Aesthetic Fillings

What causes tooth decay?

The combination of bacteria and food causes tooth decay. A clear, sticky substance called plaque that contains bacteria is always forming on your teeth and gums. As the bacteria feed on the sugars in the food you eat, they make acids. The acids attack the teeth for 20 minutes or more after eating. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay.

What are the symptoms?

Tooth decay usually does not cause symptoms until you have a cavity or an infected tooth. When this occurs, a toothache is the most common symptom.

How is tooth decay diagnosed?

Your dentist diagnoses tooth decay by:

• Asking questions about your past dental and medical problems and care.
• Examining your teeth, using a pointed tool and a small mirror.
• Taking X-rays of your teeth and mouth.

How is it treated?

Treatment for tooth decay depends on how bad it is. You may be able to reverse slight tooth decay by using fluoride. To fix cavities caused by mild tooth decay, your dentist will fill the cavities with another substance (fillings). For more severe tooth decay, you may need a crown or root canal. In extreme cases, your dentist may have to remove the tooth.

Dental decay occurs due to improper brushing leading to incomplete removal of food stuck in between teeth. Your dentist treats such a tooth by removal of active decay and restoring to its original form with a filling.

Depending on the extent of decay & its depth we opt to do any one or combination of the filling materials listed below-

• Composite Fillings:Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-coloured filling. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Composites can also be "bonded" or adhesively held in a cavity, often allowing the dentist to make a more conservative repair to the tooth. The cost is moderate and depends on the size of the filling and the technique used by the dentist to place it in the prepared tooth. It generally takes longer to place a composite filling than what is required for an silver amalgam filling.They are subject to stain and discoloration over time.
• Glass ionomer filling: this is a type of white coloured cement filling. Its strength is lesser than composites but its advantages are that it is less technique sensitive & leaches fluoride.

• Direct Filling
• Indirect Filling