Why Is Anesthesia Necessary for Tooth Filling?
Tooth decay is an oral issue that, if left untreated, can pose a threat to your oral health and lead to severe pain. Luckily, at Ellerslie Dental Clinic, your dentist will use tooth fillings to treat your decay problem and help restore your perfect smile. Dental filling restoration requires a dental expert to clear any infected or decayed tissue and then use a filling to restore the tooth’s structural integrity.
You can also visit our offices if you are looking for emergency dentistry in South West Edmonton.
Signs You Need Dental Fillings
A constant enduring toothache is one of the most recognizable signs indicating a problem with oral health. In most cases, people who experience this painful sensation will have to get a dental filling as part of the overall dental healthcare. In addition, be on the lookout for increased tooth sensitivity, especially to hot and cold beverages or foods.
Other symptoms that show you need to visit your dentist for dental fillings in Edmonton are:
- A broken or chipped tooth
- Eating food and the particles getting stuck
- Presence of a visible opening, small hole, or cavity on your tooth’s surface
- Black or dark brown spots on teeth
What Steps Are Involved in Filling a Tooth?
According to dental statistics, almost every person will have a tooth cavity at some point in their lifetime. This explains why filling procedures are among the most widely performed restorative dental procedures worldwide, with estimations that around 175 million tooth-filling procedures occur yearly.
The tooth-filling procedure treats dental decay preventing extensive damage to oral tissues that can cause tooth loss. You are likely to experience some discomfort during this procedure, but the whole process should be painless. If you feel severe or moderate pain after or during the procedure, let your dentist know.
Here are the basic steps of a tooth-filling procedure:
Consultation Visit and Planning
The first step of the filling procedure will involve booking a consultation appointment with a dentist near you. During this visit, the dental expert will inspect your oral cavity and the diseased teeth to determine how extensive the damage is. With the help of a dental probe and a caries-detecting liquid, dentists are able to investigate the problematic areas in your mouth. This helps the dentist to come up with the best treatment course and will then decide if fillings are the best fit for your teeth. You may also be required to take a dental x-ray as it provides more precise health information regarding the location of the affected tooth and the severity of your decay.
Fillings are best considered when the fractures are minor and the decay less progressive. When the damage on your tooth is extensive, your dentist may consider other restorative options like a tooth crown or a dental implant.
If you qualify to get a dental filling, you will have to choose the filling material of your preference, but your dentist will help you pick the one that suits you. The right material choice will be influenced by specific factors like your medical history, financial availability, preference, aesthetic needs, and, most important, the cavity’s location.
The Procedure
The initial step of the filling procedure is the administration of local anesthesia to numb the area surrounding the decayed tooth. This aims to make the procedure pain-free and increase patient comfort throughout the procedure.
Next, the damaged tooth is prepared for restoration, and this will involve removing the decayed parts of your tooth with a dental laser or hand-piece device. An acid gel is then used to cleanse the tooth and remove all the remaining debris and bacteria. The filling is then applied to the cavity, and the tooth is sealed.
Fillings Aftercare
After a filling procedure, your dentist will recommend not drinking or eating until the numbing effect wears off. This is because you risk accidentally biting your tongue or your cheeks.
Can We Skip Anesthesia for Filling?
Our dentist in South West Edmonton uses anesthesia during a tooth-filling process because parts of the decayed tooth need to be drilled out from inside the tooth. Although the drilling can be done without numbing your mouth, anesthesia is used as a form of precaution since the drilling can be quite painful if the numbing agent is not used.