Cavities, while definitely a nuisance, are easy to treat and manage with early detection. Fillings, inlays and crowns can all be used to repair and restore a tooth, but how do you know which is right for your cavity? Today we will look at the differences between these repairs.
Not All Cavities Are Created Equal
What type of restoration you require for a cavity depends on several different things. Where is the cavity located? How extensive is the damage? What is the condition of the tooth? These are all things that we take into consideration when we are preparing to restore a tooth with a cavity.
Smaller cavities can be repaired easily with either a traditional silver filling or a tooth colored composite filling. Slightly larger cavities can be repaired and restored by using an inlay instead of a filling. But what if the cavity is large? Does that mean that you may lose your tooth? Not necessarily.
Larger cavities can still be restored, but we may need to use a crown to do that. Depending on the extent of the damage, a crown placed over the entire tooth can effectively restore your tooth. The larger the cavity, the larger the filling and in our office, we do not like to patch large cavities with filling material because it is not strong and does not offer any additional protection to your damage tooth.
A large cavity weakens your tooth and can cause more damage over time. Crowns literally fit over your entire tooth, holding it together and shielding it from further damage. A crown will strengthen your damage tooth as well as providing protection and complete restoration.
If you have a cavity or experiencing any pain with an existing filling, please call our office right away and schedule a checkup. We look forward to working with you.