When restorative dentistry is right, you won't be able to tell any work has been done at all! With modern white dental filling techniques, our dentist in Waterlooville can provide a seamless finish to your fillings, matching natural dental enamel.
Cavity formations
When a biofilm forms over a part of the tooth due to a minor collection of plaque and there is a small crevice or crack in the tooth, bacteria are allowed to become established in a set location. Due to anaerobic metabolism, when bacteria breathe without oxygen, this produces a by-product of lactic acid. This acid attacks the tooth, creating even deeper divots into the enamel. As this process repeats itself, a small colony of bacteria gradually bore into the enamel, invading the tooth itself and creating a cavity.
It is extremely subtle, and the short term symptoms of cavities are what makes them so insidious. The early formation is not painful and can occur in difficult-to-see locations, such as in between teeth, in the canyon of molars or the ridge on the upper surfaces of teeth.
This is why thorough checkups every six months with our dentist in Waterlooville are so important. Early detection allows minimal fillings to resolve the decay whilst maintaining the vast majority of the natural tooth without any risk to the tooth's structural strength and long-term integrity.
Long term symptoms rapidly become very impactful on everyday life. The discomfort of a nerve exposed to air can make opening your mouth very uncomfortable. Eating can be restricted to either the unaffected side of your mouth or to only soft foods. Although the earlier symptoms may be manageable with over-the-counter pain relief, as the cavity continues, the pain comes back. It can become constant and distracting, making sleep difficult and eventually compromising the structure of the tooth, resulting in its collapse under load.
Metal fillings
Metal amalgam fillings have been the most common filling material created from silver as a replacement for the far too soft and easily dislodged gold fillings. They are still commonly used; however, they do have limitations in terms of thermal expansion compared to the rest of the teeth when consuming very hot beverages. This can lead to small gaps occurring around the filling, permitting decay to set in around and beneath the work.
An excellent track record makes metal fillings the approved NHS treatment. As the NHS considerations focus on the clinical effectiveness and cost above all else, in these fields, metal amalgam is unrivalled.
Seamless fillings
Seamless filling started with porcelain inserts, but they have become far more common, easier to perform and cheaper by using UV-cured resins. At our clinic, our dentist in Waterlooville can premix the fillings to match your natural shade, and once in place, they are gradually hardened using UV light or resin. They can be built up in layers, and any excess can either be wiped off or carved and drilled when fully set. This allows a level of complexity and even weathering patterns to be applied, matching the rest of your teeth and applying an anaesthetic restoration element to the simple filling. This can create a filling that is unnoticeable in social circles.
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