If left untreated, cavities will only get worse. Over time, a cavity can turn into a serious tooth infection that may require treatment with a root canal, or even a tooth extraction. To avoid this, it’s important to fill your tooth ASAP.
Dr. Paholiouk will begin the filling process at Monarch Dental Arts by cleaning your mouth and numbing the treatment area. Numbing ensures a pain-free treatment, and keeps you comfortable while your tooth is filled.
It usually takes about 5 minutes for your tooth and the surrounding area to become fully numb. After this, your dentist in Rancho Mission Viejo will use a dental drill to remove any decayed and damaged enamel from the outside of your tooth. This eliminates the tooth weak material and exposes fresh enamel, which will bond strongly with the filling material for a tight hold.
When your tooth has been properly prepared and trimmed, Dr. Paholiouk will select the right shade of tooth-colored dental resin, depending on the color of the decayed tooth and the nearby teeth. She will apply it to the cavity and build it up layer-by-layer, adjusting and sculpting the filling so that it seals the tooth and restores its shape.
Once the overall shape of the filling is right and it’s been hardened with UV light, Dr. Paholiouk will check your bite with a special type of paper and make any final adjustments to ensure that the filling fits perfectly. Then, you’ll be sent home.
This depends on the location of the filling, your oral health and hygiene, and a few other factors. In general, though, composite fillings last about 5-8 years with proper care. To preserve your filling, brush twice a day and floss daily, maintain a tooth-healthy diet low in sugar, and see Dr. Paholiouk twice a year for preventive care in Rancho Mission Viejo and Orange County.
No. Fillings are minimally invasive, and require the removal of only a small amount of enamel. In addition to this, the treatment area will be numbed with numbing spray and a needle during the process, so you will not feel any pain or discomfort.
However, you may feel a little bit of pain and sensitivity for a few days after your appointment. In some patients, this may persist for up to a few weeks. If you feel a lot of discomfort, this is not normal. You may need a follow-up to have your filling adjusted to fit into your bite. Contact your dentist in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA if this is the case.
There’s no need to wait until Monday if a dental emergency strikes over the weekend. Our office provides limited weekend hours and appointments by request, so that you can receive prompt emergency dental care and get relief from your pain and discomfort. Give us a call for more information.
After addressing the dental emergency, your dentist may recommend certain treatments to get your oral care back to a healthy, functioning state. For example, dental crowns are often applied to fix broken, damaged, or decayed teeth. Root canal therapy may be the best option if an underlying infection is causing you to experience a severe or chronic toothache.
Tooth splinting is another common procedure, which helps stabilize a loose or knocked-out tooth to allow for proper healing. While rare, tooth extractions may be necessary to remove seriously injured teeth that cannot be fixed with other restorative care methods.
Kids and adults lose over five million teeth every year!
To recover your tooth, grab it by the top (the crown) instead of the bottom (the root), as this will prevent further damage from occurring. Next, rinse it with warm water to keep the tooth clean. Finally, replace the tooth back in its socket or add it into a container of cold milk to ensure proper moisture before you come in to see the dentist.
If this is an extremely serious dental emergency, avoid spending too much time alleviating pain and discomfort. To save your tooth, your dentist must replace and splint it within 1-2 hours. Call us right away for immediate guidance, then come into our office to get the help that can’t wait.
Put your dental work in a plastic bag or container if you can, and be sure to bring it with you to your appointment. Call us immediately to schedule an emergency visit so we can treat the issue ASAP.
Losing a piece of dental work exposes vulnerable parts of your tooth to bacteria, which can trigger an infection, further decay or damage, and cause other complications to arise. This is a serious issue that requires a same-day appointment, so don’t hesitate to contact us right away. We will do everything we can to restore your smile with a new filling, crown, or other restorative dental work.
If your severe toothache lasts 1-2 days or longer, there’s a strong chance you may have a tooth infection, which constitutes a serious dental emergency. Root canal therapy may be necessary to restore and revitalize your tooth.
Give us a call right away to schedule your appointment. Before visiting our office, apply an ice pack, take over-the-counter pain relievers, or apply Orajel or a similar topical product to numb the tooth and soothe the pain.
Don’t hesitate to give us a call for a same-day emergency appointment, even if you think the dental damage seems minor. Without a professional dental exam, it can be difficult to know the severity of a chip, break or crack on your tooth. If left untreated, a broken or cracked tooth can easily become infected and cause further and unnecessary complications.
The best thing to do is give us a call and visit our office as soon as possible. Your dentist will examine the tooth, determine the extent of the damage, and offer their best recommendations to repair and protect your smile.
If a dental injury has caused your tooth to loosen, call our team immediately for a same-day appointment. Without proper care, the nerves supporting your tooth could die, causing the tooth to fall out entirely. Don’t hesitate to reach out, we are here to help!
After you’ve scheduled your appointment, it’s important to try to keep the tooth as stable as possible. Avoid touching the loose tooth with your tongue or fingers. Once you arrive at our office for your emergency treatment, your dentist will attach the loose tooth to the adjacent teeth by applying a stabilizing splint. This will allow the healing process to begin so the tooth can re-attach to your gums.
By placing a knocked out tooth in cold milk, you can preserve the root while you head to your emergency appointment.
.png)
.png)
.png)