A
filling is a direct dental restoration used to repair decayed, chipped, cracked
or otherwise damaged teeth.
It is called a direct restoration
because the material used to repair the tooth undergoes its hardening process
while in direct contact with the tooth and inside the mouth.
Other procedures, such as inlays and onlays, are
considered to be indirect restorations because the material used to repair the
tooth is created outside the mouth. The material is created either in a lab by
a dental technician, or via a computer-controlled milling machine.
In all, there are five surfaces of the tooth where a filling can be placed:
the distal, occlusal, buccal, mesial, and lingual surfaces.
Additionally, teeth are segmented
into two major categories: anterior and posterior. Anterior means teeth in the
front of your mouth—up to and including your incisors. The remaining teeth fall
under the category of posterior, which means closer to the rear.
With this dental procedure code, a filling made from a mixed metal alloy of
mercury, silver, tin, copper, and other metals, is used to repair damage on
four surfaces of a posterior tooth.
At times, this procedure can also
be done on an anterior tooth if the surface is not readily visible within the
smile-zone.
A
three-surface silver filling is typically undertaken when cavities are found on
what is referred to as the interproximal surface of the tooth. Simply put,
these are the surfaces that butt up against the surface of another tooth.
Access is gained to these areas by drilling through the biting surface of the
adjacent tooth.
Amalgam is durable, costs less than some other restoratives,
and is long-lasting. It’s also easy to place and hardens quickly, making it a
good solution for filling large cavities that form deep in the tooth.
Prior to a four-surface amalgam filling, a dentist will first remove any
decayed or weakened areas of the tooth, and then use a variety of instruments
to prepare the tooth for the filling material.
Depending on the situation and
your dentist’s preferences, an amalgam filling may be secured with cement.
However, the most common practice is furthering excavation of a recessed ridge
cut beneath the remaining healthy portion of the tooth's biting surface. These
relief cuts prevent the amalgam from falling out, and increase its retention
and resistance to slipping. One such cut is a dovetail relief used similarly in
woodworking.
Once the filling is layered in place, your bite will be checked to ensure all
surfaces meet naturally with the new filling. Typically, after at least 24
hours, your dentist will then re-examine the filling, and shape and polish it
to follow the natural contour of the tooth.
To look up and find more CDT dental codes from the American Dental Association,
please visit our complete Dental Procedure Code Library.