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Fillings Center - Birmingham, AL

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Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County and includes part of Shelby County. Over the course of the 20th century, the city's economy diversified. Though the manufacturing industry maintains a strong presence in Birmingham, other industries such as banking, insurance, medicine, publishing, and biotechnology have risen in stature. Birmingham has been recognized as one of the top cities for income growth in the United States South with a significant increase in per capita income since 1990. Today, Birmingham ranks as one of the most important business centers in the Southeastern United States and is also one of the largest banking centers in the U.S. In addition, the Birmingham area serves as headquarters to one Fortune 500 company: Regions Financial. Five Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in Birmingham.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham,_Alabama)

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Fillings

Introduction

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 once lived.

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 numb the area around the tooth to be worked on with a local anesthetic. 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 during the decay removal process to determine if all the decay has been removed. Once the decay has been removed, your 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, your dentist will shape the composite material to the desired result, trim off any excess material and polish the final restoration.

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...

Recommended Reading Related to Fillings

Dental Sealants »

Who Should Get Sealants?

Because of the likelihood of developing decay in the depressions and grooves of the premolars and molars, children and teenagers are obvious candidates for sealants. However, adults without decay or fillings in their molars can also benefit from sealants.

Typically, children should get sealants on their permanent molars and premolars as soon as these teeth come in. In this way, the dental sealants can protect the teeth through the cavity-prone years of ages 6 to 14.

In some cases, dental sealants may also be appropriate for baby teeth, such as when a child's baby teeth have deep depressions and grooves. Because baby teeth play such an important role in holding the correct spacing for permanent teeth, it is important to keep these teeth healthy so they are not lost too early.

How Are Sealants Applied?

Applying the sealant is a simple and painless process. It takes only a few m...

Emergency Contact for Birmingham

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Birmingham Hospitals *

Birmingham VA Medical Center
700 S 19th St
Birmingham, AL 35233
(205)933-8101

UAB Hospital
619 S 19th St
Birmingham, AL 35294
(205)934-4011

Children's Hospital
1600 7th Ave South
Birmingham, AL 35233
(205)939-9100

Cooper Green Hospital
1515 6th Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35233
(205)930-3200

Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital
1720 University Blvd
Birmingham, AL 35233
(205)325-8100

St Vincent's Hospital
810 St Vincent Dr
Birmingham, AL 35205
(205)939-7000

UAB Highlands Hospital
1201 11th Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35205
(205)930-7000

Princeton Baptist
701 Princeton Ave SW
Birmingham, AL 35211
(205)783-3000

Trinity Medical Center
800 Montclair Rd
Birmingham, AL 35213
(205)592-1000

HEALTHSOUTH Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital
3800 Ridgeway Dr
Birmingham, AL 35209
(205)868-2000

Brookwood Medical Center
2010 Brookwood Medical Center Dr
Birmingham, AL 35209
(205)877-1000

Hill Crest Behavioral Health Services
6869 5th Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35212
(205)833-9000

St Vincent's East
50 Medical Park East Dr
Birmingham, AL 35235
(205)838-3000

UAB Medical West
995 9th Ave SW
Bessemer, AL 35022
(205)481-7000

Shelby Baptist Medical Center
1000 1st St N
Alabaster, AL 35007
(205)620-8100

Bradford Health Services
1189 Allbritton Rd
Warrior, AL 35180
(205)647-1945

St Vincent's St Clair
2805 Dr John Haynes Dr
Pell City, AL 35125
(205)338-3301

Walker Baptist Medical Center
3400 Hwy 78 E
Jasper, AL 35501
(205)387-4000

St Vincent's Blount
150 Gilbreath Dr
Oneonta, AL 35121
(205)274-3000

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