Drills and Fillings: What You Need to Know

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Drills and fillings have long gone hand-in-hand: before a dentist can fill a tooth cavity with composite or metal material, they’ll first need to extract the decayed portion of the tooth. Here, we’ll look at what you should know about drills and how to select a dentist in Jacksonville, FL, who knows what they’re doing.

How Dentists Define a Cavity

For the most part, cavities are defined as small portions of tooth decay. As soon as a cavity becomes too large, fillings are no longer recommended. When this happens, it’s usually when a dentist will schedule another service, typically a root canal or extraction, to prevent further damage to the patient. However, how a dentist defines a cavity may differ from practice to practice. Where one professional may think it’s small enough to treat with a filling, another may not want to chance it.

Drills Today: What to Expect

Drilling protocols have undergone significant improvements over the years, resulting in enhanced patient outcomes and a substantial reduction in errors. Despite this, there’s still some risk when it comes to drilling out a cavity. There’s always the potential for the dentist to either drill too far or drill into a tooth that’s too damaged for a filling.

Find a Dentist in Jacksonville

If you’re looking for a filling in Jacksonville, FL, it’s important to act sooner rather than later. The quicker you get in, the more likely your tooth won’t decay any further. If you’re looking for a team that has both the experience and the equipment needed to ensure your comfort and well-being, contact Mandarin Dentistry today to learn more about the steps we take to invest in your long-term oral health.

 

Will My Dentist Use Sedation for a Filling?

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Sedation dentistry can be a confusing term for patients because they’re liable to equate it with anesthesia (whether general or local). Here, we’ll look at what counts as sedation dentistry and whether you can expect it if you have a cavity.

Sedation Dentistry Today

Sedation dentistry refers to any medications that help the patient relax when at the dentist. The media, especially comedies, loves to portray sedation dentistry as a joke. For instance, patients receive laughing gas in a chair and then act erratically. The reality is that, thanks to modern dosage guidelines and precision-controlled distribution, this kind of sedation dentistry is a thing of the past.

Today’s sedation dentistry offers patients an array of options to keep them calm, regardless of why they’re coming into the office. This is why this branch of dentistry can get confusing because not every dentist will be aware of what’s available on the market.

Is Sedation Available Everywhere?

No, not all types of sedation dentistry are available in every practice. For many people, this is perfectly acceptable. Patients may not need oral or IV sedatives to make it through routine procedures (e.g., fillings, exams, etc.). Instead, they’ll use sedation dentistry to make it through more complicated procedures, like a root canal.

Most dentists in Jacksonville will only recommend sedation dentistry for a filling in Jacksonville, FL to patients who are extremely nervous even to sit in the chair. If you’re cross-comparing different practices in your area, just be careful to be specific. Some staff may believe you’re asking about local anesthesia only, so it’s important to clarify what’s available and what you’re looking for.

At Mandarin Dentistry, we can help you narrow down your options, and if we can’t help you, we can refer you to a practice that can!

Can a Cavity Ever Heal without Treatment?

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One of the most common reasons for a visit to a general dentist in Jacksonville, FL is to treat a cavity. One question we often receive in our office is, “Can a cavity heal without treatment?” take a look at how a cavity forms and more below.

How a Cavity Forms

Cavities begin to occur when remineralization is not allowed to occur at a rate that sustains the health of a tooth. Just like the rest of the bones in the body, teeth are constantly remineralized. Issues with excessive bacteria, poor nutritional intake, and lack of oral hygiene can impede the process and a cavity starts to form. While the small point of weakness can be invisible to the naked eye at first, with time, the enamel breaks down further and the tooth is affected on a deeper level.

A Look at Remineralization

When a cavity is in its very beginning stages when only the outer enamel has a point of weakness, proper cleaning, nutrition, and monitoring may allow the point of enamel weakness to “heal.” However, this only applies to the most slight enamel disruptions.

Dental Filling Treatment

The best way to treat a cavity and prevent it from growing is to seek dental treatment immediately. If the damage is too deep into the tooth for remineralization to occur, a dental filling will be the only way to protect the tooth for the future. A filling involves removing the damaged material and sealing it with a composite or amalgam filler material.

Discuss Cavities with a Jacksonville, FL Dentist for the Best Advice

All cavities should be carefully evaluated and addressed by a good dentist in Jacksonville, FL. If you have concerns about cavities and decay, reach out to our office at Mandarin Dentistry to schedule an appointment.