Dental Caries

       One of the most common dental procedures is encompassed in the area of 'restorative' dentistry. This includes your typical 'filling,' among other things. When you think of the word cavity, filling naturally comes to mind. Restorative dentistry has a functional as well as cosmetic goal in mind.

       Dental caries is a disease process in which naturally occuring bacteria in your mouth accumulate and are allowed to thrive. This can occur due to a many reasons including, but not limited to, poor oral hygiene, high sugar intake and genetics. The bacteria that normally inhabit your mouth are harmless to you in the right conditions. These same bacteria can utilize the carbohydrates you eat and create acid byproducts. This acid is damaging to your tooth structure and if this process is allowed to progress will eventually infect the soft inner part of your tooth, the dentin, causing a cavity. Left untreated, this caries process will make its way to the innermost part of your tooth, the pulp and cause it to become infected and die, necessitating root canal treatment.

       For the most part the restorations (fillings) done in the back of the mouth are not visible and, therefore, it is reccomended that upon excavating decay from a posterior tooth an amalgam restoration be used. There are many misconceptions about amalgam restorations, click here to learn more about this vital dental material and if it is right for you.

       Caries can also be found on your anterior teeth. These carious lesions are often smaller and require less removal of tooth structure to excavate the decay. For this reason, and the fact that this is an esthetic area, composite restorations (white fillings) are almost always used for cavities in the anterior section of the oral cavity.