What everyone should know about dental treatments

Your teeth are important, and you should do all you can to look after them – after all, once your adult teeth start to come through in childhood, you’ve got them for life. Not taking care of them may lead to big problems later on, so it’s vital you take preventative measures and practice regular maintenance.

Your dentist will be able to help you with this and provide many services to keep your teeth and mouth healthy. These are what you can expect when going to the dentist.

Check-ups

Many will recommend going for a dental check-up every six months, although your dentist may say you need to go more or less frequently. This will depend on your circumstances and your oral health needs. Children should have had a dental check by the time they are two years old.

During the visit, your dental health professional will check:

• Gums (for gum disease)

• Loose or broken teeth

• Tooth decay

• Damaged fillings (if you have any)

• Changes in the gums covering your teeth

Your teeth will also be cleaned. Plaque and tartar will be removed, your teeth will be polished and recommendations will be made for your brushing and flossing routines.

Repair

Even if you take great care of your teeth, you might sometimes need to undergo a procedure to repair them. What procedure you need will depend on what you’re suffering from: places such as Pakenham Dental Surgery will offer each of the treatments you may need to have.

You may need a filling if you have tooth decay that’s affecting one or more of your teeth or your tooth has been broken. Sometimes, the colour of the filling can be matched to your tooth or teeth, but that may depend on what’s most appropriate for your circumstances.

A root canal procedure may be necessary if the tooth has become badly decayed or infected. This can be done to save the tooth and prevent it from being removed.

In some circumstances, a tooth will have to be removed because it is too badly infected or damaged. The patient will then have to undergo an extraction. You may need to go through this process if you have wisdom teeth coming through.

Replace

If you’ve lost a tooth through disease or an accident, then you may want to look into getting replacements. There are many options your dentist office can offer, depending on what’s best for you. Click the link here to choose the best suitable treatment for you.

• An implant may be the answer and can be matched to the rest of your teeth

• Prosthetics such as crowns and bridges can be placed over existing teeth (or ‘bridge’ a tooth gap)

• Dentures can be custom made to replace some or all of your teeth

Maintenance

If you play a contact sport or grind your teeth, you might want some additional protection. Your dentist will be able to arrange for a mouthguard to be custom-made for you.

If your teeth aren’t as sparkly as you wish them to be, then that can be fixed too. Many dental surgeries can offer teeth whitening services either regularly or for a special occasion.