The Most Common Extractions and Fillings

Tooth decay affects a majority of the population at some time in their life, whether it be in the form of a cavity or a more serious case that creates problems in the entirety of the tooth. Tooth decay is combated with fillings and extractions to prevent it from spreading further inside of the tooth or jumping onto other teeth and causing extreme oral health problems. What are extractions? Extractions are a procedure where a tooth is pulled from the mouth for various reasons, whether it be damage from an injury or damage from tooth decay. A tooth is only extracted when it can no longer be salvaged using any other dental procedure, and must be removed to protect the oral health of the remaining teeth. Once a tooth is extracted, they are in most cases replaced with either a dental implant or a dental bridge to give the appearance that a tooth is still there. Extracting a tooth is a procedure that can be done by visiting your local the dental implants dentist in colorado springs. What are fillings? Fillings are small pieces of hard material that are placed inside of cavities to stop the spread of decay and seal in the hole. Fillings come in a variety of different materials, the most common including composite, amalgam and porcelain. Amalgam fillings are comprised of several metals including silver, tin, gold, copper and mercury, and due to the mercury in these fillings they have become less popular over the most recent years. Composite and porcelain fillings are widely preferred due to their natural appearance and healthier composition of materials. Who needs a dental extraction? Having a tooth extracted is a semi serious treatment and is only reserved for cases when a tooth can no longer be fixed using other methods of dentistry. Teeth get pulled out due to extreme tooth decay or gum disease that has damaged the tooth beyond repair. Extractions are also used as pre-emptive measure if it appears that the tooth will be subject to these illnesses and be unable to fix. Dental extractions are also used to remove wisdom teeth to not overcrowd the mouth with teeth as this can lead to shifting and an uneven smile. In some orthodontic treatments, teeth must be pulled to proceed with the treatment. Who needs a dental filling? Dental fillings are almost exclusively used to seal in a cavity after it has been wrought with tooth decay, but they can be used to fix a crack in the tooth or even a chip. Fillings are not 100 percent permanent, which is why using them for larger problems in the mouth may be frivolous. How are extractions done? Prior to the extraction of a tooth, a dental professional will use a local anesthetic on the gums around the extraction site to cause the least amount of discomfort and pain to the patient. The dentist will hold onto the tooth using a specialized tool and gently rock the tooth back and forth to loosen it and remove it from the gums. In some cases, the tooth will be compacted onto the jaw bone and require a more difficult removal. Impacted teeth are removed by making incisions into the gum or by taking the tooth out in pieces rather than a whole. How are fillings placed upon teeth? Dental fillings start out in a gel-like state in which they are easily moldable to the cavity and tooth. The dentist will apply a local anesthetic to the area and begin removing the decay inside the cavity with a specialized drill. Once the decay has been removed and the tooth has been cleaned, the dental professional will take the semi-hard filling and press it inside the hole. Once the dental professional is content with the size, shape and color of a filling they will harden it using a special light.