Removing the decay and placing the filling on your tooth

Almost all of the fillings are prepared using dental drills. These drills are usually referred to as hand pieces by dentists. A newer method of removing decay is air abrasion although it is not yet widespread among dental professionals. Air abrasion does not need local anaesthesia and is very quick.

Dentists use a drill or air abrasion on the decayed tooth material. The tooth will be shaped for further filling. If a plastic filling is being placed then the dentist will etch the tooth with a weak acid for about twenty seconds. This will prepare the surface of the tooth so that the plastic filling will bond to it.

The filling whether amalgam or plastic is then placed on the tooth. The dentist will wait for this to harden. The dentist will remove the rubber dam and ask the child to bite down on a special marking paper. Your dentist will know if the filling has disrupted the bite or not. If the bite is incorrect then the dentist will reshape the filling until it fits.

• Fillings for your child's teeth
• Restoring your child's primary teeth
• Restoring the permanent teeth of your child
• What are the filling types that can be used?
• What are some of your concerns at certain ages?
• How are fillings placed?
• Applying the local anaesthesia
• Managing the anxiety
• Using rubber dams
• Removing the decay and placing the filling on your tooth
• What happens after the procedure?
• What are some of the long-term problems that you may encounter?
• When should you use crowns on primary teeth?
• What are the types of crowns?
• How are the crowns placed?
• Removing the decay on your tooth and shaping it
• What are some of the long term problems with crowns?