Dentist’s-Eye-View of a Filling

Here’s a pretty routine filling done on a tooth due to the obvious fracture and decay underneath a filling.

After removal of the filling, a surprising amount of decay was found.  This was likely the cause of the cold sensitivity reported.  The decay was deep, but fortunately did not extend to the pulp of the tooth.  If that had happened, a root canal or extraction would have been necessary.  Here’s a photo of the tooth in mid-filling:

Finally, here is the completed filling.  Bite adjustment was done at the end.  The goal of fillings is not just to remove decay, but to create a tooth that closely resembles the original non-decayed tooth.

At this point, the hope is that the tooth simply stays quiet – there is no way to know how a tooth will react in the long term when such deep decay is present.