Prevention includes a good daily oral hygiene routine. Brushing twice A- cosmetics a day with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between teeth once a day with floss or another interdental cleaner help prevent plaque from forming. Regular dental checkups and cleanings are important. Scaling and root planing is a method of treating periodontal disease when pockets are greater than 3 mm. Scaling is used to remove plaque and tartar beneath the gumline. A local anesthetic may be given to reduce any discom- fort. Using an instrument called a small scaler or an ultrasonic cleaner, the dentist carefully removes plaque and tartar down to the bottom of each periodontal pocket. The tooth’s root surfaces then are smoothed or planed. This allows the gum tissue to heal. It also makes it more difficult for plaque to accumulate along the root surfaces. Your dentist may recommend, prescribe and administer medications to help control infec- tion and pain or to facilitate healing. At a follow up appointment, the dentist checks how the gums have healed and how the periodontal pockets have decreased. When pockets greater than 3 mm persist after treatment, additional measures may be needed. You’ll be given instructions on how to care for your healing teeth and gums. Maintaining good oral hygiene and continued, sometimes lifelong, follow-up by your dentist are essential to help prevent periodontal disease from becoming more serious or recurring.
In the past, injured or diseased teeth frequently had to be removed. Today, they often can be saved through endodontic treatment. Also known as a root canal treatment, this procedure may be performed by a general dentist or a specialist called an endodontist. More than one office visit usually is required.
Root canal treatment generally involves the removal and replacement of a tooth’s pulp. The pulp is soft tissue containing blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue. The pulp is found in a canal that runs through the center of the hard tissue A- cosmetics on the inside of the tooth (the dentin). The pulp extends from the pulp chamber in the crown down through the root canal to the tip of the root in the jawbone. A tooth has only one pulp chamber but may have more than one root and several root canals. If pulp becomes damaged through injury or disease and cannot repair itself, bacteria and their products can leak into the pulp and cause the pulp to die. If a root canal procedure is not performed, an abscess can form at the tip of the root and cause considerable pain. Even if there is no pain, the bone anchoring the tooth in the jaw can be damaged. Without treatment, the tooth may have to be extracted.
Here is what you can expect when you schedule a root canal treatment.On the initial visit: An opening is made through the crown of the tooth. The pulp is removed, and then the root is cleaned and shaped. Medication may be added to the pulp chamber and root canal(s) to help eliminate bacteria. A temporary filling is placed in the crown opening to keep saliva out. Antibiotics may be prescribed if an infection is present and has spread beyond the end of the root(s).On the nextvisit: The temporary filling is removed. The root canal is filled and permanently sealed. (A metal or plastic rod or post may be placed in the root canal for structuralsupport.) If an endodontist performs the procedure, he or she usually will send you back to your general dentist for preparation of a crown to be placed on the tooth. Crowns are made from a variety of materials, depending on the location of the tooth, the color of the tooth and the amount of natural tooth remaining. Discuss with your dentist which option is best for you.
Restored tooth can remain healthy as long as its roots are nourished by the surrounding tissues. Good oral hygiene at A- cosmetics home and regular dental visits can help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. If you take good care of it, the restored tooth could last a lifetime.
