Cavities, as you can imagine, are holes in your teeth caused by tooth decay. You can sometimes see them with the naked eye for the whole around them is brown or gray. They are basically caused when the bacteria in plaque interacts with carbohydrates or sugars in your food. Here they create an acidic environment that dissolves the enamel that protects your teeth. Once this layer is gone, the cavity arises fairly quickly.
If the cavity isn’t repaired, this cavity will continue to expand—eventually entering into your nerve canal. This can be excruciatingly painful. However, it can also lead to dire problems such as abscess or infection. Replacing old fillings or fixing chipped teeth can also be required. The most important reason to fix your cavity early on is to avoid a painful and costly root canal.
When it comes to matching your tooth color, composite is the filling material most dentists choose. Consisting of plastic and glass, they have become the most popular material because they match your existing tooth color, while bonding solidly to the tooth. First the decay in your tooth is sanitized. Then a bonding solution is applied. Finally, the composite material is adhered and then hardened by a high intensity blue light.
Generally, a bit of discomfort is to be expected after receiving a filling—most often localized to the tooth itself. To alleviate this discomfort, your dentist will likely recommend an over the counter ibuprofen, such as Advil. On rare occasions, the nerve is already infected with bacteria before a filling is placed, therefore a root canal will be required. Lastly, composite fillings may chip away from the tooth or change color over long periods of time.