Why Your General Dentist May Recommend a Dental Filling for a Cavity

A general dentist can check your mouth and tell you what your current dental issues are. The most common problem is the formation of cavities. Your dentist will suggest a common solution, which is a dental filling for each cavity. If you want to know why your general dentist may suggest a dental filling for your cavity, here are the facts.

The smallest holes must have dental fillings

Holes in teeth are not cavities yet. These may not even cause any pain at all. Even so, the general dentist will recommend dental fillings for them. Food particles will get into them, allowing bacteria to eat through them. This will cause them to widen and deepen. The patient must say yes to filling these holes as soon as the dentist detects them.

Prompt dental fillings are ideal. The general dentist will tell the patient if the cavity needs drilling and then a filling. For this case, the dentist will drill out the cavity and apply the dental filling. This type of filling for this type of cavity can last for at least five years. It can even last for two decades with proper care and maintenance.

The patient has a fractured tooth

Dental fractures can occur because of trauma. Common causes are falls, sports injuries, and accidents. Any hard impact on the mouth area can result in a tooth fracture. Another cause of trauma is biting into or chewing something hard. A dental fracture can also result from aging.

A general dentist can apply dental filling on the fractured part of the tooth. This will prevent the fracture from worsening. It will stop the fracture from reaching the dental pulp. The dental filling can provide proper dental protection for years, depending on the material, care, and maintenance.

There is a tooth with a large loss of tooth structure

Damage to a tooth places the entire dental structure in danger. The general dentist will recommend a dental filling to support the remaining tooth structure. This is a way to save the tooth. It is also a means to maintain uniformity in the patient’s mouth.

There is tooth discoloration

A general dentist will suggest a dental filling on a discolored tooth. Years of drinking and eating staining beverages and dishes have this effect. Teeth grinding opens the surfaces of teeth and leads to discoloration. A tooth-colored filling can restore the tooth’s normal coloration.

The tooth is chipped

A crack is almost invisible on a tooth. A chipped tooth is easy to see. This dental damage can happen because of an accident or injury. It can also result from teeth grinding and biting. A dental filling can fix a chipped tooth. The general dentist will place the filling outside the tooth to rebuild the tooth’s shape.