What Should I Expect During a Dental Restoration Procedure?

Facing a dental restoration procedure in your future? Dentists perform them on a daily basis helping patients regain their beautiful smile. In most cases, a dental restoration procedure is going to involve filling a cavity. Fillings are a non-threatening, low risk procedure since they do not involve dealing with nerves. Patients can relax knowing they are not going to experience much discomfort when getting a cavity filled. Filling a cavity is a regular procedure and not something to stress about. (Although, it is recommended to work hard at keeping your teeth clean to avoid future cavities.) There are other types of dental restoration procedures, but fillings are the most common. Let’s see what can be expected during a dental restoration procedure.

To Start: Remove the Decay

As your dental restoration procedure starts, the dentist will take a good look at the x-rays of your teeth. This tells them exactly where the damaged parts of the decaying tooth are that needs to be tended to. Your dentist will have you lean back in the dentist chair and will drape a cloth below your chin. During the procedure, they will begin removing any cavities and making sure the tooth is free of unwanted decay. They can help keep you comfortable during the process by utilizing a small sprayer to rinse your mouth when needed. Then a small suction tube may be placed gently in the mouth to remove any excess water or saliva.

Next: Clean and Apply Bonding

The next piece of the dental restoration procedure is to apply an acid treatment onto the tooth’s surface. This in part helps to remove any remaining debris. The tooth needs to be both cleaned and dried out thoroughly before the following step. Once the tooth is properly prepped and cleaned, the dentist or hygienist can apply the bonding which is a form of adhesive. The filling itself requires a certain type of moldable material called resin which allows that section they are filling between the tooth’s enamel to be molded and reformed. After the bonding is applied, this resin material is set on the tooth which will ultimately be used to reform the shape of the tooth. 

Pho-to-pol…Pho-to-pol-y-mer-ize

Now this area of the tooth will be photopolymerized. This means the resin material used to form the filling in the tooth will be light activated to seal and finish the process of making the filling. Isn’t that amazing? Dentistry includes lots of neat scientific tools and materials to keep patients feeling comfortable and restore their teeth and gums. 

At this point, the patient should be pleased to hear that the rest will be done before they know it!

Almost There!

The dental restoration procedure is nearly complete. The next phase is to have the tooth polished (which is a simple process and not at all invasive). Once done, the last step is to have the occlusion adjusted which is just checking if the patient’s bite is lined up when their jaw is closed. The goal here for the dentist is to not only be sure the dental restoration procedure is complete, but that the patient has a new cavity-free tooth that functions effectively for eating and is free of any disease or decay. Now the patient can be happy and satisfied with their visit and enjoy their new, healthy smile.

How Can Coolbreeze Dentistry Help You?

If you think you will need a dental restoration procedure, our dental team at Coolbreeze Dentistry would love to help!  Call our office today if you have questions or request an appointment here.