White Fillings

Family & Pediatric Dentistry in Farmington and Plainville, CT

White Fillings

Cavity Infections - Why Do You Get Them?

A cavity is a bacterial infection caused by Strep bacteria eating their (and our) favorite food... SUGAR. Just like you, the Strep (Streptococcus mutans, an anaerobic, Gram-positive coccus-shaped bacterium commonly found in the human oral cavity) bacteria digest sugar and make acid toxic waste which burns holes in your teeth called cavities.

Cavity infections are on the rise.Why? People are keeping more teeth longer (a good thing), but think fluoride makes them immune to cavities... And continue to eat all that junk food!Everyone knows sugar in candy and snacks causes cavities. Kid's problem- right?

Wrong! Adults, did you know that beverages are worse? Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Mountain Dew, soda, Gatorade, Powerade, KoolAid, Lemonade, Slurpy, Big Gulp, Juicy Juice, Snapple, Arizona, Ice tea, Nestea, Dunkin Donuts coffee "sweet & lite", Starbucks Frappuccino, chocolate milk, strawberry milk, Red Bull, Sports Shots, etc, etc, etc... convenience junk drinks.There are up to18 teaspoons of sugar in each bottle, can or box - that's right!Don't forget sugary chewing gum- a big habit especially among teen gals and chewing tobacco with guys.

See http://www.sugarstacks.com/beverages.htm

4 grams = 1 teaspoon of sugar

gram Teaspoon Plain Milk 12 3 Nestle Nesquik Milk Chocolate Lowfat 30 7.5 Nestle NesQuik Milk Strawberry 31 7.75 Organic Valley Chocolate Lowfat Milk 25 6.25 Hershey's 2% Chocolate Milk 29 7.25 Coca-Cola Classic 27 6.75 Sprite 26 6.5 Mountain Dew 46.5 11.6 SunKist Soda 84 21 Capri Sun Juice Drink Red Berry 21 5.25 Apple & Eve 100% Juice Apple 22 5.5 Arizona Rx Energy 83 21 SoBe Green Tea 61 15.3

Cavities, like many diseases, when detected early means limited treatment and excellent prognosis.

You can even heal tiny cavities that have not penetrated through the enamel shell at home with toothpaste that has - like Sensodyne Pronamel or better yet GC MI Paste (RECALDENT (CPP-ACP Casein Phosphopeptite (CPP) and Amorphous Calcium Phosphate (ACP). http://www.mi-paste.com/recaldent.php

Left untreated, the bacteria penetrate under the enamel and quickly destroy the softer dentin under it.The cavity will get bigger, thus, a filling is necessary to stop it, by cleaning out the bacterial infection and restoring the shape of the tooth.Without a filling the cavity will enlarge toward the nerve canal.A tooth ache and abscess problem is the result requiring extensive expensive treatment.

Fillings (Tooth Repair)

 

Composite Fillings (Tooth Color Fillings)

At Compassion Dental, Composite is the filling material of choice when it comes to matching your tooth color. New composite fillings consist of plastic matrix filled with microscopic and "nano"meter plastic and glass particles. They have become the most popular filling materials because they can match your existing tooth color, solidly bond to teeth and can be polished.

Once the decay in your tooth has been cleaned it may need Calcium Hydroxide medicine if the cavity is big and deep. Then a cleansing gel is applied. Next bonding solution is applied, finally followed by the composite filling material. Composite is hardened with high intensity blue light for several seconds.

Once the tooth is filled, the filling is checked to insure the proper shape and look. Adjustments are made and then your filling is complete

 

After the procedure:

Following the filling procedure you may experience some discomfort: at the site of the anesthetic or the tooth will be sensitive to cold.This commonly diminishes over two to six weeks as the tooth heals on the inside. To alleviate the discomfort you can follow your dentist recommendation on taking an over the counter pain medication such as Tylenol or Advil.

In some cases the decay could be quite deep and close to the nerve of the tooth. In these instances the nerve could already be infected with bacteria. Even though a filling has been placed, there is still a chance that the nerve will die and the tooth may need root canal therapy.

Also, composite fillings may change color over time and can sometimes chip away from the tooth.

Let's treat you and your smile well.Dr. Diederich's attention, training, technique and artistry, will help you to make the best choice for your tooth repair or replacement. At Compassion Dental we help children, teens, and adults to a better Life Smile Style©- for the rest of your life!