Regular oral care is important to keep the teeth healthy and disease free. If we did not brush, floss or clean the tongue on a daily basis, it would then lead to tooth decay, which almost always leads to dental cavities. A number of factors are responsible for causing us cavities and we should know them in detail to stay away from the risk. Further, kids are more likely to get harassed by cavities at an early stage as they often eat lots of sweets or sugary items and are bad at their daily oral care routine.

Likewise, young people are also at risk with dental cavities as this becomes one of leading causes of teeth loss. The problem is, most of us do not know how dental cavities are caused and unless we are aware of the real reason, we can not take preventive measures for sure. So, you should know that bacteria is a major cause of a variety of dental diseases including cavities. If not removed timely, these bacteria often combine with food article in the mouth and lead to the formation of plaque which in turn can lead to formation of tartar. It's this tartar that leads to diseases such as periodontitis or gingivitis.

In a sense, we should try to remove the plaque at the earliest as it can damage the enamel of the teeth and create holes, which is called as dental cavities. Once formed, no amount of cleaning or brushing can reverse these cavities and this is where the afflicted people need to visit the dentist for expert help. Further, dentists world over prefer filling as a common treatment option for dental cavity. In this, the rejected material is first removed through drilling and then, another material is used to fill the spaces or holes that created or caused. Porcelain or composite resin is often the most used material for filling.

More so, we should know that there are a lot of other materials as well which are used by scholars for filling purpose. Among them, porcelain and composite resin are often preferred the most for frontal teeth due to their similarity to natural teeth in color and appearance. The second option is crowning which is used in case the cavities are extensive. In this method also, the dentist first removes the faded area and then places a crown over the top of the teeth to cover the area. Metal, porcelain or composite resin are some materials used to make the crown for treatment of cavities.

Quite clearly, there are two treatment methods for dental cavities and patients who select whichever suits their case perfectly. That apart, it's always a good move to visit the dentist regularly so that such problems are caught at an early stage to keep the damage to a minimum level possible. In fact, a major of dental problems can be removed with routine treatment, if found out at any early stage. In a way, you should not take risk with your dental problems and rather visit dentists regularly. After all, prevention is always a better option than any cure in the world, and the earlier you understand this, the better.

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The root canal procedure is recommended by the dentists for saving badly damaged or infected teeth. The root canal procedure prevents the removal of teeth. Apparently, no one will be interested in losing their teeth. Getting a suitable replacement is very costly. When carrying out the root canal procedure, the dentists will target affected tissues. The tissues are commonly referred to as the pulp in dentistry. The dentists will remove all of the infected pulp. After removing it, they will clean the canal and disinfect it. The space that was once covered by the pulp will be filled with filling materials before it is sealed. The name root canal originated from the cleaning of the canals.

What results in pulp infection is a cracked tooth and deep cavity. The cracks and cavity make it possible for bacteria to reach the nerve area. Repeating the same treatment on a particular tooth can affect the pulp. Urgent treatment of the tooth is vital. That will prevent it from spreading to other teeth. That would be a serious dental problem. With the aid of competent dentists, patients can be assured of safe procedures.

What to expect during root canal procedures

Do not opt for root canal treatment without consulting the dentist. The dental experts must examine the affected tooth. Their findings will determine whether you should obtain the treatment or not. Listed below are the steps performed by the dentist during the procedure.

X-Ray – The first step is getting an X-Ray of the infected part. The purpose of the X-Ray is to show the exact part of the tooth that is affected. It is impossible to detect the decay with normal eyes. The image will reveal the extent of the decay. Using the image, the dentist will know the exact way to remove the decay.

Anesthesia – The procedure cannot be done without local anesthesia. That is because it is very painful. The local anesthesia is injected into the infected tooth. That will make the tooth to become numb. The procedure will, therefore, be less painful. It is advisable to discuss with the dentist on the appropriate anesthesia. Get information regarding the types of anesthesia before picking the best one.

Pulpectomy-The dentist would need an opening to reach the pulp. Pulpectomy is the process of creating an opening. Via the opening, the infected pulp will be removed. Cleaning and disinfection will be done via the same opening.

Filling-After cleaning, the space left by the removed pulp needs to be filled. The dentists use the gutta-percha material to fill the space. Unlike the removed pulp, the filling material is not a living tissue. That is why teeth are dead after this procedure. After filling, the opening is sealed with cement.

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Have you been falling back on your dental check-ups and beginning to notice stains on your teeth and mild pain? You probably have developed dental caries, which left untreated can cause serious damage to your teeth. The earlier you visit your dentist the higher the chances of saving yourself a lot of unnecessary pain and discomfort.

Dental hygiene practices usually manage to keep your teeth healthy. But there is no harm in going to your dentist at periodic intervals. Usually these casual check-ups reveal the beginning stages of dental caries and can be fixed with a simple filling. However, if you don’t treat the caries at this early stage, you may need more complicated procedures that will need several sessions.

A dental cavity is formed when the acid produced by the bacteria contained in dental plaque starts eating through the hard tooth enamel and reaches the softer portion under the tooth called ‘dentin’. Once the dentin is infected, there is a chance of forming an abscess, which can only be treated with a root canal procedure or the tooth may have to be extracted.

There are three broad methods of treating dental cavities depending on the severity.

1. Filling

2. Filling and placing a crown

3. Root Canal Therapy

If the tooth is only slightly stained with black or white spots, the dentist would opt to clean it thoroughly with a dental hand-piece and then fill up the cavity with a very soft and pliable filling material. The filling is spread out evenly to cover the problem areas of the tooth and then a curing light is shone on it to harden the substance. Within 20 to 30 seconds, the light reacts with the filling material and makes it very hard.

If there is sufficient damage to the tooth and large metal fillings had to be used to save the tooth, then the dentist would advise a crown. For this, the tooth would be prepared and shaped to be able to accept a crown. Then an impression is taken to build a model of the tooth on which the crown will be made.

A crown could be made entirely of metal or entirely of ceramic, and in some cases a combination of both ceramic and metal. Once the crown is ready to be placed, the dentist uses dental cement to fix it onto the prepared tooth. The final outcome is a tooth that looks and feels like your natural tooth!

Although the term ‘root canal therapy’ brings up horrifying images of drills and loud noises, it is actually a very gentle way of cleaning the canal and the patient is sufficiently anaesthetised throughout the procedure. The bacteria in the canal is cleaned out using sequential files and then filled with a bio-inert material to protect the tooth from fracture. Additional support is given with a glass fibre pin to offer support to the crown that will be placed on the tooth.

With all the advances in dental technology, dentists are able to effect tooth rescue operations with ease. It is only in rare cases, where the tooth has been totally neglected that it is extracted. Go ahead and make that dreaded trip to the dentist, it may not be a painful decision after all!

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Want to feel like a million bucks? Why not get a gold filling? Dental records taken from the US Civil War-era in the 1800s show that gold was the most popular and most preferred filling material owing to its strength and durability.

Although other filling materials like tin and amalgam were present and less expensive, gold remained the “gold standard” in those days and other materials were held in low regard.

However, getting a gold filling in the early days was a nightmare, especially since it was difficult to place. As Dr. Martin S. Spiller revealed in Dr.Spiller.Com:

“The cohesive gold foil technique consisted of removing decay, laboriously refining (preparing) the shape of the cavity and then hammering tiny pieces of cohesive gold foil into it until the cavity preparation was filled – a tedious and painful procedure. It required the removal of all decay and the minute refinement of the cavity preparation in order to create a retentive and stable space for the gold.”

Thankfully, advances in modern dentistry have changed all that. Gold is still used today since it can withstand chewing forces and last as long as 15 – 30 years. Gold is also pleasing to the eye and some people find it more acceptable than other fillings.

On the downside, gold is quite expensive – up to ten times higher than the cost of the more common amalgam fillings. It requires at least two dental visits to place and can be irritating for some people since it conducts heat and cold.

“A gold filling placed immediately next to a silver amalgam filling can cause a sharp pain (galvanic shock) to occur. The interaction between the metals and saliva causes an electric current to occur – it’s a rare occurrence, however,” explained the editors of WebMD.Com and the Cleveland Clinic Department of Dentistry.

Amalgam or silver fillings remain the most commonly used material to fix decayed teeth. They are a mixture of mercury (from 43 – 54 percent) and powdered alloy made mostly of silver, tin, zinc and copper. Amalgam was supposedly used by the Chinese to fill teeth in the 7th century but the French dentist Auguste Taveau is credited as the inventor of this material.

In 1816, Taveau developed his own amalgam filling from silver coins and mercury which he first used in 1826. His material was cheaper than gold but had to be heated for the silver to dissolve and set in place. It also had a tendency to expand after it was placed. Because of this, its use was abandoned.

“Amalgam in those early days had serious drawbacks since its physical characteristics depended on the exact proportions of silver and mercury, and the mixture often expanded on setting causing the tooth to crack,” Spiller said.

Taveau’s formula was later brought to the United States by two French quacks. The Crawcour brothers saw its potential and packaged it under the name of “Royal Mineral Succedaneum.” Many dentists denounced this since the brothers had no dental training whatsoever and they warned that mercury was poisonous. But this didn’t affect the brothers’ business.

“When the Crawcour brothers opened for business in New York in 1833, they didn’t have to wait long for their first clients. To anyone with tooth troubles, the brothers’ advertisements were irresistible. Why pay a fortune to have your cavities plugged with gold when two brilliant dentists from Europe could fix them with a miraculous new sort of filling. With their amazing Royal Mineral Succedaneum, they could make a tooth as good as new – cheaply, painlessly and in just two minutes,” according to Stephanie Pain in The New Scientist.

In spite of the criticisms that later formed the basis of the anti-amalgam movement, the Crawcour brothers treated large numbers of patients successfully – none of whom developed the symptoms of mercury poisoning. How this did happen? This clearly illustrates the safety, relative ease in placing amalgam fillings, and their durability that can extend up to 15 years. (Next: Disadvantages of amalgam fillings.)

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Dental Fillings are divided into two broad categories:

• Conventional Amalgam Fillings: These are also called as silver fillings or even mercury fillings.

• Composite Resin Fillings: These are the colored fillings and are also called as white fillings.

You will mostly find that clinics offering dental fillings prefer doing the composite resin fillings. In the past if you have undergone any amalgam filling then there will be additional procedure to safely remove the amalgam. The reason clinics do not prefer doing the amalgam filling is because it contains mercury which is harmful for the whole body. So the amalgam filling is removed using rubber dam and a high power suction. The idea of using high power suction pump is to avoid mercury entering the body.

However the reason why white fillings is preferred because these are chemically bonded with the teeth and do not require numbing of teeth.

After your dentist has removed the decay, the material for dental fillings will then be placed inside the tooth. Furthermore it will be hardened by curing light.

Undergoing the procedure of dental fillings is a very simple process and you can expect little to no sensitivity. You won’t need more than one visit to the dental clinic. However if you are undergoing multiple fillings then you might have to visit clinic more than once.

Advantage of Dental Fillings

As mentioned before these fillings are also called as white fillings and this is the biggest advantage of undergoing this treatment. They match the natural color of teeth and the appearance as well. Furthermore they also restore 85-90% of the original strength of the tooth. There is no fixed location for their use. They can be used for rear or front teeth because they do not affect the aesthetics of your gums. Dental fillings may cause some sensitivity but then it gets over within two-three weeks.

Cost of Dental Fillings

The cost depends upon the size and depth of fillings. Before the procedure is started your dentist will examine your teeth and will also inform about the number of cavities that will be treated. You will have to make it a point that regular dental visits are taken every six months. The reason is that the white fillings get discolored with time. Furthermore your teeth will be examined for any new cavities.

Care of Dental Fillings

There is no rocket science involved in the care of dental fillings. You have to take care of them just like the regular teeth. Proper dental hygiene is the key here. Make sure that you brush and floss twice a day. Rinsing with fluoride mouthwash ensures that you do not have plaque accumulated. Here you need to take care that neither do you swallow the mouthwash nor do you eat anything for next 30 minutes. Apart from all this visit your dentist regularly to check the condition of fillings.

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