Fillings help to restore teeth damaged by decay back to its normal function and shape, and helps prevent further decay by eliminating areas where bacteria can enter the teeth. Our dentist chooses from a variety of filling options based on the type and location of the filling:

• Composite Fillings
  A composite resin filling is made from a mixture of plastic and fine glass particles and matches the colour of the tooth. Thus, composite fillings are used most often on front teeth or the visible parts of the tooth.
• Gold Fillings
  Gold fillings are made from gold alloy which is extremely durable. This type of filling lasts longer than any other type. Gold fillings do not match the natural colour of your teeth and most often used for fillings in the back teeth.
• Ceramic Fillings
  Ceramic fillings are made of porcelain and are tooth coloured, so they look natural. Ceram-ic fillings are more brittle than composite resin and can break but they are more resistant to staining.
• Glass Lonomer
  Glass Ionomer fillings are made from acrylic and fluoroaluminosilicate, a component of glass. This type of filling is very strong and most often used in people with a lot of decay in the part of the tooth that extends below the gum. It is also used for filling baby teeth.

This procedure can be done in a single office visit.

To help minimise the pain associated with getting a filling, our dentist may choose to ad-minister a local anaesthetic. Next, our dentist will remove decay from the tooth, using a drill or laser. Once all the decay is removed, our dentist will shape the space to prepare it for the filling. Different types of fillings require different shaping procedures to make sure they will stay in place. Certain types of fillings get hardened by a special light. With these fillings, our dentist will layer the material, stopping several times to shine a bright light on the resin. This (hardens) the material and makes it strong. Finally, after the filling is placed, your dentist will use burs to finish and polish the tooth surface.

Local anaesthetic, such as lidocaine, is used to numb the part of the mouth that our dentist is treating.

Filling is a common and relatively simple procedure. A typical filling procedure takes about an hour. If you have several cavities that need to be filled, our dentist may treat them over multiple visits.