Dental Treatment: Filling and Surgery
When a cavity is formed on the surface of your tooth, it’s too late to think about prevention. However, dental treatment (restoration) is necessary to keep teeth cavities from expanding. Unfortunately, our teeth cannot restore themselves once there is such a problem, so you may need a dental filling. Dental filling is done if the dentin has been affected, while the pulp hasn’t been touched yet.
The dentist will first numb the area to make sure you feel no pain. Then the decayed enamel will be cleaned with a high-speed rotary drill; sometimes a laser system or an air-abrasive device may be used. When the decayed enamel is removed, the dentist will make a hole, trying to make it as small as possible but at the same time big enough to fit in the filling.
Then it all depends on how bad your cavity is, and how big the hole is, as well as on the material you and your dentist have chosen for the filling. Sometimes, when the hole is too big, the inside of the hole may be coated with a special material to prevent teeth sensitivity and make sure the filling material is secure and won’t leak. If a composite filling is used, the dentist needs to etch the prepared cavity from the inside to provide for the optimal adherence and safety.
If you are getting a silver amalgam restoration, it will take you just one visit to the dentist. However, there are other kinds of fillings that may require more time and more visits. There are inlays – the kinds that exactly fit into the tooth, as well as onlays, which both fill the tooth and a part of the surface you use for biting. Both types are most likely to take several visits (usually two or three) because they need to be measured and adjusted.
The primary purpose of gum disease treatment is slowing down the activity of the bacteria, removing the plaque and preventing your teeth from being affected again. The procedures your dentist may recommend depend on your particular condition, but these are the most common methods used these days:
Debridgement (scaling and root planing). This procedure can be performed by a dental hygienist and involves the removal of tartar and plaque below the gum line (which you can’t do by simple brushing) with an ultrasonic device or a manual scaler. Curettage is when your dental hygienist uses the same machine to scoop the damaged tissue from the bottom of the gum to provide for faster healing and restoration. Root planing involves smoothening of the surface of the roots to make the attachment of the gum tissue more stable and easy.
Medications. Sometimes antibiotics or antiseptics can be prescribed for dental treatment. These drugs have powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and can be applied to the gums. For example, Periostat blocks the enzyme attacking your gum and tooth tissue, therefore slowing down the progression of the disease.
Dental Surgery. In rare cases when your disease is advanced, the dentist may choose to remove some gum tissue (if it has been seriously affected and is unable to restore) before cleaning the root of the tooth. Dental surgery is performed only when all the methods available have failed to produce any results, and only if it prevents you from losing the tooth.
Back to Dental Health
