Treating Tooth Decay
Treatment options for tooth decay at your local Canterbury dentists
One of the most common general dental treatments that we carry out at Bradley and Partners Dental and Implant Clinic is for tooth decay. This probably shouldn’t be a surprise given the high amounts of sugar in the average person’s diet plus also the fact that far too few people floss between their teeth.
This means that decay can occur more easily in those areas that are difficult to keep clean by brushing alone.
Naturally, our preference, and something that we encourage, is for people to improve their home tooth care so that this problem doesn’t arise, or at least arises less frequently. Arise it does though, and it is a rare day when no fillings are carried out at our Canterbury dental practice. In today’s blog then, we are going to take a look at some of the possible treatments that might be applied when a patient comes to us with tooth decay.
Tooth decay as an emergency appointment
Before we look at treatments, we just want to say that you should never ignore tooth decay. You may not know it is present initially, but most people will experience some discomfort ranging from a mild throbbing sensation to a very painful toothache. Whilst we will try to treat those in pain first, it is important that any cases of tooth decay are treated promptly to avoid cavities becoming larger. Please do get in touch with us as soon as you notice anything at all.
Fillings
The most common treatment provided for tooth decay is, of course, a filling. Most people will probably have at least one of these during their lifetime unless they are very fortunate indeed. Traditionally, these have been made from amalgam, a combination of metals. This provided a strong option but one that was very visible due to its dark colouring. Increasingly, patients are turning to natural looking tooth coloured dental fillings instead.
The immediate benefit of this material is obvious from its name. Instead of a dark patch being visible on the tooth following an amalgam filling, these tooth coloured fillings can be produced to match the colour of your natural tooth. This means that they are more or less invisible. Although once considered inferior in strength to amalgam, modern materials mean that they are suitable for all bar the largest fillings, usually those on the rear teeth that come under a lot of stress when eating. We will look at this situation a little later on.
Crowns
On some occasions, fillings are not the most appropriate option and where a tooth needs to be built up more, as opposed to ‘filling a hole’, a dental crown may be used instead. To fit a crown, the tooth will need to be prepared and shaped to provide a good bonding surface for the crown and to ensure the best function possible. Crowns are made from impressions that are taken of the prepared tooth and are fitted using a strong clinical adhesive.
Bradley and Partners Dental and Implant Clinic is fortunate to have its own on-site laboratory which has been in use for over 50 years. You can be sure then, to get the best quality crowns to restore your damaged and decayed teeth with a minimum of fuss.
Inlays and onlays
We mentioned earlier that sometimes tooth coloured fillings may not provide sufficient strength for a rear tooth that does a lot of chewing and grinding food. These could sometimes be filled using an amalgam filling but that would then make them visible when you laugh or yawn. In this situation, we may suggest an inlay or onlay be used instead, depending on the situation. To provide an inlay or onlay, any decay will need to be removed and the tooth then shaped. Impressions are then taken and the inlay or onlay produced at our laboratory.
An inlay will perfectly fit the hollow of the tooth made by removing the decayed material, but will not affect the cusp of the tooth (the cusp is the raised section of the tooth, i.e. the edges). Again, being made in a tooth coloured material, it is an excellent aesthetic alternative to amalgam fillings.
Onlays are similar but in addition to filling the cavity, they can also be produced to replace any missing cusps of the teeth as well. This can provide additional effectiveness when biting food. As with all dental treatments, it will be necessary to have a thorough examination carried out by one of our experienced team to determine which is the most appropriate solution for your own situation.
If you have recently noticed any discomfort with your teeth, please don’t leave this until your next appointment and instead contact our Canterbury dental clinic to have it checked, and if necessary, treated. Seeking help early could help to preserve more of the natural tooth and could even prevent its loss. You can contact our friendly reception team today by calling us on 01227 463529.