Dentists all over usually perform procedures that are developed to look after the needs of families and individuals to keep their natural teeth healthy and in working condition as long as possible, and keep the gums and mouth bacteria free to prevent gum disease and other oral health problems. The dental procedures are garnered to cater to people to safeguard their dental health to the maximum and stop any dental problem from getting worse.
Common dental procedures include the following:
- Teeth cleaning including deep cleaning
- Fluoride treatments
- Dental sealants
- Teeth whitening
- Dental bonding
- Dental fillings and crowns
Dental cleaning
When you register for your routine check-ups, usually you will be advised to contact your dental office for appointments twice a year, for check-ups and for dental cleaning. The dentist will begin by checking your mouth for any anomaly. Then he will proceed to clean the plaque and tartar from the teeth and gum line and from between the teeth. The dentist will remove all tartar with scraping it out with special instrument. Tartar cannot be removed with brushing. Brushing and flossing regularly will not allow tartar to build on your teeth in the first place.
After the cleaning is done, the dentist will brush your teeth with a powerful electric brush which will deep clean the teeth and wash away any tartar that could have been left behind by scraping. After deep cleaning the dentist will floss your teeth and may be able to find trouble spot if your gums are bleeding. After flossing you get rinsing which will remove all debris from brushing, scraping, and flossing.
Fluoride treatment
This is a protective treatment for the teeth which will protect against cavities for many months. A foamy gel or a sticky paste is put into a mouth guard like device which fits in your mouth and left for a minute to take effect. Fluoride varnish can also be applied on the teeth.
Dental sealant
This is a plastic like clear material brushed gently onto the teeth. This procedure is followed for people who have deep indents on the surface of their chewing teeth. Deep ridges tend to trap food particles in them which then become very difficult to clean. This then is an invitation to bacteria and plaque which produces acid and decay follows. The best way to combat this situation is to use sealants and seal these ridges. This takes only 2 to 3 minutes. It is an easy and affordable procedure to prevent cavities.
Teeth whitening
Teeth whitening is a procedure is carried out because it provides a fast and easy way to improve the appearance of your teeth. People whose natural colour of the teeth is yellowish, or if they have stained teeth due to substance abuse want to whiten their teeth. Many people whose teeth get stained due to their lifestyle, also get their teeth whitened.
This is very popular procedure which can be carried out at the dental clinic by your dentist. This procedure is gaining in popularity and there are over the counter kits available, but the procedure will last long and will be done accurately if you get it done in the dentist’s office. The dentist can offer this service in routine way regularly after the people reach the age of twenties. The dentist puts the whitening solution in a tray which works like a mouthguard. This tray is put across the teeth. The solution gets soaked up by the teeth and oxidization process starts. The teeth reflect less light and appear colourless which makes them look white and bright.
Dental bonding
Dental bonding is a procedure where the dentist uses solution to restore cracked teeth to improve appearance. The bonding solution is also used to restore chipped tooth in addition to closing the gap between teeth, change the shape and size of the teeth and covering stained teeth. These procedures are carried out not only to make the tee look prettier but also to improve the oral health of the patient. The procedure for dental bonding is simple and usually the dentist can try to finish it at one go.
The dentist will roughen up the tooth by scraping it and prepares it for the bonding material application. The bonding material is mixed with the appropriate matching colour of the adjoining teeth and then apply the solution on the surface of the tooth. After the application the dentist will shape the tooth according to the look of the neighbouring teeth to make it look natural. It hardens immediately and the patient is happy to have a restored tooth.
Dental fillings and crowns
Dental crowns are basically a restorative treatment for lost and missing teeth. Dental frowns are also used for badly stained teeth where no other method can be useful make them white and natural. There are many causes for losing teeth. Many people suffer tooth loss over a period of time.
Some people encounter accidents and lose teeth. Some have missing teeth due to old age. Some lose teeth because of dental decay and infection. Many people have stained teeth because of smoking and tobacco or having a lot of red wine.
For all these and more reasons, people need to get their teeth restored. Dental caries is a major reason why the dentist must use dental crowns. When you lose a lot of tooth material because of cavities, the dentist will clean the tooth from inside, remove the bacteria and infection and fill the tooth with dental filling. After this, the tooth needs to be capped otherwise the filling may fall off, or the tooth stands out among natural teeth because of its different colour.
The cap that covers the entire surface of the tooth is called crown. Finally, when the crown is fitted, it looks like other natural teeth. This procedure is also used for cracked or chipped teeth.
