How are Dentists able to fill cavities that are between your teeth with little space to perform the operation?

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How are Dentists able to fill cavities that are between your teeth with little space to perform the operation?

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4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

* Small precise tools designed specifically for that procedure
* Mildly elastic nature of one’s teeth being able to move slightly in place without breaking, offering a little more space
* Magnifying mirrors to see the area better
* Drilling out the bad portion of the tooth itself creates some room to work in

Just some of the ways, others will likely be able to offer first-hand information.

Anonymous 0 Comments

I always assumed they just drilled down from the top, and then rebuilt both teeth with the filling. Is that not right?

Anonymous 0 Comments

They use (I believe) a special type of light that reacts with the filling agent. There is a thin piece of ‘molding’ that they slide in between teeth, it keeps the agent in place long enough to harden with a light. Then sand/buff it to the right shape. I had some done and they did a lot of work with very tiny strips of what amounted to sandpaper between the teeth to finish the filling off.

Anonymous 0 Comments

[This page from Garrison Dental gives a decent idea of how it works.](https://www.garrisondental.com/learning-center/ajax/541)

Essentially, we drill down from the top of the tooth to access the decay that is in between. We refer to that process as “dropping a box”. Once we have cut the tooth (prepared it) adequately, we need to use a metal band in between the cut tooth and the tooth next door to hold the filling material in place while contouring it correctly. There are many different systems for that available but they all function is the same general manner.

All of our instruments are designed to work in very small spaces, sometimes measuring only a few mm in any dimension. We use magnification glasses called [loupes](https://i.imgur.com/NvfXoPa.jpg) that help us see into those tiny spaces.