breaking down sugars within the mouth, and in order to properly deal with the cavities, fillings must be administered. In this article, we’ll explain the process of dental fillings in order to give you a little bit of increased knowledge surrounding the topic that so many of us fear.

When a filling is administered, the dentist uses a drill in order to fully expose the damage that has been done to the tooth. Once the dentist has used the drill to reach the root of the problem, they employ a type of filling which may be made of several different materials. Dental amalgam is a commonly employed type of filling, and it is made of silver, tin, copper, and mercury. It’s an inexpensive type of filling material which holds up well over time when it comes to biting into food. These types of fillings can be easily seen since they have a silvery appearance.

Porcelain fillings are a type of filling that are gaining more and more recognition in the world of dentistry. One of the most wonderful aspects of porcelain fillings is the fact that they are the color of teeth, so it is not as easy to tell when someone has a porcelain filling as opposed to a dental amalgam one. Porcelain fillings are not without their drawbacks, however, and getting a porcelain filling usually involves at least two trips to the dentist’s office and they are more likely to break over time than their amalgam counterparts.

Another commonly used type of material for fillings is known as composite resin. This type of material consists of a combination of glass and powdered resin. Composite resin fillings are rather durable, and fairly able to resist the damage that can be caused from biting down. Composite resin can be made in different colors, allowing for tooth-colored fillings to mask the appearance of the cavity. They also have some drawbacks, however, including the fact that they are known to shrink when hardened, leaving the possibility of leakage lurking.

As with any different types of medical procedures, having a cavity filled is not a process that comes without any types of side effects. Since there are so many different types of materials that can be used in dental fillings, you need to ensure that you are not allergic to any of the materials that are present in the filling that you are considering getting.

Now that you know a little bit more about the different types of materials that are commonly used for dental fillings, you are better able to make the kinds of determinations that you need to when you find out that you have a cavity. When it comes to dental health, you should do all that you can to avoid the need of having a filling by maintaining a regular schedule of brushing your teeth and flossing, with regular dental visits to ensure that your mouth is in the shape that it should be.