Fillings

Dental decay is one of the most common conditions humans develop. In fact, it is the most common condition in children and teens—a notable fact since it is largely preventable with conscientious home care and routine professional cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants.

Food and drinks leave a residue in your mouth that is a feast for bacteria. Bacteria create an acidic environment, which eats away at the enamel that protects your teeth. Once they compromise your enamel and get into the softer dentin inside your tooth, the bacteria cause serious damage.

Untreated decay leads to a weakened tooth structure, pain, and eventually tooth loss. The sooner you seek treatment, the easier and less expensive your treatment will be. Unfortunately, dental decay does not go away on its own and usually gets bigger over time.

Filling Restorations

At Amana Dental, we take dental decay seriously. Tools such as digital dental x-rays, an intraoral camera, and regular exams can help us to diagnose decay when it is small. Our dentist and hygienists work together to ensure you receive just the right dental care in order to maintain your dental health.

When our dentist diagnoses decay, we can schedule you for a filling. A filling is a restoration that restores the health of your tooth and keeps bacteria from progressing. It also seals off the area, keeping food particles out.

We start your filling appointment by making sure you are completely comfortable. Sometimes, administering a local anesthetic will keep you from feeling sensations during your procedure. For small decay, you may opt out of anesthetic. We can discuss this with you.

Dr. Gomez will gently remove the decay from your tooth and thoroughly sterilize the area to make sure it is gone before placing your filling. We offer composite fillings to match the shade of your tooth. That way, your filling will blend in and be undetectable, except to the experts.

Once the area is bacteria-free, we apply the cosmetic material in layers, curing it with a special light to harden the material. After we completely fill the area, Dr. Gomez will smooth, shape, and polish your new filling so that it blends beautifully with your tooth. You can chew on your filling right away, but be careful if you had anesthetic because you could accidentally bite the inside of your cheek or the side of your tongue.

Filling Replacement

Do you have old, dark fillings that you want to replace? Filling replacement can improve the appearance of your smile by eliminating the dark shadows that amalgam fillings create.