The Dental Filling Process: What Happens Step by Step

Cavities are common and affect everyone from children to adults. The causes vary, from simply being lazy about brushing to brushing the wrong way. A cavity makes eating and drinking difficult. The tooth feels sensitive, food gets stuck in the hole, and a broken tooth can cause cuts or canker sores on the tongue. The purpose of a filling is to close the hole in the tooth and reduce the risk of decay.

The first step when you find a cavity is to see a dentist right away. After the examination, the dentist decides on the next steps: whether the patient needs an X-ray, what material will fill the tooth, how many visits it will take, and what the price will be. Filling materials come in many types, such as amalgam, ceramic, resin and even gold alloy. Once the patient agrees to the whole treatment plan, the filling can begin. In certain cases, however, the patient must have root canal (endodontic) treatment first, if it is needed.

Root Canal Treatment (Endodontic)

Root canal treatment is done when the cavity is large and has reached the root. The area is cleaned so no germs remain that could cause pain later. Only after the root canal treatment is finished can the tooth be given a filling.

Local Anesthesia

Local anesthesia is applied around the tooth to be filled. It reduces or removes pain during the procedure by temporarily switching off the nerve's function.

Removing the Decay

The affected tooth is partly cut away and cleaned of the debris left by decay inside the tooth. This step also creates room so the filling material can go into the cavity.

Etching

Etching is the process of treating the tooth with an acid gel so it is stronger when it receives the filling material chosen at the start, during the consultation.

Applying the Filling Material

The material chosen to suit the patient's needs is placed into the cavity, which has been cleared of decay and etched. This takes a varying amount of time depending on the material and how difficult the case is. If the cavity is quite severe, several visits are usually needed, because the material must first be made in a laboratory and the placement technique must be done in stages so the filling does not break easily and bonds well to the patient's tooth.

Polishing
Once everything is in place, the filling needs to be polished so that it does not feel sharp or harm the tooth it bites against. The polishing process also depends on the material used: some is done the same day, some at the next visit.