A composite filling is a minimally invasive therapeutic dental care treatment used to fix cavities and minor tooth damage. Made from finely ground glass and acrylic plastic, tooth-colored fillings restore your tooth’s function while preserving your smile’s natural aesthetics. At All Smiles Dental Studio, Dr. Ali Shahrokh and the team use composite fillings to restore smiles in Encinitas, California, and beyond.
How Composite Fillings Restore Your Smile?
Composite fillings are popular for treating cavities. Dental cavities or caries develop when harmful bacteria are allowed to thrive in your mouth. As the harmful bacteria feed on the starches left in the mouth, they secrete acidic substances that gradually erode your enamel. Once the enamel is breached, the harmful bacteria can spread deeper into the tooth’s structure, causing irreparable damage.
Composite fillings prevent cavities from growing deeper. When applied to your tooth, tooth fillings restore and protect it from further damage. However, dental fillings have more uses than just cavity repair.
Other uses include:
- Correcting gaps between teeth
- Fixing chipped or cracked teeth
- Repairing sensitive teeth
- Composite resin can be used to change the color and shape of your teeth
Composite fillings are versatile and aesthetically pleasing. However, it’s important to note that they might not be suitable for all situations. We’ll assess your dental needs and recommend the most appropriate treatment for your case.
How Composite Fillings Are Placed?
Placing composite fillings is one of the most straightforward procedures in dentistry. The treatment is also painless because we use modern anesthetics to numb your tooth before treatment. When comfortable, we drill out the decayed portion of the tooth using a low-vibration dental drill. Next, we thoroughly clean your teeth to remove any harmful bacteria.
After preparing your tooth, we fill the void left with composite resin. Next, we use a curing light to harden the filling material. We then reshape your filling to ensure a comfortable bite. The final step is to polish your tooth for a glossy finish.
You need a few post-care instructions after cavity treatment. Generally, you should avoid chewing food for about two hours until the anesthesia wears off. Eating or chewing during this period, you could accidentally bite your soft tissues.
Can composite fillings help with food stuck between teeth?
If you notice food getting stuck in a particular area constantly, you may have a hidden cavity. Interproximal cavities — cavities between teeth — are notorious for trapping food, which attracts harmful bacteria, worsening the cavity. Composite fillings can fix these food-trapping cavities to ensure you enjoy your favorite delicacies.
Spaces between teeth are another culprit for trapping food debris. Teeth spaces could be from how teeth naturally erupted or from a chipped or cracked tooth. Orthodontics can fix large gaps between teeth, but minor gaps can be filled with composite resin. This material can close gaps and repair minor chips to improve your smile’s function and appearance.
Composite fillings near me
Need dental fillings to treat cavities or dental decay? Please call (760) 232-8878 to schedule an appointment with All Smiles Dental Studio. Worried about the cost? Don’t be! We believe everyone deserves a healthy, beautiful smile. So, whether you have insurance or not, cost shouldn’t be an obstacle to the great smile you deserve. We offer an accommodating in-house plan and flexible payment options to make dental care accessible.
Call or visit us today for that winning smile. We are located in Encinitas, CA, but we welcome new and recurring patients from the nearby locations of Carlsbad, Cardiff, Del Mar, and San Marcos, CA.