If you’ve never experienced a cavity before, there’s a good chance you can prevent one from ever occurring by continuing to practice excellent dental hygiene and preventive care. However, cavities (and the tooth decay that causes them) are still the most common chronic oral health concern for adults. This means there may be an equally high chance that you’ll experience one at some point in the future. Fortunately, many people who experience a cavity can find an optimal, minimally invasive solution to treating it with the help of a biocompatible tooth-colored filling.
Why a cavity threatens your tooth structure
Cavities don’t always seem like serious concerns, especially when they first develop. If there’s any discomfort in the tooth, it may be minor at first, which can make the situation seem less severe. However, a cavity (or hole in your tooth) is caused by a progressive concern known as tooth decay, which is an infection in your tooth structure caused by certain kinds of harmful oral bacteria. This infection doesn’t stop on its own, and the destruction it causes your tooth structure will be continue growing worse until you treat it. The cavity that forms as tooth decay erodes your tooth structure is but a symptom of this destruction, but it will continue growing larger as the decay behind it progresses.
What filling a cavity accomplishes for your tooth
Because tooth decay is a progressive dental condition, it doesn’t resolve itself or stop getting worse until you actively treat it. If you address your tooth decay early, this can be as simple as cleaning and filling the cavity with a biocompatible tooth-colored filling. As the name suggests, a tooth filling fills out the space in your tooth’s structure that was created by the decaying of your tooth. This not only stops the decay from growing worse, but also helps restore the strength and integrity of the tooth after it’s been diminished by the cavity’s formation.
The long-term benefits of tooth-colored fillings
Tooth fillings have long been a part of professional restorative dental treatment. However, today’s more advanced dental fillings offer several important benefits that older forms of tooth fillings haven’t been able to. For example, the tooth-colored material that many modern tooth fillings are crafted from enables the restoration to blend in discreetly with any tooth that it restores, making your tooth filling nearly undetectable by anyone else. The biocompatible resin that makes up a tooth-colored filling is also capable of conforming to a cavity’s shape more precisely, allowing it to more successfully restore and protect the remaining healthy tooth structure.
Save your tooth from a cavity with an advanced filling
If your tooth is threatened by a cavity, then filling the cavity with biocompatible material can save the tooth from more severe trouble. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, call Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI, today at 248-693-6213.
