Getting a tooth cavity filled - Process:

Hopefully you have been going to the dentist once every 6 months for years and being proactive in your dental care. That is the best way to guarantee that cavities will be kept to a minimum. Regular dental car (cleanings) and x-rays will give you the best chance at avoiding cavities in your teeth. On the other hand, we understand that tooth decay does happen even when the best preventive measures are taken. I was lucky that as a child I didn't have a cavity until I was about 16 years old. I ate candy and drank soda but my dentist always said the enamel on my teeth was strong and therefore saved my teeth from getting too many cavities. Usually a cavity starts as a small pit or soft section of your tooth and then progressively gets bigger. The key is to having your dentist find the cavity in it's early stages so they can watch it and fill it as necessary before it gets too big.

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My day of reckoning with the dentist happened when I was about 20 and I suddenly had 4 large sized cavities in between my back molars. I think I had slackened on my oral health skills for a few months and the cavities needed to be filled. I decided to even get the procedure done without any novacaine which was not an easy decision. You can get a quick shot of novacaine if you want to make the tooth area numb. Modern dentistry has done away with the actual novacaine shot and now they use a wand with a small needle on the end that is hooked up to the novacaine. They simply place the needle into your gum line around the decayed tooth and slowly inject the numbing medicine. Within minutes your tooth and surrounding area will be numb and the dentist can proceed. Most cavities are rather easy to fill as the dentist uses a drill or laser to remove the decayed portion of the tooth and prepare it for the filling. Once the decay is completely removed, the dentist cleans the area where the filling will be placed so that all debris and bacteria are gone. Next the filling material (amalgam, composite, gold) is placed in layers and allowed to harden before the next layer is put down. The overall procedure is quick and easy and the dentist fills the hole in your tooth and eventually polishes it to finish. Although the tooth may feel a little sore for a few hours, you should be good to eat regular foods that same day. The process from start to finish should take no more than about 30 minutes without any problems. If you have multiple cavities then you may be looking at an hour or more to do them all. Back to the time I had cavities in my molars filled without using novacaine. It definitely felt uncomfortable for a while and I could feel lots of pressure on my teeth and the dentist drilled. I will say this, it must have taught me a good lesson because in the 15 years since, I have never had a cavity that needed to be filled. My dental hygiene is much better now than it was then and I hope to keep it up into my old age. You only get 1 set of adult teeth so take care of them or else they will fall out prematurely.

Amalgam vs Composite Fillings:

When you do have to get a cavityi filled, you get to choose what kind of dental filling you want to use. There are lots of options when it comes to filling materials - cast gold, porcelain, silver amalgam (mixture of mercury, silver, zinc, tin, and copper), glass ionomers, composite and resin ionomers. The biggest news in teeth fillings is based around the amount of mercury used in the silver amalgam fillings found in millions of mouths worldwide. Does the amount of mercury harm the body over decades of having the fillings in your teeth. The ADA (American Dental Association) and FDA has said that dental amalgam is safe and reliable, but many people are choosing the more expensive route and going with composite fillings to avoid the mercury altogether. In fact, the FDA recently updated their website on the verbage related to amalgam fillings saying "Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses". It goes on further to say "Pregnant women and persons who may have a health condition that makes them more sensitive to mercury exposure, including individuals with existing high levels of mercury bioburden, should not avoid seeking dental care, but should discuss options with their health practitioner". Amalgam and composite fillings are the most popular but glass ionomers are gaining recognition and my dentist went over those with me last time I was in his office. Amalgam fillings are the cheapest and the cast gold fillings have the longest durability (up to 15 years). An amalgam filling will almost always outlast a composite one and they are great for back molars where all the chewing of food goes on since they are relatively strong. Amalgam fillings have a silver coloring which some people don't want in their mouth in which case they choose the tooth colored composite style. The good news with composite fillings is that less tooth is needed to be removed compared to the process of preparing the tooth for an amalgam filling. The drawbacks to composite dental filllings is that they don't last as long as amalgam and they can cost twice as much. The glass ionomer fillings are made with glass materials and acrylic. They last about as long as the composite resin fillings and are still best used on patients who have cavities needing to be filled that are below the gum line. Discuss all options with your dentist and choose the one that is best for you and your circumstance. About.com has an excellent section on dentistry and procedures that is run by guide expert Tammy Davenport. You can see what she has to write on their website HERE.

Cost of a dental filling:

Getting a cavity filled in your tooth is not that expensive and generally ranges from $100 to $250 depending on the tooth, type of material used to fill the cavity, and the dentist who is doing the work. Expect to spend between $100 to $150 for a single amalgam filling and $200 to $250 for a composite filling. The tooth being done also will have some influence on price. If you get a molar done with composite you are looking at minimum of $250 just because more material is probably needed to fill the cavity and more time is involved. We found an excellent website with dental costs listed HERE. Find out about costs associated with dental fillings and other procedures and how much insurance will cover. Often you will find that dental insurance is good for us to 50% to 80% of filling costs, but check with your insurance company before getting the work done so you know what to expect when the bill shows up. Keep in mind that dental insurance costs about $40 to $50 a month and doesn't include things like crowns or cavities in the first 6 months to a year in many situations. The insurance companies don't want any pre-conditions when you sign up.

How long will a filling last in my tooth before it needs to be replaced?:

Again, there is no set answer to this question, although we get it a lot. Studies have shown that the amalgam fillings last on average of 12 years before they need to be replaced and the newer composite fillings are good for about 7 years. Different sources will give you different answers, but take these numbers as a rough estimate. The problem with deep fillings where there was a lot of tooth decay that needed to be removed before the tooth was filled is that the filling will ultimately have to be replaced with a crown down the road. Dental crowns are more expensive and require multiple dental visits to have the procedure done. You can find out more about dental crown costs and procedures HERE.

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