Your General Dentist Can Save a Decayed Tooth

Your general dentist’s knowledge and skills can help save your decayed tooth. The treatments for saving your tooth depend on the extent of the tooth’s damage. Keeping your natural tooth is better than replacing it with an artificial one. If you want to know how your general dentist can save your decayed tooth, here are the details.

Root canal therapy

A dental filling will not be enough to restore a tooth with a big cavity. The general dentist will perform root canal therapy instead. This procedure is an extensive treatment. The dentist will access the infected or decayed part of the tooth root. Removing the infected or decayed part of the root comes next. Then, the dentist will fill the tooth with gutta-percha.

The general dentist will see if the tooth still has a blood supply. If it does not, then the tooth is dead. This can happen from infection or trauma. Discoloration is a common sign of tooth death. A root canal may save it, depending on how long the blood flow has stopped. The patient should see the dentist right away.

Dental filling

This dental restoration repairs the structure of the tooth after the erosion of the enamel. It is for cases of minor tooth decay. The general dentist will give the patient a local anesthetic. This is to make sure the patient does not feel discomfort. Scraping and drilling the decayed parts of the tooth may hit some nerves.

The dentist will clean out and disinfect the space and fill it with tooth-colored composite material. Other filling materials are amalgam, gold, and porcelain. These materials bond with the remaining tooth structure. The dental filling will take the place of the enamel as the first line of defense. This will help stop the decay from progressing.

Splint

This can happen for a loose tooth. Trauma often leads to loose teeth. Waiting a couple of weeks is ideal before seeking dental care. Teeth can go through natural tightening after minor trauma. The patient must see the dentist if natural tightening does not happen.

The dentist will prescribe antibiotics to the patient. Then, a dental splint can secure the loose tooth. Another method is to use the patient’s strong teeth to support the loose tooth. This can happen with some adhesive resin.

Fluoride treatment

The enamel is the tooth’s primary layer of protection. Decay sets in when the enamel weakens. Strengthening the enamel can help prevent cavities. The general dentist can make this possible with fluoride. This natural element remineralizes the tooth’s enamel. A fluoride treatment is in the form of a mouthwash.

Drainage

An infected tooth can still recover. For an abscessed tooth, a general dentist can first place a pus drainage. This will give the pus an exit from the infected tooth. The dentist will check the tooth and observe if it still needs a root canal.