Dental filling is the restoration of decayed, broken or cracked teeth with various materials. It is aimed to fulfill the functions of teeth that have lost substance. This method, which is applied before the decayed tissue progresses, prevents the loss of the tooth completely.
First of all, teeth and gums are cleaned before the procedure is performed. Then anesthesia is applied. Processing time varies according to the number of teeth to be treated. As the number of teeth increases, the treatment time increases accordingly. After the gums are removed by surgical intervention, a more aesthetic appearance is achieved.
As the first stage, the remaining tooth tissue is made ready for filling. At this stage, if there is an old filling that needs to be removed, the remaining tooth tissue is cleaned from these. After this process, as a second step, the gap formed is filled by selecting the appropriate material according to the position of the tooth in the mouth, its function, aesthetic requirements and the size of the filling. During these procedures, local anesthesia can be applied so that the patient does not feel pain. As a final step, the compatibility of the filling with other teeth is checked. If there is any excess that will disturb the patient, it is removed.
Pain and tenderness that can last up to 12 hours after the filling process is normal. In this case, the patient can use the painkiller that the physician deems appropriate. Depending on the size of the tooth filling, cold and hot sensitivity may occur, which can last up to 6 months.
If the filling treatment was performed under anesthesia, food should not be eaten before the effect of anesthesia has passed. Eating before the anesthesia wears off may cause biting of the tongue or lips. The effect of anesthesia may last approximately 3 hours after the procedures applied to the upper jaw, and up to approximately 4-5 hours in the lower jaw posterior group teeth. The duration of the anesthetic effect may differ from person to person.
A tingling pain may occur a few days after the treatment. Especially if there is sensitivity, very hot and very cold foods should be avoided. If there is pain that occurs without any factor, painkillers can be taken.
A material that is in harmony with the tooth tissue is used. It is aimed that the treated tooth will look compatible with other teeth and it will look aesthetically pleasing.
If the tooth that has been filled before has decayed again, if the individual has a habit of clenching teeth or abnormal chewing habits, if hard shell materials are tried to be broken with tooth tissue, fractures, cracks or filling loss may occur in the tooth filling.
First of all, even if there is no pain, an appointment should be made from the dentist for a new tooth filling. Consumption of hard foods should be avoided in order to prevent any new damage that will occur until the appointment date. This area should be brushed more carefully and kept clean, this area should not be used as much as possible while eating.