Dentists - More Than Just a Cleaning

Jan 22
08:35

2011

Aaliyah Arthur

Aaliyah Arthur

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If your teeth are in great shape, you may not have needed to see dentists for more than just the twice yearly cleanings. You may not realize that there are several other procedures that they perform in order to help people maintain good oral health and prevent future issues. Please read on.

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If your teeth are in great shape,Dentists - More Than Just a Cleaning Articles you may not have needed to see dentists for more than just the twice yearly cleanings. You may not realize that there are several other procedures that they perform in order to help people maintain good oral health and prevent future issues. Take a look at some of the reasons that people make an appointment.

Fillings

One of the most common reasons to head to an office of dentists is to have a cavity taken care of. You may or not be experiencing pain in these situations. During this appointment, the tooth is drilled into, removing the cavity or decay, and then the tooth is filled. Fillings can be made from several different types of materials. Some are a mixture of metals, also known as amalgam. Others are made of gold or even mixtures of plastic and small glass particles.

Root Canals

You may have heard someone speak of going to the dentist’s office to have this procedure done. While it may be dreaded by most people, it can be something that takes away pain because of tooth decay or injury. In this case, the tooth and the area around the nerve it taken care of to remove decay. This may require multiple appointments. Some people see a specialist to have this procedure done. Then, they go back to their usual dentist to have it finished up.

Crowns

Dentists sometimes find that some teeth are in serious jeopardy. In these cases, instead of removal, they opt to remove the part of the tooth with an issue and place a “crown” over the top. A crown looks like your tooth. In fact, a mold of your tooth and the area that it is going in to replace is made to ensure that it fits well into your mouth. Usually this is a process that takes more than one appointment. Some people have a temporary replacement until the real crown is created.

Implants and Dentures

When tooth loss becomes an issue, dentists can choose to put in implants or dentures. In either case, a tooth is created an fill the gap where the old tooth used to be. In some cases, this might be groups of teeth or just one. With advances in technology today, there are all kinds of options for these types of procedures.

Something similar to implants and dentures are veneers. Here, the teeth are covered with a substance that gives the look of new teeth. This can cover unsightly damage, give someone a more even smile, and add some confidence to a person concerned with the way that his teeth look.

There are a variety of oral health practitioners that can perform different treatments to make sure that you not only have a healthy smile, but also one that you can be proud of. No matter what you want done, it is important to make an appointment with your primary dentist to talk about specifics and also to get a recommendation if you are going to see a specialist.