Dental Fillings in Vinton, VA
Cavities can happen to everyone, even when you take good care of your family's teeth with proper hygiene, regular dental appointments, and a healthy diet. If you get a cavity, we need to remove the decay and fill the tooth in order to prevent further damage. Fillings are an important part of dental treatment at our Vinton dental office because they can easily help save a patient’s tooth.
We believe in using conservative treatments that are the most effective for protecting your oral health. When a cavity is caught quickly, a filling is usually enough to restore your tooth and stop decay from causing more serious problems in the future. We use two types of fillings, and Dr. Law will discuss your needs and decide which is most appropriate for you depending on your individual situation.
How Do I Know if I Have a Cavity?
We take safe and comfortable digital x-rays during your regularly scheduled dental visits, and we will be able to see even the smallest cavity clearly on the x-ray. One of the reasons we stress the importance of regular dental visits is that they allow us to find cavities before you even know they exist.
Unfortunately, people who don't visit the dentist on a regular basis often don’t know they have a cavity until they have a toothache. Some people don’t like visiting the dentist and may put off treatment, hoping the pain will go away. If you’ve ever had a toothache, you know that the pain doesn’t go away by itself, and you end up going to the dentist anyway. Putting off 
treatment allows decay to do more serious damage and will possibly end up costing more to fix.
What Types of Fillings Are There?
There are basically two types of fillings:
Composite Filling – A composite filling is tooth-colored and very durable. One of the advantages of using this type of filling is that it can be color-matched to the shade of your natural tooth. A composite filling can also be shaped so that it fits your tooth perfectly, and once it’s finished, no one will know that you’ve had any work done. That’s why composite dental fillings are usually used in teeth that are most visible.
Amalgam Filling – Amalgam fillings (also called silver fillings) have been used by dentists for over 100 years with excellent results. They are very strong, known to be long-lasting, and provide great support for a decayed tooth. Dr. Law usually uses amalgam fillings in your molars and back teeth because these teeth undergo a tremendous amount of force when you chew. Since amalgam fillings are so strong, they are also appropriate when a very large cavity has to be filled.
Does Getting a Filling Hurt?
Any time you receive treatment at our dental office in Vinton, you can expect to be cared for by professionals who want to make your visit as comfortable as possible. Having a cavity filled is a very simple procedure. We believe in practicing painless dentistry so you and your family can always feel relaxed about getting the important dental treatment you need.
Please Call for an Appointment
We want to make sure we catch cavities as soon as possible, so please call us at (540) 342-4945 to schedule an exam. If you or a member of your family has a toothache and needs to see us right away, please contact us, and we will do our best to get you in for treatment as quickly as possible.
