Does It Hurt When Getting Cavity Fillings?
Dentists in Burlington recommend cavity fillings to restore your tooth with permanent damage when managing tooth decay. However, even as the dentist explains the benefits of fillers, you might express fear about the process and worry about the pain.
Tooth pain differs and is traumatic for someone with dental anxiety. Unfortunately, if you have a cavity in your tooth, getting it restored as soon as possible is ideal because it prevents additional damages to your tooth that require intensive treatments.
This article focuses on when fillings hurt and why you mustn’t delay this essential dental procedure. Kindly continue reading to ease your mind the pain when getting dental fillings.
How Uncomfortable Is It to Get Dental Fillings?
The discomfort you think exists in your mind and not the procedure itself. When preparing your tooth to receive dental filling in Burlington, ON, the dentist will use a topical anesthetic on your gums to numb the area before injecting local anesthesia. You will undoubtedly feel a sting from the local anesthesia because it blocks your pain impulses to make you comfortable.
The dentist drills the decayed part of the tooth to prevent its spread and clean the hollow space for bacteria and debris removal. You receive tooth fillings to replace the decayed portion and preserve the leftover parts of your natural tooth. The dental filling procedure requires merely 20 to 45 minutes for mild tooth decay.
You will experience some discomfort after the anesthesia starts wearing off. The minor discomfort may radiate towards your remaining teeth due to pain impulses in your nerves. However, the discomfort is temporary and manageable using over-the-counter pain relievers.
Information You Must Have about Dental Fillings
You mustn’t fear dental fillings and try to avoid the dentist’s recommendations to have them in your teeth for cavities. Instead, dentists try to provide all information on why it is ideal to have fillings in the holes instead of avoiding the treatment to aggravate your condition.
You require dental fillings in your teeth when you have any form of opening in them due to tooth decay, chipped or cracked teeth, problems with earlier dental work, et cetera. For example, if you have recently undergone root canal therapy, you will likely have a temporary filling in your tooth that requires replacement with a permanent filling or a dental crown.
When you leave tooth infections untreated, they can progress into severe conditions causing more pain than the dental filling procedure. In reality, the dental filling process eliminates pain in your mouth by restoring your tooth and preventing the spread of the infection. It is why dentists encourage you not to think twice when they recommend restorations in your tooth with dental fillings.
The Dental Filling Treatment
Dental fillings become part of your mouth without impacting the appearance of your smile. Dentists allow you to select filling materials such as composite resin or tooth-coloured fillings for your anterior and posterior teeth, porcelain fillings, silver amalgam fillings for your molars and cast gold fillings if you desire them.
Porcelain and gold fillings are the most expensive and require multiple visits to dentists before you can restore your tooth. Silver amalgam fillings are placed quickly and are also affordable. However, getting tooth-coloured fillings is slow because the composite resin requires application in layers and hardened before another layer is applied.
Dental Filling After-Care
After leaving the dentist’s office with your new fillings, it helps if you remember your tooth nerve needs some time to adjust with the filling. Dentists provide after-care instructions for your fillings and your tooth after getting them restored. They are:
You must avoid putting too much pressure on the treated tooth and have soft foods ensuring that you avoid scorching and freezing foods and drinks. You might trigger tooth sensitivity if you indulge in the foods you are refrained from having.
You must maintain excellent oral hygiene to ensure you don’t become a victim of tooth decay to require additional fillings. You must brush your teeth, floss them daily, and receive dental cleanings every six months from dentists to examine and treat any issues developing in your mouth.
You must refrain from moving your tongue or trying to suck on the newly restored tooth.
Most importantly, you mustn’t try to eat foods while your mouth is numb because you might injure yourself by biting on the soft tissues of your mouth.
If your dentist recommends cavity fillings, do not try to avoid the treatment but have your teeth filled by visiting Walkers Line Dental Care to prevent the spread of the infection and need expensive treatments.