The Many Purposes Of Dental Fillings

A dental filling is something that most adults have, and many adults have multiple dental fillings. Fillings are extremely popular in dentistry, and they serve many key purposes. Most people know that a dental filling is something that is used when decay is present, but a dental filling serves many purposes besides filling in the hole after a dentist removes decay. Here are some of the top purposes of dental fillings.

It Fills the Place of Decay

When the dentist finds a cavity in your tooth, it means that he or she found decay. Decay eats away at the tooth and can devour an entire tooth if left there. To prevent further damage, a dentist will suggest removing the decay and putting a filling in place of the decay. Therefore, the main purpose of a filling is to fill in the hole where decay was once present. If a dentist simply removed the decay and did nothing else, the tooth would have a hole in it, and this could lead to many other problems.

It Strengthens the Tooth

A tooth with a hole in it is a tooth that is very weak. A tooth needs its entire structure to be strong enough to use, and that is another purpose of a filling. A filling fills in the hole, making the tooth whole again, and this strengthens the tooth. Without a filling, the tooth would be very weak, simply because it would be missing a portion of the tooth structure. The filling material used is there to replace the missing tooth structure so the person can use this tooth in a way that is normal and natural.

It Seals the Tooth

Another purpose of a dental filling is to seal the tooth. When a tooth has decay, the tooth is prone to developing infections. This occurs when bacteria seeps into the tooth and into the roots of the tooth. Bacteria can get inside a tooth in many ways, but a decaying tooth is prone to having this happen at some point.

When the dentist puts a filling in place, the filling will seal the tooth and all the holes in it. This will stop bacteria from having a way into the roots of the tooth, and it will protect the tooth from an infection.

It Improves the Look of the Tooth

A filling also serves the purpose of making a tooth look nicer. Imagine if a dentist removed decay from your teeth and just left your teeth with holes. Your teeth would not look nice, and they would not look normal if this happened. When dentists put fillings in teeth, they are very careful about the way they do this. They will carefully sculpt the fillings to make them look like natural teeth, and this leaves the fillings looking natural. If you look in your mouth, you might not even be able to tell where your fillings are, because they typically blend right in.

It Allows You to Use the Tooth More Naturally

A filling also gives you the ability to use the tooth like any other tooth you have in your mouth. After getting a filling, the tooth might feel overly sensitive for a few weeks, but these feelings will dissipate. After the tooth sensitivity goes away, you will find that your tooth works just like all the other teeth in your mouth.

These are the many purposes of a dental filling, and dentists use dental fillings to treat a lot of different types of oral problems. If you need dental work, contact a clinic in your area, such as Airport Road Dental Associates, to schedule a visit with a dentist.