Conservative dental treatments include cleaning of dental caries and filling the formed cavity (cavity) with an artificial filling material.
Today, dental caries is defined as a disease that occurs in dental tissues due to more than one reason.
Causes of Tooth Decay
- bacterial plaque
- Eating habits;excessive consumption of acidic and sugar-rich foods
- Brushing habit; To prevent tooth decay, teeth should be brushed 2-3 times a day. Especially brushing before going to bed at night is very important because food residues left in the mouth at night increase the formation of acidic environment and therefore the formation of caries.
- The order of the teeth;If the order of teeth is more frequent than it should be (if there is crowding), it becomes easier for tooth decay to occur due to the inability of the brush or dental floss to enter between the teeth and the inability to clean these areas.
- salivary structure; Saliva is a mouth liquid that washes the teeth and protects the teeth against decay due to the substances in its chemical structure. In some systemic diseases, such as diabetes, salivation decreases in people with mouth breathing at night. The formation of caries may increase in teeth that are deprived of the washing feature of saliva.
Dental caries can occur on the chewing surface of the teeth, at the interfaces of the teeth, or in the neck areas of the teeth. Browning or cavities on visible surfaces are easy to detect. However, x-ray diagnosis is also necessary in caries that have not produced these symptoms.
If the decay that starts in the enamel tissue of the tooth is not treated, it progresses to the dentin tissue. Dentin is a structure that dissolves more easily than enamel and therefore caries progression is rapid. In a caries that has reached the dentin tissue, the patient may have hot, cold, sour, sweet sensitivity as a result of a factor. This pain goes away when the factor is removed.
Conservative Dentistry
Conservative treatment in dentistry starts with the efforts of the dentist to prevent the formation of caries, extends to treating the caries before it progresses or to repairing the lost tooth tissue by cleaning the caries. The patient’s anamnesis (story of his complaint and general health status), the diagnosis made as a result of the x-rays taken at the first visit of the patient lead the physician to make a choice about conservative or endodontic treatment. The simplest conservative treatment; are suggestions to prevent the formation of caries. The most known and common is the repair of a decayed tooth with the help of filling materials.
In order to make a filling in the teeth, the tooth tissue must be degraded for various reasons (caries, abrasion, color and structure disorder, developmental, trauma, etc.). With the help of the filling, it is aimed to restore the lost aesthetics and function of the natural tooth. Various materials are used for filling construction. Filling materials used today; amalgam, composite materials (Aesthetic Filling) and porcelain. Today, while the use of amalgam (silver-containing and silver-colored) fillings is decreasing, the use of natural tooth-colored composite and porcelain fillings is increasing.
Types of Dental Fillings
Composite Fillings
Composite is an aesthetic filling material that is produced as an alternative to amalgam fillings, adheres to the hard tissue of the tooth with the help of a bonding agent, has many color options and has been used for many years. Composite fillings are placed on the tooth layer by layer and each layer is cured by light. It is shaped according to the tooth, corrected and polished in the same session. It is preferred as a filling material in anterior teeth because it is aesthetic and easy to apply. Composite fillings play a huge role in modern conservative dentistry. Composite applications are more economical than porcelain and gold fillings and are a filling technique that requires a single session.
The composite material used in composite fillings is not as hard as natural teeth. The material can be damaged by nail biting, hard foods and pencil biting. The life of the filling application depends on your oral habits and the size of the filling.
After the caries is cleaned, the color of the tooth is determined, and a paste-like composite material is applied. It is shaped, then the substance is hardened with a light device. After the filling material hardens, the height is taken in the filling and the filling is given an anatomical shape with the finishing process. The material is then polished until it shines like other surfaces of the tooth surface. The process takes approximately 30 minutes to an hour to complete. Tea, coffee, cigarettes and other substances can stain the filler. To prevent or minimize stains, it is necessary to avoid foods that leave stains for the first 48 hours after any composite treatment. In addition, regular brushing of your teeth and routine doctor visits are essential.
Porcelain Fillings (Inlay, Onlay)
Porcelain fillings are fillings with superior aesthetics and durability prepared in computer-aided CAD-CAM systems and laboratory environment. Compared to composite fillings, they are much more compatible with the tooth they are applied to and adjacent teeth. After the broken, rotten or old filled part of the tooth is removed, the digital measurement of the remaining healthy part is taken and fillings with perfect aesthetics and functionality are obtained, prepared with a sensitive technology. The most advanced technology is used in the preparation of this porcelain filling, the healthy tooth tissue in the mouth is not touched, maximum retention is ensured with minimum material loss. Edge leakage is minimal as they are made of a special pressed porcelain and are not hardened in the mouth. In addition, these porcelains are the materials closest to the hardness of the tooth and most compatible with the gingiva. Since its hardness is very close to the enamel tissue of the tooth, it does not abrade the teeth like other porcelains, nor does it wear out like composite fillings. Especially in large material losses, composite filling or crown (veneer) should be preferred instead.
