Fillings 

If your tooth has a cavity we need to restore it, a.k.a “fill” it.The purpose of restoring the tooth is as follows: to restore the anatomy and function of the tooth, to preserve the tooth and prevent complication and to control pain.  For child patients with baby teeth, we also want to restore teeth that have cavities in order to avoid pain and also prevent the early loss of baby teeth that may result  in alignment problems in the permanent teeth.  

We have many different types of material to fill a cavity – tooth coloured and metal coloured.  We may even have to place a crown or onlay.  If the cavity is deep sometimes the tooth may require root canal treatment. Normally, we assess how large and deep a “cavity” is and then decide on the best treatment option. 

Root canal treatment 

You may require a root canal treatment when you experience a very severe toothache, fracture your tooth or if the infection spreads to the innermost part of the tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves.  If your dentist decides that root canal treatment is the most ideal method to treat your tooth, the tooth will have to be opened up and cleaned.  The tooth and roots will be sealed with a material to prevent any bacteria from entering or reentering.