This could be handy, Dara.............
Steps to a Filling
When you visit your dentist to get a filling, you will be given local anesthesia to numb the area if necessary. Next, your dentist will remove decay from the tooth, using hand instruments or a drill. Air abrasion and lasers can also be used to remove decay.

A drill, which dentists call a handpiece, uses metal cones called burs to cut through the enamel and remove the decay. Burs come in many shapes and sizes, and your dentist will choose the ones that are right for the size and location of your decay.

At first, your dentist will use a high speed drill (the one with the familiar whining sound) to cut through the hard enamel. He or she will precisely outline the cavity with the drill, removing only enough tooth material so the filling material can be placed properly. Once the drill reaches the dentin, or second layer of the tooth, the dentist may use a lower speed drill because dentin is softer than enamel.

To clean out the decay, your dentist may use a round bur. Throughout the removal process, your dentist will test the area with the explorer to see if all the decay has been removed. A cavity-detecting dye may also be used. Dentists do not use color to judge whether all the decay has been removed. Not all cavities are discolored, and discolored enamel can be healthy.

Once all the decay is removed, your dentist will shape the space to prepare it for the filling. Different types of fillings require different shaping procedures to make sure they will stay in place. Your dentist may put in a base or a liner to protect the tooth's pulp (where the nerves are). The base or liner can be made of composite resin, glass ionomer, zinc oxide and eugenol or another material.

Some of these materials release fluoride to protect the tooth from further decay.

If your dentist is placing a bonded filling, he or she will etch (prepare) the tooth with an acid gel before placing the filling. Etching makes tiny holes in the tooth's enamel surface, which allows the filling material to bond tightly to the tooth. Bonded fillings can reduce sensitivity and reduce the risk of leakage or decay under the filling because the etched surface of the tooth and the filling material form a mechanical bond. Bonding is generally done with composite fillings. It can also be done with amalgam materials.

If you are getting a light-set, composite-resin filling or a resin-bonded glass ionomer filling, your dentist will stop several times to shine a bright blue light on the resin. This cures (hardens) the material and makes it strong.

Finally, after the filling is placed, your dentist will use burs to finish and polish the tooth.

After a Filling
Many people experience some sensitivity after they receive a filling. The tooth may be sensitive to pressure, air, sweet foods or temperature. Composite fillings often cause sensitivity, but other types of filling material can, too.

In most cases, the sensitivity will subside over one to two weeks. Until then, try to avoid anything that causes it. If your tooth is extremely sensitive or your sensitivity does not decrease over about a two-week period, you should contact your dentist's office.

It's important to let your dentist know about any sensitivity you are experiencing. The next time you need a filling, he or she may be able to use a different material and make modifications to minimize sensitivity. People vary in their response to different materials, and your dentist has no way of predicting if your tooth will react to a particular material.

When you talk to your dentist about the sensitivity, try to describe it as precisely as possible. The information you give will help decide what should be done next. Your dentist may take out the filling and put in a new one, possibly adding a base, liner or desensitizing agent on the tooth as well. If the filling was very deep, you could need a root canal treatment to solve the problem.

Besides sensitivity, some people experience discomfort when they bite down. There are two types of pain, each with a different cause.

The first type occurs when you bite, and worsens over time. This is caused by a filling that interferes with your bite. Once your anesthetic wears off, you would notice this right away and should contact your dentist. You will need to return to the office to have the filling reshaped.
The second type of discomfort is a very sharp shock that appears only when your teeth touch. This is called galvanic shock and is caused by two metals (one in the newly filled tooth and one in the tooth it's touching) producing an electric current in your mouth. This would happen, for example, if you had a new amalgam filling in a bottom tooth and had a gold crown in the tooth above it.
Your dentist polishes the filling after it is placed, but occasionally sharp edges may remain. If you find one, contact your dentist and arrange to have it smoothed as soon as possible to avoid injury to your tongue or mouth.

Thanks LB
Omg fillings suck they're gross. Drilling takes sooooo long. I didn't get the needle.

Quoted from Matt

...all you feel is maybe a tiny prick and after that all you feel is a numbing sensation. The numbing only lasts like a few hours so it's all good.

  

Lol tasman! You've had differently?

Don't get me started about dentists. I have spent more time under the drill than any human should be subjected to. Thankfully the rest of my health has hang together, I just got dodgy teeth.

Aw serious? That sucks How many fillings? If it helps I've had 8 teeth pulled? And a tumour removed, pneumonia and 5 fillings in the space of 6 months. . That makes me laugh.

I go every 6 months or so, get a clean and a look at, in and out,  about 10mins and $120 lighter    

Its alot of money isn't it. I really have lost thousands to my teeth. Though happy I still have them of course  

I can't imagine why anyone would want to be a dentist. Spending all day looking into peoples filthy mouths  

i only go when I need too, when it hurts, still got em all bar two teeth..........

Quoted from 122

    
I can't imagine why anyone would want to be a dentist. Spending all day looking into peoples filthy mouths  

I think they do it for the smell, I assume they get high on that , and the  conversation  

Quoted from @1

I think they do it for the smell, I assume they get high on that , and the  conversation  

ROFL @ the conversation bit...

The inane chat always craps me off, you can tell it is soooooo put on

Quoted from 122

Its alot of money isn't it. I really have lost thousands to my teeth. Though happy I still have them of course  

I can't imagine why anyone would want to be a dentist. Spending all day looking into peoples filthy mouths  

THE MONEY!
I'd do it, but, I have a weak stomach

OMG, people like this are so annoying. This is a quote off some site:

my results so far:

Maths B: SA (Mid)
English: SA (mid – high)
Chemistry: SA (mid – high)
Chinese: VHA (high)
Physical Education: HA (high)
Physics: HA (mid)

i really want to get a single digit... lol.... umm... u reckon i can get an 8 if i get... a B on QCS too?

Thank you!!

p.s I go to a very academic private (all girls) school.. 49% of last year's year 12s achieved an A on QCS! i think... lol from memory it was 49% but i'm not 100% sure ><

edit: i checked and it was actually 44%

44% getting an A on QCS :O I'm not getting any SA's but I'll get way worse than her. People are saying she'll get a 4-6, I'll get like a 9 >:C But then people in small schools can win in the rankings and get high so easily. This dumb person had C's and got an OP 3!

Anyone who knows me from this forum, also knows I have a surrogate granddaughter named Abby whom I frequently spend time minding and surrogate daughter (her Mum) Shelley. Shelley’s car was rear ended a month or so ago. She found out she was able to get a $10k loan at 14%. She bought a car at auction last Wednesday with the guidance of a family friend who is a dealer. She takes delivery of it in 2 days. Her original car will then go to the panel beaters and be fixed at no cost to her, after that… I will be the proud owner of a ‘new’ car, her original car. She is giving me (with some bartering) her lovely white, Mitsubishi Magna, 6 cylinder, air conditioned, CD playing, automatic vehicle. I am rapt. I will look after Abby until she is 50 (hehehe) and have a lovely car. I cannot wait. Honestly it is such a freeing thought that I will once more be independent. I can go places, do and see things. I am over the moon. I think it is around a 1999 model. Worth around $5k-$6k.