For most of us, cavities are one of the more unfortunate parts of life.
Thankfully, fillings are far from what they used to be. With Dr. Murchie’s expertise, we can safely and quickly treat the decay in your mouth, using modern dental fillings.
At Goochland Dentistry, we offer several options for fillings depending on the location of your cavity and your specific treatment plan.
Types of Fillings
Composite Resin
Before the filling procedure, your mouth will be numbed to prevent any pain or discomfort. Your tooth is kept dry to apply the filling safely, and all traces of decay must be removed first to ensure that we begin with a clean area. Once all the decay is removed, the area where the decay once was will be filled with the filling material. Dr. Murchie patiently applies the material in several layers to ensure your tooth is stabilized from within and strong. We will also take our time to shape and polish your restored tooth for a natural and flattering look.
Composite fillings are strong and durable and your tooth must be stable enough to support the filling.
If too much of your natural tooth must be removed due to decay or damage, Dr. Murchie will utilize a dental crown to repair the tooth.
Composite fillings may stain gradually over time, so regular at-home care is essential to maintaining the condition of your filling. If you are diligent about daily care and regular dental cleanings, your filling can last several years.
Real Patients Real Results
Before and After Results of Our Patients
- Enhance the smile with crowns and fillings.
- Ms. S goal was to have even color and contours for her front teeth.
- We discussed several options and she desired to have porcelain crowns and bridges and fillings.
Amalgam
To protect the environment we practice responsible disposal with our amalgam separator, which is how we safely discard the amalgam when it’s removed from a patient’s mouth. Amalgam has been phased out in favor of more natural-looking materials like composite, which is rarely used.
What is a cavity?
This is Dr. Murchie from Goochland Dentistry. I hope you’re doing well. I, let’s talk to you about what a cavity is. A cavity is an infection of your teeth that’s caused by the bacteria that live in your mouth, that then using the sugar that you put in your mouth makes an acid. That acid sits on the teeth and then eats little holes on the teeth over time. That results in a big hole where you can end up losing the tooth. But that’s basically how fillings start.
There’s a couple of ways that you can prevent cavities. The most obvious and everyone knows is to brush and floss. I also recommend using a water pick. One of the things that the most important thing for prevention of cavities is to have a diet that is low in sugar and sugary foods. Sodas, candies, sweetss, kombucha, all are very acidic, and the bacteria eats. The sugar you put in your mouth turns that into an acid, and then the teeth dissolve. So a low sugar diet, low sodas is by far the base, safest and easiest way to prevent your teeth from having cavities. Thank you.
