Dental Fillings
Dental Fillings
When dental decay compromises a tooth’s structure and creates a cavity, a tooth filling gets placed to repair it to its natural form and restore its strength and function. Because tooth decay remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases affecting children and adults worldwide, Dr. Ayoub routinely performs dental filling procedures.
At the office of Dentistry By Design, PC, we provide efficient and gentle treatment and maintain at the forefront of advancements in dental care to provide our patients with the highest quality of aesthetically appealing and durable dental fillings.
Restore Your Teeth with Dental Fillings
At the office of Dentistry By Design, we tailor treatment to address specific dental needs and expectations of care. As with all the services our practice provides, we’ll explain all your options in care, including the type of dental filling materials we offer to restore your tooth. Our goals are to gently remove the dental decay and the damaged tooth structure and then rebuild your tooth’s form and function while providing you healthy, durable, long-lasting, and cosmetically pleasing results.
What are the different types of dental fillings?
While traditional dental materials like gold and amalgam have been in use for over a century, recent advances in dental technology have made a more expansive and improved selection of restorative choices widely available. Beyond offering strength and durability, these new filling materials provide aesthetically pleasing and natural-looking results.
Types Of Tooth Fillings
Composite Fillings
Composite fillings, frequently referred to as either “tooth-colored fillings” or “white fillings,” consist of biocompatible resins and finely ground, glass-like dental materials that become solid and durable when set. Available in a complete variety of natural-looking shades, composite fillings offer a cosmetically attractive alternative to conventional “silver” fillings. Dr. Ayoub will also use composite resins in dental bonding procedures to enhance a tooth’s shape or color. Dentists will also use composite resin to mask tooth defects and to close minor gaps between teeth.
Silver Fillings (Amalgam)
For years, amalgam dental fillings were the standard of dental care for restoring and repairing decayed teeth. While amalgam fillings don’t offer the cosmetic appeal of other filling materials, amalgam restorations are strong, durable, and less likely than some fillings to break or wear down.
Glass Ionomers
Glass ionomer cement is another white filling material that bonds to the tooth’s surface, providing a tight seal between the tooth and the surrounding oral environment. Glass ionomer cement offers a natural-looking restoration that slowly releases fluoride to strengthen and protect the problem tooth from future tooth decay. Since they are not as strong or wear-resistant as other dental filling materials, glass ionomers are commonly used to treat infant teeth, cavities near the gum line, and temporary fillings.
Ceramic Dental Fillings
Dental labs make ceramic fillings, inlays, and onlays from the highest quality dental porcelain and ceramics. Ceramic fillings are the most wear and stain-resistant option in tooth-colored fillings. These restorations offer strong, durable, attractive, and long-lasting results. While “direct” fillings, like amalgam and composite fillings, get placed immediately after Dr. Ayoub prepares the tooth, “indirect” fillings, such as inlays or onlays, get manufactured outside the mouth before insertion and cementation or bonding.
Gold Fillings
Far less common and more expensive than the other materials, gold fillings remain an excellent restoration material. With superb physical and chemical properties, gold fillings are strong, durable, long-lasting, and excellent with surrounding tissues.
Tooth Cavities
Once Dr. Ayoub has a chance to assess your smile, he’ll advise you of his findings and outline a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan to help ensure your smile stays healthy and functions at its finest. If tooth decay is detected, we’ll schedule an appointment to treat those cavities and place the needed fillings or restorations.
At the office of Dentistry By Design, PC, patient care and comfort are our primary focus. While filling cavities is the most common and routine dental procedures in dentistry, our office understands that you have questions and concerns and will keep you well-informed every step of the treatment.
Treating a cavity involves gently removing decayed and damaged tooth structure and preparing the remaining tooth to secure the new filling. Although every individual and smile is unique, you can expect your office visit to take about an hour.
In most cases, this office visit is completed under local anesthesia. Your tooth will be completely numb as Dr. Ayoub completes the work, and you should not feel discomfort. A dental drill, laser, or air abrasion technology can remove decay. Once our dentist, Dr. Joe Ayoub excavates the cavity and a healthy tooth structure remains, it’s time for him to place the filling. Your dentist will typically place composite fillings, glass ionomer cement, and amalgam fillings immediately. However, in the case of an extensive cavity, Dr. Ayoub may place a tiny palliative dressing and a temporary filling. Whatever type of filling Dr. Joe uses, our office will check for a perfect fit, any necessary polishing, and meticulous adjustments to the bite to ensure optimal comfort and function.
For patients with dental anxiety, you can rest assured that the Office of Dentistry By Design, PC is mindful of your needs. With advanced-training and state-of-the-art technology, we pride ourselves on providing gentle dentistry to patients with anxiety or fear of the dentist. We do all we can to make your office visit comfortable, easy, and stress-free. While Dr. Ayoub performs dental procedures under local anesthesia, we’re also happy to discuss further options for dental sedation.
What Do I Need To Know Following The Placement Of My New Filling?
At the office of Dentistry By Design, PC, our primary goal is to help our patients enjoy optimal oral health and to keep them well-informed at every step of the treatment process.
Immediately after the placement of a new filling, it’s essential to keep the following in mind:
Until the anesthesia wears off
Immediately following your dental appointment, you may experience lingering numbness. The usual sensation usually returns within a couple of hours. However, until the anesthetic has completely worn off, you must protect yourself from unintentionally biting and injuring your lips, cheeks, tongue, or gums. Remember to be mindful when chewing, drinking hot beverages, or smoking.
Your restored tooth may feel slightly different
While our South Huntington dentist takes the utmost care to polish your new filling and correct the bite, on some occasions, a patient may feel additional smoothing or further bite adjustment is needed.
Now that your tooth has been restored and rebuilt, it may feel slightly different
While we take the utmost care to polish your new filling and make sure the bite is correct, on rare occasions, a patient may feel additional minor smoothing or further bite adjustment is required.
You may experience short-term sensitivity
It is perfectly common for a tooth to feel a little sensitive after the placement of a dental filling. Patients may experience sensitivity when eating hot or cold foods or beverages. This minor sensitivity should subside within a few days. If the sensitivity worsens, you are experiencing ongoing pain, or you develop other symptoms, call our office for a dental exam.
Caring for your new restoration
Our South Huntington dentist’s office uses the latest generations of strong and durable filling materials. Your new filling should last many years with proper oral hygiene and routine care. However, in extreme cases of extensive tooth decay or trauma to the problem tooth, you may need to replace even the best restoration or further dental work may be necessary.
Schedule A Dental Fillings Appointment
Contact our dental team at 631-823-1004 to schedule a dental exam and consultation for a dental filling today. With over 20 years of experience, our dental team treats tooth decay and other dental problems with dental fillings for patients from South Huntington, Huntington, Melville, NY and the surrounding areas.