What to Expect From Your First Tooth Filling

Having a tooth drilled and filled for the first time can make a person feel very nervous. But rest assured, this is a process that almost everyone will go through at some point in their lives. It's extremely basic for your dentist to do, and they undoubtedly have both the training and plenty of experience under their belt doing it by this point.

If you want to get a general idea of what you can expect from a filling, keep reading.

Numbing

The first thing your dentist will do is make sure that you don't feel any discomfort during the procedure. They'll start by using a topical rub-on pain reliever. This is just there to numb the surface of your gums so that the next step doesn't hurt.

The next step involves injecting your gums with novocaine. This will completely numb the area and will ensure that you can't feel anything while your teeth are being worked on.

Drilling

Next comes actually drilling the cavity. Once you're fully numbed, your dentist will clean the area for safety's sake and then drill the tooth. You'll hear a high-pitched whine while this procedure is being performed, but you shouldn't feel a thing - not even pressure or vibrations.

How long this process takes will depend upon the severity of your cavity. Your dentist will want to make sure that they got every bit of the decayed tissue and enamel out, so be patient while they do a thorough job.

Filling

Next comes the filling itself. With this step, all of the work that could have potentially caused pain is over, so you're on your way out of the dentist's chair.

Your filling will be applied to the area where the hole is. First comes filling the tooth, which is where the procedure takes its name from. Your dentist will fully fill the tooth and will smooth out the surface so that it doesn't look or feel out of shape.

If your cavity developed on a biting surface, there will be one extra step for you to go through. Your dentist will carefully shape the filling so that it matches your original tooth structure as closely as possible. Then, they'll ask you to bite down and see how it feels. By now your novocaine will be wearing off so you'll be able to feel the tooth. Report any experience of pain, for starters, but really try to feel the tooth and see if it seems the same as when you would close your mouth before. If it feels like the tooth is sticking out or has the wrong shape, your dentist will reshape it again until you feel comfortable with it.

With that, the entire process is complete. You will have just made it through your first tooth filling and won't have experienced any pain in the process. Now that you know what to expect, don't put off the procedure any longer. Contact a restorative dentistry practice today.