Dentists are oral health care practitioners who perform preventative maintenance, diagnostics and treatments on people's teeth. Good oral hygiene and habits will go a long way in preventing disease, decay and cavities. It will also help individuals keep their teeth through the course of their lifetime. Many older individuals have lost some or all of their teeth by their early sixties. These people will need to wear a partial bridge or full set of false teeth for the reminder of their lives. Dental implants are another type of tooth replacement device and procedure which utilizes titanium as a bonding agent. While these implants are high tech and revolutionary, it's always better to keep one's natural teeth.
Some ways to prevent cavities, decay and disease is with proper toothbrushing, flossing and professional cleansings by the hygienist. Teeth should be brushed twice a day or after every meal if possible. Flossing is just as important as it addresses the plaque stuck between the enamel. Check ups and cleanings by the hygienist should be done every six months. One of the common maladies that occurs in the enamel is a cavity. This is a place where decay has eroded some of the enamel. The larger the region, the more chance of severe pain occurring. The nerve endings in the pulp become extremely uncomfortable if the protective coating of enamel has been eaten away. If a cavity is discovered during the course of a routine examination, here is what the patient can expect when he arrives at the next appointment to have it filled:
– The chair: A patient will be asked to settle into a reclining chair with a light hanging over the workspace. This will allow the dentist to have full visibility and access to the mouth.
– Numbing agent: The dental assistant who helps the doc through the procedure will place a Q-tip with a numbing solution into the oral region to be worked on.
– Injection of pain killer: After the mouth has become a bit numb, the DDS will inject pain killer via a syringe. He or she will usually do this in a slow manner in order to keep the patient as comfortable as possible. Soon, there will be no feeling in the area and it's time for the doc to get to work.
– Drill: If this is a new area of decay, it will be drilled out so that a fresh palette of enamel awaits the filling. If an old non-functional filling needs to be chiseled out first, this will be done as well.
– Scoop and excavate: An exciting tool will be used to remove diseased tissue and debris. This is a way of preparing the area for a filling.
– Suction and rinse: The assistant will be helping the doc keep the interior of the mouth clean and dry. This is achieved by the spraying of a fine line of water into the region and then suctioning it away.
– Composite resin or porcelain: Today, the material used to plug the hole is usually a composite resin or porcelain product which almost matches the tooth enamel. In the older days, silver metallic materials were used but this has fallen out of popularity.
– Make sure it's even: Before the patient leaves the chair, the DDS will make sure that the bite is correct and no pointy resin leftovers are present.
Dentists can perform the task of filling a cavity quickly and with much less pain than in years gone by. Regular dental care will allow the patient to have a healthy smile.
Source by Anna Woodward
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