What to Know About Cavities and Fillings

As a dentist near Chicagoland, I do see my fair share of patients come through my Park Ridge dental practice door with a cavity or two. It's not at all uncommon for people to have cavities, it doesn't make it okay, but it is common.

Dental cavities have been around since people have been around; the treatment of them has been been around for centuries at least, however, it was in the wonderful year of 1875 when the organization of the treatment came about. Dr. G. Black created a plan for how to successfully treat the cavities that his patients were regularly suffering from. Dr. Black created the idea of using a filling to treat the cavity as well as removing any decaying part of the tooth. His concepts were so good that they fostered the modern treatment of dental cavities. 

The treatment is comprised of two simple parts: remove the decayed part of the tooth and then fill that with some sort of filling material; today, we use silver (amalgam). For the procedure, the dentist will often give the patient a local anesthetic like Xylocaine or Novocain; if the patient does not want this, then they can get "laughing gas". Once that has taken effect, the dentist will remove the decayed part of the tooth with a high-speed drill; do not worry, since you have the anesthetic, you do not feel any pain.

Once the tooth has been drilled, the dentist will often use some sort of liner to help reduce any tooth sensitivity. Many dentists will use a liner that is comprised of gluma, copalite varnish, and then some dycal. This liner will help the dentin regenerate in your tooth and help heal it. If you have a deep cavity, then the dentist will likely use a bass as well as the liner. As a dentist in Park Ridge, I have used these both before.

Once the tooth is ready for the filling, the dentist, along with the patient, can choose a filling; most common one is amalgam, resin, silver, or even gold. This last layer will help rebuild the tooth to its original integrity and strength.

It is entirely common for your tooth to be a bit sensitive for a day or two; if you experience discomfort for an extended period of time after your filling, then contact a dentist immediately. If you are in Chicagoland, contact Rubino Dentistry and we can take care of it. It is possible that you can have an infected pulp, which is remedied by root canal therapy.