When Are Dental Fillings Necessary?
When food particles and plaque remain on your teeth due to improper brushing or a diet that includes sticky foods, bacteria accumulate. These bacteria release acids which can dissolve the enamel (outer layer of the tooth), if not cleaned away. The enamel will darken gradually depending on how much it has dissolved. If this decay is allowed to continue, that portion of the tooth will eventually chip or break away and form a cavity (a hole in your tooth’s enamel). A cavity can take about 3 years to go from early decay beginning on the tooth surface to a large cavity that reaches down into the nerve.
Dental fillings are a treatment to repair small holes in teeth caused, most often, by cavities. Your dentist will remove the decaying tissue, clean the area, and replace the missing tissue with a dental filling material.
