Fillings Specialist
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Stephen Hiroshige, DDS
General Dentist & Cosmetic Dentist located in Gardena, CA
When you have a cavity or a chipped or cracked tooth, you want a filling that looks natural and discrete. Stephen Hiroshige, DDS, a friendly and experienced general dentist who’s been servicing Gardena, California, for more than 20 years, uses tooth-colored, composite fillings to repair teeth. Thanks to state-of-the-art techniques, Dr. Hiroshige keeps your treatments with fillings pain-free. To restore and protect your teeth with fillings, contact Dr. Hiroshige’s team by phone or use the online scheduling form.
Fillings Q & A
What are fillings?
If you have a cavity or a broken, cracked, or chipped tooth, a filling is an easy way to restore it without the need for a crown or extraction. Dr. Hiroshige also uses fillings to repair teeth that have been ground down over time due to bruxism (teeth grinding) or wear-and-tear over the years.
When is a filling needed?
When your tooth is broken or the protective enamel has been worn away, bacteria in your mouth can easily penetrate your tooth and infect its inner portion, known as the pulp.
An infection in the pulp can travel down the root canals and affect the roots. If you get an infection in your tooth roots, Dr. Hiroshige recommends a root canal treatment, which requires drilling into the tooth to remove the infectious material and then capping the cleaned and sterilized tooth with a crown.
By sealing cracks and chips with fillings, you may avoid an infection and root canal treatment. Fillings are also used to fill cavities after they’ve been treated and cleaned.
What happens to a tooth with a cavity?
If you have a hole in your tooth caused by tooth decay, also known as a cavity, Dr. Hiroshige first cleans any infectious material by drilling into the tooth with a drill or laser. He keeps you comfortable with a local anesthetic so you won’t feel any pain.
Once the decayed matter and infectious material have been cleaned, Dr. Hiroshige fills the hole with a tooth-colored filling. He then reshapes the filling so that it looks like part of your natural tooth.
What are fillings made of?
Most fillings are made of tooth-colored resins. The resins look more natural and are safer than traditional metal composite fillings. These fillings are an excellent option because they blend in with your teeth and nobody can tell you’ve had dental work done when you smile.
Do fillings look natural?
Tooth-colored composite fillings look like natural tooth enamel. Dr. Hiroshige carefully selects and adjusts the coloring of the filling to match your natural tooth.
He applies the filling in several layers. After each layer, he seals the bond with a special light that hardens the resin. He then reshapes and polishes the filling so that it blends in with your natural tooth.
If you have a chip or crack or think you may have a cavity, call Stephen Hiroshige, DDS, or contact his office with the online form today.
