Simple Restorative Care for Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is a common oral health problem that weakens the protective enamel on the outside of your teeth. It's caused by the buildup of acidic bacteria on your teeth and around the gum line. Over time, if it's not cleared away with brushing or a professional cleaning, these bacteria will turn into a filmy material known as plaque. As plaque accumulates, it can lead to severe decay and even gum disease, another common oral health problem that causes inflammation in the gums and even tooth loss.
Thankfully, treating decay is easy and convenient with dental fillings. During a fillings procedure, your dentist will remove the decayed part of your tooth and replace it with strong, durable filling material.
In the past, dentists have relied on metal fillings to treat decay. Today, however, that isn't the case. Metal fillings have a dark, unattractive color that stands out against teeth. They can also change shape and crack over time, allowing for bacterial reinvasion to occur.
At the Bourbonnais dental office of Dr. Vallone, we use a different kind of dental filling to help patients treat decay: tooth-colored fillings. Made from durable composite resin, tooth-colored fillings are practically invisible once they're in place. They also don't change shape with temperature changes or with chewing. As a result, teeth are better protected.
Beyond this, tooth-colored fillings are more supportive of the tooth's natural structure. That makes tooth-colored fillings a more conservative treatment option compared to metal fillings.
What to Expect from Your Appointment
Having a single filling put in place takes just a short amount of time. Your appointment will begin with Dr. Vallone making sure that you’re comfortable. Then, he will carefully remove the decayed portion of your tooth and apply the composite filling material. Once your composite filling has been hardened and shaped, we will double-check your bite and perform the finishing touches of your procedure. You'll be able to go back to your normal routine that same day with a restored smile you'll feel confident about.
Do you need to have one or more teeth restored with tooth-colored fillings? Don't hesitate to give our Bourbonnais dental office a call. We'll be happy to talk to you about how tooth-colored fillings work and how they can help you. We offer restorative care to patients from Bourbonnais, Bradley, Kankakee, Frankfort, Richton Park, Steger, and other nearby communities.
