By following a daily oral hygiene routine, you help create a smile that is more resistant to the risks of tooth decay and gum disease. Brushing and flossing your teeth regularly removes the bacterial deposits and food particles that can combine to form surface plaque. While your hygienic habits are vital in protecting your smile from disease, it is still possible to receive a cavity when brushing every day. Tooth decay forms when an erosion process injures the protective layer of your enamel and allows a permanent hole to form. When this happens, you require professional treatment to remove your cavity and prevent its continual growth.
At your Prairie Village, KS, dentist’s office, we stress the importance of routine visitation for preventing tooth decay and removing it before it becomes worse. When you attend a six-month checkup, we remove plaque and tartar deposits that you cannot handle on your own at home. When we do find a cavity, we clean the decaying area and provide a restoration to prevent reinfection and strengthen your tooth.
How Cavities Begin To Form
The enamel of your teeth’s surface provides constant protection against bacteria that reside in your mouth. By regularly brushing and flossing your teeth, you help remove bacterial buildups that can erode this surface layer. This is because oral bacteria produce an acidic byproduct when they feed on debris from your diet. As acid erodes the enamel, permanent holes form and expose the inside of your tooth to further infection. Left untreated, this infection can eventually reach the tooth’s pulp and require root canal therapy or extraction. This is why regularly visiting your dentist to remove plaque and tartar is so important in preventing decay and maintaining the health of your smile!
Treating Tooth Decay and Placing A Dental Filling
When we detect a cavity in your tooth at a general checkup, we will suggest removing it before it continues to damage your smile. Using special tools we will drill out the decaying material to remove the bacterial infection. Because this process permanently alters the structure of your tooth, we must seal the outer layer to prevent bacteria from re-entering. Depending on the size and scope of your cavity, we will place an appropriate restoration. A dental filling made from tooth-colored resin can match the original shade of your enamel to provide esthetically pleasing results.
Speak With Your Prairie Village, KS Dentist About Treating Cavities With A Dental Filling
Tooth decay can affect anyone even when practicing proper oral hygiene and failing to address it can lead to complications with your health. Removing your cavity and restoring your tooth with a dental filling can provide important protection for years to come! For more information on how we prevent and treat the effects of tooth decay, contact our Prairie Village, KS dentist’s office today at 913-901-8585.
