Filling

What’s a filling?

A filling is a dental procedure that’s used to treat a cavity. Cavities form when sugars, starches, and food debris build-up on your child’s teeth, leading to the formation of plaque. When left for too long, the acids contained in plaque begin to eat away at the hard, outer layer (or enamel) of your child’s teeth, eventually forming a small hole. This is also known as tooth decay.

Why does my child need a filling?

Untreated cavities are painful and can lead to a number of other problems, such as infected tooth pulp (which requires a root canal to treat) or tooth loss.

Even though your child’s baby teeth are going to fall out anyway, it’s incredibly important to treat any cavities that might form. Your child needs their baby teeth to remain in their smile to hold the space until their adult teeth are ready to emerge. Premature tooth loss allows your child’s other teeth to shift over into the empty space. This can make it difficult for their adult teeth to grow in correctly, requiring expensive orthodontic work to fix.

What’s the process for getting a filling?

Depending on your child’s level of comfort and how many cavities they need to have filled, the first step in getting a filling might be to administer sedation dentistry, either with an oral sedative or nitrous oxide. This helps your child relax and makes the process a more positive experience. It also makes it easier for your dentist to more effectively fill your child’s cavity.

The next step is to numb your child’s tooth and the surrounding tissue with a local anesthetic so that they don’t feel any part of the procedure. Once the anesthetic has taken effect, your dentist will use a small drill to remove all of the decay from your child’s tooth.

Next, they clean out the cavity to make sure that’s it’s free of all debris and then fill the hole with a special material. The dental experts at My Kidz Dentist prefer to use a composite material for the filling procedures because it provides excellent protection against further decay while maintaining the natural color of your child’s tooth. You won’t even be able to tell that your child has a filling!

Don’t wait for your child’s cavity to decay further. Make an appointment with the team at My Kidz Dentist and get your dental filling today! You can book your visit by calling the office nearest you or using the convenient online scheduling tool.