A toothache caused by a cavity in your molar?
A cavity in your tooth is caused by plaque remaining on the teeth. Diet plays an important role in this. But also how often you eat. Diet and habits are important in preventing cavities in your teeth. In the mouth, food turns into acids. And if you consume food and drink too quickly one after the other, teeth get an “acid attack” too often one after the other. Adequate brushing is important for good reason, because otherwise you give the acids a chance to remain on the teeth for a long time. These then eventually attack the enamel.
Fortunately, enamel is the hardest material on tooth. Therefore, in the beginning, you may not feel or notice much of the incipient cavity. It takes a relatively long time for plaque bacteria to penetrate the enamel of your teeth. But once it gets through the enamel, the bacteria quickly expand into the dentin. The hole then gets bigger quickly. And if it gets close to the nerve, then the symptoms of sensitivity or toothache start. The cavity will then have to be filled. If deep tissue or a root is inflamed, root canal treatment is often needed.
Another word for ‘a hole in your molar’ is also called caries. At The Hague Dentist in The Hague, we can of course tell you more about this. Please feel free to contact us.
Preventing cavities in your teeth?
Gaatjes kunt u voorkomen door twee keer per dag uw tanden te poetsen met een fluoride houdende tandpasta. Daarnaast reinigt u ruimtes tussen de tanden met een stoker of een rager. Heeft u hier hulp bij nodig, ga dan eens langs bij de mondhygiënisten en preventie-assistentes van de Haagse Tandarts in Den Haag. Zij helpen uw gebit te reinigen (achtergebleven tandplak), maar geven ook poetsinstructies en voedingsadvies om een gaatje in uw kies te voorkomen. Preventies is daarbij het toverwoord. Voorkomen is immers beter dan genezen.
It also helps if you come for regular check-ups at The Hague Dentist in The Hague, that way cavities can be recognised early by your dentist. To the naked eye, it is sometimes difficult to see whether there is an (incipient) cavity. The dentist will then make an X-ray, which can help.
Fill a cavity?
lf you do have a cavity, the dentist will fill it. The dentist can use different filling materials for this purpose, such as amalgam, composite and porcelain.
A good anaesthetic at your dentist in The Hague
In this day and age, nobody needs to suffer unnecessary pain. That is why we have various anaesthetic techniques in house – and a lot of experience. In consultation with you, we choose the anaesthetic that will make the treatment as comfortable as possible for you.
If you are given an anaesthetic, we may start with an anaesthetic ointment. This ointment ensures that you hardly feel the sting of the anaesthetic. We then always wait until you can no longer feel anything and are well numb. We check this with a cold cotton ball against your tooth. Only when you tell us that you can no longer feel the cold, will we continue.
Besides, YOU know best how you experience dental treatment most comfortably. Therefore: tell us what you want.
How to fill a cavity in your molar?
Once your anaesthetic has taken effect, the dentist will first grind away the affected tissue of your tooth. Then the spot is roughened up a little. This allows the filling material we use later to bond well to the molar. The filling material used to be amalgam, which is grey. Nowadays, when filling a hole in your molar, we use composite. If you want the cavity in your molar filled with porcelain or gold, this is also possible .
Composite filling is applied and built up in layers each time. Each layer is then cured so that it is solid. At the end of the process, we check whether the filling matches the rest of your teeth (e.g. in terms of height). Then the filling is finished and polished so that it is as smooth as your tooth was before.
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After the treatment
After treatment, you can eat or drink anything with the filling, but be careful with hot drinks and hot food. If you are still sedated, you will not feel the heat. You don’t want to burn your tongue.
Of course, we can tell you much more about this.
Any questions? Do not hesitate to contact us.
Yes, I would like to have healthy and beautiful teeth!
