The dental cavity can be filled in two ways - directly by the dentist in a single sitting or by getting the filling made from a laboratory (which requires atleast two sittings). The direct (single sitting) filling is done for materials like silver and resin composite. Here, it is done in the following steps:
1. The tooth is numbed (anesthetized) to prevent any sensation during the cavity filling procedure.
2. All decomposed and bacteria-filled areas of the tooth are removed with a dental drill. This will leave a clean hole or cavity in the tooth. This clean cavity is further shaped by the dentist to get a good filling.
3. The cavity is filled with the filling material.
4. Once the filling material is set strongly, it can be polished to make it smooth.
The cavity fillings that are made in the dental laboratory are much stronger than these direct fillings. They are called as inlays or onlays (depending on their size; onlays are generally bigger).
1. The tooth is numbed (anesthetized) to prevent any sensation during the cavity filling procedure.
2. All decomposed and bacteria-filled areas of the tooth are removed with a dental drill. The clean hole or cavity left behind is further shaped by the dentist to get a good, long lasting dental filling.
3. An accurate measurement or "impression" is made of the cut cavity in the tooth.
4. Using the impression in the dental laboratory, a filling is made that fits perfectly into the cavity. This can be made with metal alloys or with ceramic.
5. In your second sitting, the inlay is permanently fixed in the cavity using special material called dental cements.