At Middletown Commons Family Dental, we provide comprehensive dental care to effectively treat whatever issues our patients may face. Our team is experienced in treating issues both common and unusual with our wide variety of services, including routine dental cleanings, professional teeth whitening, root canal therapy, dental implants, orthodontic treatment, and more! Today, we want to talk about one of our most common treatments: using dental fillings to treat cavities. Let’s learn more about why we use composite fillings to restore the function of your teeth and prevent further damage.

How Do Cavities Form?

When you eat foods high in sugar and starch, the oral bacteria in your mouth immediately begin to feed on these food particles, producing acid as a byproduct. As bacteria proliferates and combines with food residue, acid, and saliva, it accumulates into a sticky, filmy material called plaque. This can dissolve the enamel of your teeth and create holes called cavities. It’s important to treat cavities as soon as possible because bacteria can eventually find its way inside your teeth and cause severe decay, damage, and infection.

What Is a Composite Filling?

Dr. Ward and our Louisville dental team use composite fillings to treat cavities and prevent further damage. The reason we use composite fillings instead of silver amalgam fillings is because we can make your composite filling the same shade as your other teeth. Also known as tooth-colored fillings, composite fillings will blend in seamlessly and most people won’t even know they’re there!

Can You Get a Cavity If You Have a Filling?

Once you have fillings, it’s important to have biannual checkups with Dr. Ward. This way, we can determine if your filling has become damaged, cracked, or just needs replacing. Cavities can occur underneath your filling or along the seal of the filling, so we pay extra attention to patients with fillings to ensure that future problems do not occur.