Five Signs Indicating You Need Dental Fillings
Dental fillings have been around for over a century. These helpful oral health aids have benefited numerous teeth over time. Unfortunately, a common perception among people is the only reason when a dental filling becomes necessary is to occupy the hollow space in your tooth after getting it drilled by the dentist in San Clemente. Filling cavities is undoubtedly the primary reason to have dental fillings. However, there are also additional reasons that are worth noting.
Time was when silver amalgam was the only material besides gold to fill dental cavities. Those days dental technology had not improved to its current levels. People confronting challenges like broken or chipped teeth could either live with them or without them. Some people even tried metal fillings on their front teeth with disastrous effects. Thankfully the advances in dentistry now make different available materials for filling teeth, expanding the scope of having dental fillings for reasons besides a cavity.
This article looks at the five top reasons when dental fillings are necessary. Please continue reading to benefit from the information in this article.
1. Cavities Regardless of Their Size Require Prompt Restorations
Dentists are the only professionals who can identify and tell if you have a cavity in your tooth requiring drilling and filling. For example, suppose tooth decay affects you to cause a hole; the San Clemente dentist drills out the decayed portion of the tooth to apply a filler. Dental fillings in San Clemente last for approximately for years or more with proper dental and.
2. Small Crevices in Teeth Benefit from Dental Fillings
In some cases, many patients have small crevices in one of several teeth. The cracks are not cavities but undoubtedly have the potential to trap food and bacteria, resulting in cavities over time. Therefore, the holes need fillings promptly to avoid the possibility of tooth decay. Moreover, unless you get dental fillings promptly, the holes can expand to create significant problems.
3. Dental Fillings Also Benefit Fractured Teeth
With alternatives now available for metal fillings, fractured teeth are also benefiting from composite resin fillings. Your teeth can fracture for various reasons, including physical contact during sporting activities, slip and fall accidents, altercations, and chewing on complex objects like pencils and pens. The natural but irreversible aging process can also leave you with fractured teeth. You can protect your teeth from impacts during sporting activities to prevent fractures. However, there is no harm in discussing the merits of using dental fillings for fractured teeth because you will likely surprise yourself when you understand how effective they are.
4. Dental Fillings Also Help Cover Discolored Teeth
Many people have severely discolored teeth after overexposure to coffee, tea, red wine, and other acidic foods and beverages. In addition, discoloration is common among people affected by bruxism or who use their teeth for purposes other than eating. If discolored teeth are concerning, you can discuss the possibility of applying and filling the discoloration to conceal the tooth with your dentist.
5. Dental Fillings Helpful after Gradual Tooth Structure Loss
If you have a damaged tooth, you also jeopardize its structure. Dentists suggest you apply a dental filling for increased support and uniformity throughout your mouth if sufficient tooth structure loss is visible.
How to Determine Why You Need Dental Fillings?
The optimal way to determine whether you need dental fillings is to schedule six-monthly visits with the San Clemente dentist for exams. When dentists examine your teeth either visually or by taking dental x-rays, they determine an accurate assessment of your dental health. In addition, dentists can identify even micro-cavities not visible to the naked eye by looking at images of your teeth.
When dentists take x-rays, they get images of your entire mouth and not just a single tooth making it convenient for them to identify issues like chips and fractures. When such problems are noticed, dentists create a personalized treatment to explicitly detail what must be done to correct the damages to your teeth.
If the examination reveals damages, as mentioned above, the dentist recommends restoring the teeth with dental fillings or, in severe cases, even inlays and Onlays or dental crowns. A personalized treatment plan is the only way to determine whether or not you need dental fillings.
Do not assume dental fillings only help restore cavities because dentistry advances have made filling materials more versatile, allowing dentists to provide more treatments than just drill and fill holes.