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Fillings Center - Highlands Ranch, CO

WebMD Physician Directory

Highlands Ranch, Colorado

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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 X-Rays: When to Get Them »

What Types of Problems Can X-Rays Detect?

In adults, X-ray films can be used to:

  • Show areas of decay that may not be visible with an oral examination, especially small areas of decay between teeth
  • Identify decay occurring beneath an existing filling
  • Reveal bone loss that accompanies gum disease
  • Reveal changes in the bone or in the root canal resulting from infection
  • Assist in the preparation of tooth implants, braces, dentures, or other dental procedures
  • Reveal abscesses (an infection at the root of a tooth or between the gum and a tooth)
  • Reveal other developmental abnormalities, such as cysts and some types of tumors

In children, dental X-ray films are used to:

  • Watch for decay
  • Determine if there is enough space in the mouth to fit all incoming teeth
  • Determine if p...

Emergency Contact for Highlands Ranch

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Highlands Ranch Hospitals *

Highlands Behavioral Health System
8565 S Poplar Way
Littleton, CO 80130
(720)348-2800

Sky Ridge Medical Center
10101 RidgeGate Pkwy
Lone Tree, CO 80124
(720)225-1000

Littleton Adventist Hospital
7700 S Broadway
Littleton, CO 80122
(303)730-8900

Centennial Medical Plaza
14200 E Arapahoe Rd
Centennial, CO 80112
(303)699-3000

Craig Hospital
3425 S Clarkson St
Englewood, CO 80113
(303)789-8000

Swedish Medical Center
501 E Hampden Ave
Englewood, CO 80113
(303)788-5000

Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan
3520 W Oxford Ave
Denver, CO 80236
(303)761-0220

Porter Adventist Hospital
2525 S Downing St
Denver, CO 80210
(303)778-1955

Select Specialty Hospital Denver South
2525 S Downing St
Denver, CO 80210
(303)765-6576

Parker Adventist Hospital
9395 Crown Crest Blvd
Parker, CO 80138
(303)269-4000

The Medical Center of Aurora South Campus
1501 S Potomac St
Aurora, CO 80012
(303)695-2600

Denver Health Medical Center
777 Bannock St
Denver, CO 80204
(303)436-6000

Rose Medical Center
4567 E Nineth Ave
Denver, CO 80220
(303)320-2121

University of Colorado Hospital Denver
4200 E Nineth Ave
Denver, CO 80262
(303)372-0000

Denver VA Medical Center
1055 Clermont St
Denver, CO 80220
(303)399-8020

National Jewish Medical and Research Center
1400 Jackson St
Denver, CO 80206
(800)652-9555

Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital
1835 Franklin St
Denver, CO 80218
(303)837-7111

Kindred Hospital Denver
1920 High St
Denver, CO 80218
(303)320-5871

Presbyterian St Luke's Medical Center
1719 E 19th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
(303)839-6000

Select Specialty Hospital Denver
1719 E 19th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
(303)563-3700

The Medical Center of Aurora North Campus
700 Potomac St
Aurora, CO 80011
(303)695-2600

Triumph Hospital Aurora
700 Potomac St
Aurora, CO 80011
(720)857-8333

Colorado Acute Hospital
1601 N Lowell Blvd
Denver, CO 80204
(303)264-6900

Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital
900 Potomac St
Aurora, CO 80011
(303)367-1166

St Anthony Central Hospital
4231 W 16th Ave
Denver, CO 80204
(303)629-3511

University of Colorado Hospital Aurora Anschutz Medical Campus
12605 E 16th Ave
Aurora, CO 80010
(303)372-0000

The Children's Hospital
13123 E 16th Ave
Aurora, CO 80045
(720)777-1234

Exempla West Pines Hospital
3400 Lutheran Pkwy
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
(303)467-4000

Exempla Lutheran Medical Center
8300 W 38th Ave
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
(303)425-4500

North Valley Hospital
8451 Pearl St
Thornton, CO 80229
(303)288-3000

St Anthony North Hospital
2551 W 84th Ave
Westminster, CO 80031
(303)426-2151

North Suburban Medical Center
9191 Grant St
Thornton, CO 80229
(303)451-7800

Platte Valley Medical Center
1600 Prairie Center Pkwy
Brighton, CO 80601
(303)498-1600

Centennial Peaks Hospital
2255 S 88th St
Louisville, CO 80027
(303)673-9990

Avista Adventist Hospital
100 Health Park Dr
Louisville, CO 80027
(303)673-1000

Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center
200 Exempla Cir
Lafayette, CO 80026
(303)689-4000

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