How A Dentist Will Deal With Tooth Decay
Posted on: 25 June 2019
Do you have a tooth that is causing you a lot of pain? If so, you likely have a cavity due to tooth decay that needs to be treated by a dentist. Here are some ways that your dentist can help treat the tooth to make that pain go away.
Filling
A small cavity can be treated with a simple filling. The dentist will drill out the decayed part of the tooth and fill in the missing portion of the tooth with a filling material. It is common to use resin fillings, which is a plastic type substance that goes into the tooth in a liquid state and hardens. The resin material is cured quickly using a light so that you leave the dentist office with a filling that will stay put. The treatment takes a single visit and is one of the easiest ways to treat a cavity.
Dental Crown
A tooth that has a lot of decay will need more than just a resin filling to restore your tooth. A large cavity may require a crown to give the tooth additional protection. Crowns are used when the dentist feels that the tooth will be weak with just a simple filling since the crown covers the entire tooth to give it strength and stability.
Crowns are made with porcelain or stainless steel material. The type of material used will depend on where the tooth is located and what your budget is. A front tooth that will be seen will require a porcelain crown so that it blends in with the surrounding tooth. However, a rear molar could be just fine with a stainless steel crown since nobody will really see the crown in your mouth.
A dental crown will require multiple visits to put on a tooth. The first visit requires taking a mold of the tooth and preparing the area for the crown, as well as installing a temporary crown. You'll then return to the dentist to have the permanent crown installed.
Root Canal
A root canal will be necessary when the decay has reached the pulp of the tooth. The dentist will remove the infected pulp and replace it with a material to help strengthen the tooth. A crown is then placed on top of the tooth since it will be in a weakened state afterwards. It can be a great way to save a tooth instead of extracting it since your jawbone will still get stimulation from the tooth's root to help prevent bone loss.
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