Restorations (Fillings)
Both white (composite resin) and silver (amalgam), porcelain and gold fillings are offered at our clinic. Ultimately, it is the patient’s decision for the material used. In patient’s with good oral hygiene, both materials will last for many years. Some individuals may benefit from having amalgam as it may last longer if oral hygiene is insufficient. Gold or porcelain inlays and onlays are a type of restoration (filling) that require 2 appointments to complete and are a great, longer lasting alternative to composite or silver-mercury restorations.
Endodontics (Root Canal Treatment)
Contrary to what many people believe, root canal treatment is a painless (and boring) procedure most of the time. As with any procedure that is done in the dental office, a small number of complications will occur (less than 2%). Most of the patients also find the procedure boring and will fall asleep (even some who said they would never fall asleep!).
The goal of root canal treatment is to get rid of the bugs (bacteria) inside the tooth. Your teeth have a hollow area inside (“room inside your tooth”) much like a pumpkin or squash does. After anesthesia is provided, the procedure starts out like having a cavity prepared until the room inside your tooth is reached. From this time onwards it gets pretty boring while we clean the hollow area and then fill it with special root filling material. Often the cleaning is done in the first visit and a second appointment is booked to fill the root canals. The roots are not removed. Some teeth take less time than others as the number of canals varies. Upper front teeth have a single canal and upper molars often have 4 canals.
An appropriate restoration (filling or cap) is needed to protect the integrity of the root canal treatment. Sometimes a simple filling is appropriate, while other times a crown (cap) is indicated.