Today more and more people are retaining
their natural teeth for life. Teeth may be worn down, stained, contain
large insufficient fillings, or have had root canal therapy making them at
risk for fracture.
Some teeth develop cavities which are most
commonly detected by clinical (hands-on) and radiographic (x-ray)
examinations. The goal of treating cavities involves two basic principals:
removing the decayed portion of the tooth, and rebuilding the missing
tooth structure with a filling material, usually tooth colored.