Paisley Dental Fillings
What is the Purpose of Fillings?
Fillings are required when there is a cavity (hole) in the tooth caused by decay. If this is not treated, bacteria can enter the tooth and cause infection and disease. If neglected, this gets increasingly painful and may result in tooth loss if fully ignored. As a result, it is recommended that you do everything possible to avoid dental decay, therefore, in conjunction with this portion of our website please also read our general oral healthcare section.
Procedure for Dental Fillings
Dental care in the form of a fillings treatment is a fairly straightforward process at our dental practice in Paisley. If any cavities have been identified at your check-up we will firstly remove any decay from the tooth before filling the cavity with a dental filler of the material that is appropriate for you.
Dental Filling Materials and Types of Fillings
What kinds of fillings are available?
There are a broad variety of fillings available, making it simple to repair any cavities while staying within your budget. We offer both NHS and private fillings at our Paisley dental clinic. The four major types of fillings commonly used in our Paisley dental practice and most other dental clinics are as follows:
- Composite or white fillings
- Amalgam fillings
- Porcelain fillings
- Gold fillings
Your dentist will be able to tell you how each type of filling differs and which filling is ideal for your budget and needs. We will now look at each of these in turn.
Composite or White fillings
White (composite) fillings are made out of a resin base, with powdered glass and ceramic added to build out the composite material, which comes out to a shade of white which matches your teeth to seamlessly blend in with the colour of your natural teeth. They are not traditionally as strong as metal amalgam fillings however modern practice in composite bonding now means that there are a wide range of treatments with composite fillings that are highly recommended.
If facial aesthetics and cosmetic dentistry are of important consideration to you, as well as your general oral health and dental health, then these tooth coloured fillings may be the perfect restorative treatment for your dental needs.
Traditional Grey Amalgam Fillings
The most popular type of filling is this silver-grey one. Generally speaking, we can keep more of the natural tooth structure if we use an amalgam filling. However, these fillings are not as aesthetically pleasing and attractive compared to the white filling.
The dentist’s main goal is always to keep the original tooth, which is why many practices still use amalgam fillings.
There is mercury in amalgam fillings, but the biggest risk is when the filling is being taken out. A lot of people ask for amalgam filling removal because they are afraid of the mercury, but most of the mercury is released when the filling is taken out. These reasons make it important that if you choose to have amalgams removed, you go to a dental office that specialises in this area of dentistry.
Porcelain Fillings
These are called porcelain inlays in dentistry, but they work the same way as fillings. Porcelain may not sound very strong, but that’s not even close to the truth. That’s right, the porcelain inlays dentists use are made of a very strong feldspar quartz mix that is very strong when glued or laminated onto the tooth. Take a look at your car’s laminated windshield. The pieces that make it up aren’t very strong on their own, but when they’re glued together, they’re very strong. This is what happens when you put in a ceramic inlay.
To be honest, we haven’t shown a picture of a porcelain implant because they look so much like natural teeth that you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It’s kind of like a white filling.
One bad thing about porcelain filling is that they don’t work right away. Fillings made of amalgam or white composite can be put in right away while you are still at the dentist’s office. A dental tech with a lot of experience needs to make porcelain fillings. This means that after we remove the decay from your tooth, we need to make an impression of it. This impression is then sent to the dental tech, who can use it to make a ceramic filling that fits the hole.
A temporary filling will be put in your tooth while you wait for a dental tech to make your new porcelain filling. This can get stained, especially if you eat a lot of chicken tikka masala, drink a lot of red wine or coffee, smoke, or consume a lot of anything that is likely to stain teeth.
It takes about a week to two weeks to make the porcelain inlay, and it should last for many years after it is put in.
Gold Fillings
Gold fillings aren’t used as much these days. This is mostly because of how they look and, more lately, because of how much gold costs. One thing, though, is that gold is great for dentistry.
Gold is very flexible, which means it can be easily shaped to fit very precisely into the hole that was left when the decay was taken out. Furthermore, it is very smooth, which keeps the teeth next to it from wearing down, which can happen with some other filling materials. Gold is also fully inert, which means it doesn’t react with the body and doesn’t seem to have any issues in the mouth.
From a scientific point of view, this makes gold one of the best things to put in your mouth. However, we know that some people don’t want gold in their mouths!
Maintaining Dental Fillings
Exactly how you should take care of it depends on what kind of filling you have. To be sure, treat the tooth gently for a few days. It’s usually painful for the tooth when decay is removed, so eating soft foods for a day or two and staying away from very hot or cold foods will always be better for your tooth.
If you had a porcelain inlay attached to your tooth, the bonding glue may not fully set for a few hours either. For this reason, you should also avoid very chewy foods for a few days after getting a dental filling.
At our Paisley dental office, we have a variety of tooth fillings that can be used in different situations and fit your budget. You should make an appointment, fill out the form on the right side of this page, or just stop by and see us.
FAQ’S
How long do dental fillings last?
This depends entirely on the type of filling you choose. Tooth-coloured (composite) fillings are becoming increasingly popular since they are more unnoticed and mixed in with natural teeth; nonetheless, they are frequently seen as less durable when compared to their metal counterpart.
Composite fillings typically last between 10 and 12 years. Amalgam fillings last slightly longer, typically 15 years.
Do fillings cause pain?
Before we begin the procedure, our professional and friendly staff will help our patients to feel at ease. We will then numb your mouth so that the only pain you experience is the slight sting or scrape from the local anaesthetic injection. This will prevent you from feeling any pain or discomfort from this dental treatment.
What are fillings used for?
Even when you maintain good oral health and preventive measures plaque build-up can sometimes cause holes in the teeth. This is brought on by bacteria found in plaque, which can become acidic and break down the surface of the tooth, leaving a cavity behind.
To avoid infections, these holes must be filled with fillings, which is usually a simple dental procedure. This is how we fix cavities in a painless fashion and thus avoid future infection, the need for more complex dental surgery and to leave you in good dental health.
NHS and Private Fillings
The NHS dental treatment will allow provision of dental fillings. However NHS regulations mean that white composite fillings on the biting surfaces of premolar and molar teeth on adult patients are not usually covered unless the patient is pregnant. However at our dental practice in the heart of Paisley we can offer these fillings as a private dental treatment. We are a Paisley dentist who also offers a full range of other private treatments such as dental implants and cosmetic dental treatments, orthodontic brace treatments, teeth whitening, denture treatment and crowns and veneers. Contact us for an appointment.