Dental Work to Restore Damaged Teeth
Teeth damaged by poor dental hygiene, injuries or other factors may require restorative dental surgery. The best place to find information on the various types of restorative surgery is at a dental office. The most preventable of all causes of damage to the teeth is lack of brushing teeth and lack of flossing teeth regularly. While trying to save on the dollar, many may avoid visiting the office of a dentist twice a year. This may also prove very costly because a routine visit helps a dentist to identify potential trouble areas in the teeth before they become costly issues requiring extensive dental work.
When a Dentist Recommends a Tooth Sealant
Cavities, dental extractions, yellowing, and teeth severely affected in an accident are all factors that trigger the need for restorative surgery. To restore or protect mildly damaged tooth enamel, a dentist may use a tooth sealant. A tooth sealant is a thin coating spread over the top and biting surface of a tooth to protect the enamel. The most common teeth coated with a tooth sealant are the wisdom teeth, particularly in children who are more susceptible to developing tooth decay.
Children enjoy sugary and sticky food such as chocolate, some types of candy, artificial juices, and ice cream. The propensity towards a cavity in children below the age of ten is very high. To protect their teeth before they start to decay dentists often recommend a tooth sealant. Tooth sealants are a special type of plastic sprayed onto the tooth surface. Painting and applying tooth sealant is not a major surgery, is not painful, and is complete in minutes of visiting the dental office.
When a Dentist Recommends a Tooth Filling
A tooth with a deep cavity or a crack from an injury or tooth decay may require tooth filling. After thorough cleaning of the tooth and ensuring it has no infection, a dentist will fill the cavity with a tooth filling to protect the pulp. The pulp in the tooth contains the nerve endings and blood vessels and when exposed leads to tooth ache and possible tooth infection.
There are different types of tooth fillings and they each have their merits and demerits. Some of the factors that will guide your dentist on the type of filling to use will include your age, gender factors such as pregnancy in women, and if the patient has any prevailing health conditions. It is therefore not wise to decide what will be the best tooth filling without consulting a dentist.
The Main Types of Tooth Fillings
Occasionally amongst the elite and celebrities, you may see someone flash a smile and they have a glittering gold tooth. The gold filling, besides being an important aspect of dental work, is often a statement of class and affluence. Gold fillings are often tailor made and require careful work from the dentist. It is the safest filling, lasts longest, but is the costliest. Another smile may flash dark patches at the back of the mouth. These are the most common fillings, are a bit unsightly as they darken in the mouth, but are the most affordable. Dentists use plastic resins matching the color of the other teeth where beauty is important such as on the front teeth.