Your oral hygiene practices form the best defense against the tooth decay process that causes cavities and weakens your smile. While brushing and flossing every day are necessary to maintain a healthy mouth, you must schedule regular visits to your dentist to provide an examination and treat decay. This preventive attitude towards oral health should greatly reduce the likelihood of developing cavities and catch them early before they can wear away more of your tooth’s structure. Waiting to go to the dentist until you feel a symptom often means the decay process has been progressing for months or even years.
At your Prairie Village, KS, dentist’s office, our goal is to provide beautiful smiles with every tool at our disposal. Regular cleanings allow us to check in with you every six months and remove the plaque buildup that leads to decay and gum infection. By examining your oral cavity, we can detect problems before they expand and provide an appropriate solution.
How Dental Plaque Wears Away At Your Teeth
When your teeth are healthy, they maintain a bright, white enamel surface that can withstand thousands of pounds of pressure from your bite. This hardest substance in your body also protects the sensitive insides of your tooth from infection. By brushing and flossing regularly, you clean the sticky film that forms when bacteria feed on remnants of your daily meals. Left alone, this material hardens into a plaque that creates an acidic byproduct as it continually feeds. As acid wears away at the surface of your teeth, they lose their bright white color and receive permanent cavities. This is why regularly visiting your dentist for cleanings and exams is so important to prevent or treat decay before it becomes extreme.
Removing Your Cavity And Placing A Dental Filling
If we discover a cavity in your tooth at a general checkup, we will recommend treating it as soon as possible to prevent further damage to your tooth. Because we drill your tooth to remove decaying material, the outside structure develops a permanent exposure. Without sealing this hole, bacteria can easily enter, so we must restore the outer surface. For smaller cavities, we could place a dental filling that blends in with the natural enamel of your tooth. When your tooth is too compromised to repair in this manner, a dental crown can seal it completely above the gum line to provide added protection.
Speak With Your Prairie Village, KS Dentist About Removing Your Cavities
Stay on top of your oral health by regularly visiting your dentist. Routine visits allow us to clean your teeth and detect decay early! For more information on how we help protect your smile, contact your Prairie Village, KS dentist’s office today at 913-901-8585.
