Things to know about dental fillings and how to care for them

In addition to tooth extraction, you must be familiar with the term tooth filling. Dental filling is often described when a damaged or cavity tooth is repaired with a special material to seal the cavity in the tooth. There are many things you should know about dental fillings. Let's look at the explanation here.

What conditions do you need to fill your teeth with?

There are a number of dental conditions that need filling, namely:

Cavity
Broken teeth
Experiencing tooth hard tissue damage such as attrition and abfraction
Teeth undergo root canal treatment
In people with a large risk of cavities, fillings are recommended to cover the cavities in the molars (pit fissure sealant)

The dangers of leaving a hollow or damaged tooth unaddressed

The holes in the teeth are irreversible or cannot return to their original shape. If not filled, tooth decay will get worse and wider, even the holes can get deeper.

When the hole reaches the tooth nerve, it will cause pain. Not infrequently, if you have this, tooth decay can no longer be treated with regular dental fillings. You have to do a dental nerve treatment or other name root canal treatment.

This treatment takes about 3 visits. Apart from being longer, the cost of this nerve treatment is more expensive than the patch treatment. If left on any longer, tooth decay can be so extensive that the tooth cannot be maintained and eventually has to be removed.

There are several types of dental fillings?

1. Direct fillings

Direct patches are divided into a few more types:

Amalgam

Amalgam is a silver (gray) patch that was often used in ancient times. These fillings are known to be strong and durable, usually used on the back teeth because of their less aesthetic color.

However, according to the regulations of the Indonesian Ministry of Health starting 2019, amalgam should no longer be used because it contains mercury which can harm the body.

Composite resin

Composite resin is a dental filling material that usually hardens by means of shining. This type is also called a beam patch or laser patch. The advantage of this filling is that it is aesthetically pleasing, that is, the color can vary so that it can be adjusted to the original color of the teeth so it is often used for fillings of the front teeth. Composite resins are also quite strong and malleable.

Glass ionomer cement (GIC) / glass ionomer cement

Glass ionomer cement (GIC) or glass ionomer cement is a direct white filling and has the advantage of being able to release fluoride into the teeth so as to prevent cavities from returning.

Even though they are white, these GIC fillings cannot display the same color as the teeth. The drawback is that this patch is less durable than the previous 2 types of patches

Direct tooth filling is usually done for tooth decay that is not too big. These direct dental fillings are also permanent. However, these permanent patches don't stay in the mouth forever. According to the study, the average resistance of amalgam fillings was 20 years, composite resins were 10 years, and GIC was approximately 5 years.

2. Indirect fillings

This type of patch cannot be finished immediately because it will be made in the laboratory. Usually done for teeth whose damage is so extensive that they are not strong if they are filled directly.

These indirect fillings can cover the whole or only part of the tooth surface. The materials used are usually metal, porcelain, or a combination of the two. The exact type and material will differ depending on the case and should be consulted with a dentist.

After a tooth filling, are there any taboos that you should avoid?

There are, of course, here are some things you should avoid:

Avoid biting too hard and biting sticky food about 2 days after the tooth is filled
Avoid playing with the filling with the tongue or picking it out with a toothpick
For GIC type patches, avoid eating and gargling for at least 1 hour after patching. Usually the doctor will warn you about this, and the next day, the dentist will do some polishing on your filled tooth.
If it is uncomfortable, bumps, hurts, go back to the dentist immediately.