As one of the most common dental concerns that nearly everyone is familiar with, tooth decay can affect your oral health in a number of ways. For instance, it can cause the development of cavities, infect the interior regions of an oral structure, and even cause you to completely lose a tooth. While the latter example typically occurs in extreme circumstances, pay mind to the fact that if you do not have these concerns treated in an efficient manner, this will absolutely be the result. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS dentist will look at the process of treating decay when it begins to affect the interior of a structure, and what to look out for to avoid it.
Why You Should Not Ignore Cavities
Just as a cold or disease will continue to get worse without proper treatment, so will decay. This means that ignoring it simply won’t cause it to go away, and you must do your part to stay on top of your oral health if you want to avoid losing one or even multiple teeth. In its earliest form, decay presents itself as a cavity on or around your tooth. This occurs when oral bacteria actively work to break down the healthy natural structure of your teeth, causing the bone to weaken and ultimately create a hole in its place. Your problems do not stop there, however, as the hole will continue to get bigger and deeper until your entire structure has succumbed to infection. Indeed, when you act early on, you may salvage your teeth with the help of a dental filling, in which a composite resin is applied to the affected area after it has been thoroughly cleaned and decay has been removed. If it progresses past a certain extent, however, your filling restoration will fail and you will need to seek more extensive options.
When Your Inner Tooth is Infected
As decay progresses, it works its way into your tooth where the sensitive tissues and nerves are housed. This will not only cause infection, but sharp pain and sensitivity as well. To treat this, your dentist will perform a root canal procedure, in which we will carefully remove the infected tissues from the hollow canals of your roots, then fill these chambers with a dental material to add reinforcement and prevent reinfection. The treatment is complete with a dental crown to cap off the affected area and protect it while it is healing, and you can once again enjoy a healthy and complete smile without the need for extraction or other restoration.
Ways that Our Team Can Help
Losing a permanent tooth is the last thing you expect, and the last thing your dentist will do if it means preserving your oral health. When you act in a timely manner, you can protect your smile with less extensive treatment. Sometimes, however, that simply cannot be the case. Contact Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS by calling 913-681-5500 to find out what other procedures and treatments may help you preserve your natural smile.
