Two patients bothered by cavities can require different services to have their oral health needs properly addressed. A cavity will keep growing after it forms, damaging more of your tooth structure as it does so. Eventually, the damage will change the approach taken to restore your tooth. Simply put, decay can be too severe for a dental filling to effectively protect your tooth. At our Seattle, WA dentist’s office, we provide multiple treatment approaches for patients affected by dental decay. At a regular dental exam, we can spot a small cavity and treat it with a filling that preserves your surrounding tooth structure. If you come in with problems caused by a more severe cavity, we can recommend treatment with a dental crown to make sure your tooth remains safe.
Cavities Keep Growing Until Treatment Occurs
The daily oral hygiene that you follow will protect you from cavities, but brushing and flossing are not effective at stopping a cavity that has already formed. Until restorative dental work occurs, the decay will keep spreading and doing more permanent harm to your enamel. Decay will make you vulnerable to an infection, which occurs when bacteria gain entry to your tooth’s pulp and cause problems for the living tissues within. At this point, a root canal procedure must take place before your tooth can be restored.
What To Expect If You Have An Advanced Cavity
If you have a problem with a severe cavity, your dentist will perform a review to determine if a root canal is necessary. If it is, the procedure will carefully clear bacteria and infected tissues from the tooth before sealing it, then preparing it for a dental crown. It is possible for a cavity to require a dental crown before root canal treatment is necessary. A crown will completely cover your tooth. When in place, it will provide functional support by absorbing bite pressure, so you will not have to change how you bite and chew.
Treatment With A Dental Filling
One benefit to regular dental exams is recurring updates about your oral health. Before you feel its effects, your dentist can identify a cavity and recommend treatment. A dental filling is the more conservative treatment option for decay, as the restoration only takes up the space where damaged enamel had to be removed. Our tooth-colored fillings bond with the surrounding tooth structure and match its color to avoid unwanted detection.
Talk To Your Seattle, WA Dentist About Cavity Treatment
Ballard Neighborhood Dentist is ready to take care of your oral health needs when you have problems with decay. Our approach to restorative treatment can fully resolve problems with cavities while still preserving your appearance! To learn more about our services, call our Seattle, WA dentist’s office at 206-789-2555.
