Fillings Strengthen Teeth and Seal Out Decay

Find out how dental fillings restore a tooth after a cavity.

Finding out you have a cavity is never fun; however, it’s usually pretty simple to treat if you are coming in regularly for checkups. Our Shelton, CT, family dentists Dr. Michael Caserta and Dr. Adrian Basu can easily treat cavities and restore a tooth with the help of a dental filling.

We found a cavity. Now what?

The first thing that needs to happen is one of our Shelton, CT, family dentists will need to remove the decay, otherwise, it will continue to spread. This is why it’s important to treat a cavity as soon as possible. Since most people don’t even experience symptoms of a cavity, it’s imperative that everyone, from children to older adults, come in every six months for routine cleanings and checkups.

Now, the enamel of your tooth doesn’t have any nerves; however, a lot of cavities develop close to the nerves of the tooth. This is why we will need to thoroughly numb the area prior to treating it. This will ensure that you don’t feel a thing as we gently drill away the decay. Depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to remove the decay.

What does a dental filling do?

Now that we’ve removed the decay we can’t just leave visible holes in your teeth. Not only is this unsightly but it will leave the tooth in a weakened, vulnerable state. We definitely don’t want that! To rebuild the tooth after your treatment we will use a dental filling.

A dental filling is applied immediately after the cavity has been removed and while it can be made from different kinds of materials, we place tooth-colored dental fillings here at our Shelton, CT, practice that is made from a special composite resin. The resin itself can easily be sculpted and contoured to the tooth, acting a lot like putty. We will even match the color of the resin to the tooth before we apply it so it matches.

When using dental resin to fill the tooth we will apply the resin in layers, making sure to mold and shape it and then lastly bonding the resin to the tooth using a special light. With a final polish, your new tooth is fully restored and healthy again.

The family dentists at Dental Associates of Shelton want to make sure that every member of your family is getting the proper dental care they need to stay healthy here in Shelton, CT. If it’s time to schedule a routine cleaning for you or a loved one, give our office a call at (203) 924-4115.