At our Box Hill dental clinic, our dentists provide a wide range of dental treatments to help our patients maintain great oral health and to attain their perfect smile.
We believe that our key to our success is building trusting relationships with our patients to achieve exceptional outcomes of care. Our commitment to our patients has earned us a reputation as a leading health provider.
Our dentists take great pride in maintaining a forefront of the latest advances in dental care. Our modern dental clinic has been designed so that you are comfortable, welcoming, and pleasant. Our ambition is to have our patients want to look forward to visiting the dentists. The dental clinic is open 6 days a week from 9 am to 6 pm.
Our dental team speak a number of languages; so if you’d prefer to speak in a language other than English, please request this when making your appointment. We can match you with a dentist who also speaks fluent Korean, Cantonese or Mandarin.
Dental Health and Tooth Fillings
To treat a cavity your dentist will remove the decayed portion of the tooth and then “fill” the area on the tooth where the decayed material was removed.
Fillings are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth and teeth that have been worn down from misuse (such as from nail-biting or tooth grinding).
What Steps Are Involved in Filling a Tooth?
First, the dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb the area around the tooth to be filled. Next, a drill, air abrasion instrument, or laser will be used to remove the decayed area. The choice of instrument depends on the individual dentist’s comfort level, training, and investment in the particular piece of equipment as well as location and extent of the decay.
Next, your dentist will probe or test the area to determine if all the decay has been removed. Once the decay has been removed, the dentist will prepare the space for the filling by cleaning the cavity of bacteria and debris. If the decay is near the root, your dentist may first put in a liner made of glass ionomer, composite resin, or other material to protect the nerve. Generally, after the filling is in, your dentist will finish and polish it.
Several additional steps are required for tooth-colored fillings and are as follows. After your dentist has removed the decay and cleaned the area, the tooth-colored material is applied in layers. Next, a special light that “cures” or hardens each layer is applied. When the multilayering process is completed, the dentist will shape the composite material to the desired result, trim off any excess material, and polish the final restoration.
Teeth whitening kit and a dentist in Box Hill
You have a lot of options if you’re looking for a dentist Box Hill. There are many aesthetic dentists, orthodontists, paediatric dentists, as well as a handful of nationally recognised professionals who specialise in fields like oral surgery and periodontics, in addition to general dentists in the box hill area.
Anyone who can follow straightforward guidelines can easily whiten their teeth at home. The best teeth whitening kit produces results that are on par with in-office whitening procedures. They can significantly enhance the appearance of our teeth and boost our confidence, which helps us feel better about ourselves.
What Types of Filling Materials Are Available?
Today, several dental filling materials are available. Teeth can be filled with gold; porcelain; silver amalgam (which consists of mercury mixed with silver, tin, zinc, and copper); or tooth-colored, plastic, and materials called composite resin fillings. There is also a material that contains glass particles and is known as glass ionomer. This material is used in ways similar to the use of composite resin fillings.
The location and extent of the decay, the cost of filling material, your insurance coverage, and your dentist’s recommendation assist in determining the type of filling best for you.
What are indirect fillings?
Indirect fillings are similar to composite or tooth-colored fillings except that they are made in a dental laboratory and require two visits before being placed. Indirect fillings are considered when you don’t have enough tooth structure remaining to support a filling, but your tooth is not so severely damaged that it needs a crown.
During the first visit, decay or an old filling is removed. An impression is taken to record the shape of the tooth being repaired and the teeth around it. The impression is sent to a dental laboratory that makes the indirect filling. A temporary filling (described below) is placed to protect the tooth while your restoration is being made. During the second visit, the temporary filling is removed, and the dentist checks the fit of the indirect restoration. If the fit is acceptable, it will be permanently cemented into place.
There are two types of indirect fillings – inlays and Onlays.
- Inlays are similar to fillings but the entire work lies within the cusps (bumps) on the chewing surface of the tooth.
- Onlays are more extensive than inlays, covering one or more cusps. Onlays are sometimes called partial crowns.
Inlays and Onlays are more durable and last much longer than traditional fillings – up to 30 years. They can be made of tooth-colored composite resin, porcelain or gold. Inlays and Onlays weaken the tooth structure but do so to a much lower extent than traditional fillings.
Another type of inlay and onlay – direct inlays and onlays – follow the same processes and procedures as the indirect, the difference is that direct inlays and onlays are made in the dental office and can be placed in one visit. The type of inlay or onlay used depends on how much sound tooth structure remains and cosmetic concerns.
