Dental Cavities And Fillings
What are the main causes of cavities?
The main cause of cavities is tooth decay. There are other ways to have a cavity, because a cavity is a hole and there are other ways for you to get a hole in your tooth. You can get a hole in your tooth because you're grinding one tooth against another and wearing one away, so that would be a cavity also. There are a lot of myths out there that people bandy about as to why they get a cavity or why they get tooth decay. Some people feel that they have soft teeth and, "Well, I'm more susceptible to decay. My parents or my grandparents all lost their teeth when they were in their 20s, so of course I'm going to lose my teeth when I'm in my 20s." These things don't really hold a lot of water. There is a different emphasis today on keeping your teeth that wasn't present many years ago, and so you're more likely to keep your teeth, and healthier teeth, for a much longer time if you take care of them well and make sure you see a dentist regularly.
How do I know if I have a cavity?
You may be able to know if you have a cavity, or you may not know if you have a cavity. If the cavity is obvious, for instance, if it's on the front of your tooth and you see a dark black or brown hole, that's a problem and you probably have a cavity. If you have pain in your teeth, you may very well have a cavity. There are no ways to know for sure if you have a cavity without seeing a dentist and he may need to take X-rays to find out for sure whether or not you have a cavity.
What will my dentist do to treat my cavity?
If you have a cavity, your dentist is going to treat it in different ways depending upon the size of the cavity, the depth of the cavity, and how much tooth structure has been lost because of this cavity. So the resolution for this cavity may be a small filling, it may be a large filling, it may be an inlay which is a large filling made in a laboratory, or it may be a crown which covers the entire tooth and is also made in a laboratory. Treatment will vary depending upon the severity of the cavity.
What are "dental fillings"?
If you have a toothache and you have a cavity, and you go to the dentist and he takes an X-ray and says, "You have a cavity", many things will then begin to happen. The first thing the dentist is going to do if you have pain with this cavity, is anesthetize the tooth using some type of Novocain. No one uses Novocain any more, but they all still call it Novocain. Then the dentist is going to use his drill to eliminate all of the tooth decay. Next, they are going to make sure the structure of the tooth is sound after this removal. And then the dentist is going to place a dental filling to restore the shape and contour of your tooth to its original condition, or in some cases, even better than the original condition. The dentist will use a variety of materials for this dental filling, depending upon what you want, what is necessary for the tooth, and what will last a long time in your mouth. If your tooth has been anesthetized then the whole dental filling procedure will be painless. There are occasions after the numbness goes away, that there is some sensitivity to cold. There are a lot of materials that the dentist can use to help this not happen, but sometimes it happens because the filling material conducts cold far more easily than the tooth did before. And so the cold gets towards the nerve of the tooth more than it would have before the filling. However, this is almost always a temporary condition and goes away in a couple days.
Are all types of dental fillings safe?
We are told by the government that all types of dental fillings are safe. Tooth colour fillings are safe, and mercury type fillings are safe. However there are other countries where mercury fillings aren't safe and they won't allow you to place these mercury fillings in children under the age of sixteen. So there are some controversies over whether or not these mercury fillings, or what we call silver fillings, are safe. Also, they do not look as good as composite, or tooth coloured fillings. So if you want a filling that's going to look good, you probably do not want to have the mercury or silver filling. The other thing that these mercury or silver fillings do, is expand as they harden. As they continue to expand, they can cause cracks in the tooth and sometimes broken teeth. But the government says these fillings are safe, so they must be safe, unless the silver is taken out of your mouth and then it's a hazardous material. It's safe in your mouth as a filling, but not in the environment.
How long do dental fillings last?
The length of time that your dental filling will last will vary depending upon the size of the filling and the material used. If you use a filling material that is designed to be a small filling and you use it as a large filling, it's not going to last as long. The average length of time in the state of California and that's all I'm familiar with, for a filling is three to five years. Not a very long time, although many fillings last twenty years and longer.
How can I prevent cavities?
The best way to prevent cavities is to brush your teeth regularly, floss regularly, watch your diet to make sure you don't take too many starchy or sugary and sticky foods, and see your dentist regularly. That's the best way to avoid cavities.
