What is a cavity?
First things first. In simple terms a cavity is a hole in your tooth.  This hole is made by bacteria eating sugar and producing acid.  The acid causes the minerals your tooth is made of to leach out of the hard tooth structure, lost enough minerals and is soft it will eventually cave in, or cavitate, and form a cavity, or hole in the tooth.

Do cavities hurt?
I have a saying, "The absence of pain does not indicate the presence of health".  Cavities do not hurt at first.  As they deepen you will get a "sweet tooth" feeling to the presence of sugar.  (For those interested this has to do with osmotic stimulation of the nerve in the dentin tubules)  Your tooth may also feel sensitive to cold.  The pain will be brief and stop once Left untreated the decay will eventually reach the nerve and the pain will increase.  The treatment for a tooth in this state is either a Root Canal and Crown or Extraction.

• Learn More About Emergency Dentistry.

What is a filling?
A filling involves the removal of decay from the tooth and replacement of the tooth structure.  Filings should be small, that is, less than 30% of the volume of the top of the tooth or crown.

As filling material ages it swells or shrinks with time.  In addition it "thermocycles" or expands and contracts with changes in temperature.  This expansion and contraction is at a vastly different rate than the natural tooth structure.  Over time the expansion cracks the tooth and the contraction allows saliva and bacteria to penetrate between your tooth and the filling material.

When the filling is less than 30% of the crown of the tooth the expansion and contraction are minimal and there is enough tooth structure for strength.  As more tooth structure is lost the need for Inlays, Onlays and Crowns are necessary.

What kind of material do you fill with?
Composite (White) Fillings are the same color as your tooth.  They are bonded in place using a type of resin glue. The materials in the filling material include glass particles that give it the color and a resin that binds it all together. Amalgam (silver) and work both in the back teeth and front teeth.

Amalgam (Silver) Fillings are...well....silver.  They are a mixture of metals that include Silver, Tin, Copper and Zinc.  The materials are mixed with about 45% Mercury in a process called Amalgamation.  The Tin and Silver react with the Mercury to cause the mass to harden.  The silver filling is not bonded to the tooth but stays in place mechanically due to undercuts placed in the tooth.  There is no evidence that shows any harm from the Mercury in a silver filling.  Exposure to the Mercury is during placement and removal only.  

However, at Stoneridge Dental Dr. Saydyk does not place any Amalgam (silver) Fillings.  Removal of silver fillings is done under suction with lots of water to keep the amalgam from heating and vaporizing the mercury.

How long do fillings last?
There are many variables that influence the length of time a filing will last.  How large the filling is, what kind of material was used, your habits of chewing and grinding, what you eat and drink on a daily basis, how well you clean your teeth, how often you see the Dentist for regular professional cleanings, etc.  Statistically fillings will last 8-10 years prior to needing replacement due to breakdown and wear or decay at the margin of the filling.

A filling is used when there is enough tooth structure left after removing the cavity to support the filling material and prevent the tooth from fracturing.  If more than 60% of the tooth is filling material, and if there are deep cracks then the tooth is substantially weakened and needs a crown.

• Learn More About Crowns.

What is an inlay or an onlay?
Inlays and Onlays are used when a cavity is large but there is enough tooth structure left for strength.  When more than 30% but less than 60% of a tooth is filling or decay, and there are no deep cracks in the tooth, then you can conserve natural tooth structure.  It is a conservative alternative to a crown that allows more natural tooth structure to remain.

• Learn More About Inlays & Onlays.

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