A visit to a dentist means having some or other procedure done in the mouth. The most common dental procedures are described below:
Why is there a need for dental treatment?
A dental visit is required to fix your teeth or treat any gum disease or other infection in the mouth. Any sign of tooth decay or pain in any tooth, teeth sensitivity, tooth crack or fracture, discoloured tooth, bleeding from gums, tooth loss, and other infections should be diagnosed and treated at an incipient stage. A delay in tooth decay may lead to tooth infection, causing tooth abscess, cyst, or even osteomyelitis (bone infection). People always have anxiety about visiting a dentist and getting their dental treatment done. This blog describes various dental procedures dental professionals undertake for different dental treatments.
Dental x-ray
X-ray scans or radiographs are a must before the start of any dental treatment. The x-rays recommended for dental treatment may vary from a small periapical dental x-ray to a complete coverage orthopantomogram where both the jaws, including the maxilla and mandible, and all teeth are easily visualized. The most recent one is cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) which gives a 3-D representation of the dentition and the bone involved.
Tooth filling
An incipient tooth decay or a little deeper one can be quickly restored at a dental office. The carious or decayed part of the tooth is first scrapped off using a hand instrument or an electric motor. The debris is then washed off, and the tooth is restored using a dental filling material, which comes in various forms ranging from metallic to tooth-colored material.
Root Canal Treatment
Root canal treatment, or commonly RCT, is performed in case of deep dental caries when the pulp or nerve of the tooth is involved leading to pain and discomfort. Also, after a crack or fracture in the tooth that causes pulpal degeneration and tooth discoloration, RCT is required. If any abscess or cyst develops or develops at the apex of a tooth root, a root canal procedure is mandatory to evade any source of infection.
Oral prophylaxis
Oral prophylaxis helps in maintaining proper oral hygiene and good oral health. The treatment includes scaling and root planing to remove debris, plaque, and calculus from the tooth surface and the surrounding gum area. Scaling can be done both through hand instruments or electronic scalers. Root planning is done with the help of hand instruments specially designed to clear off debris and reduce inflammation in the deeper area of the gums. After scaling, tooth polishing is done to smoothen the enamel or outer layer of the tooth that had become slightly rough after the scaling procedure.
Prosthetic treatments
Prosthetic treatments include the replacement of any decayed tooth with an artificial one. The tooth crown or cap is preferred after the root canal treatment is completed to protect the tooth from external pressure while chewing or to eat food. The tooth crowns come in a different variety ranging from metal-ceramic with outer tooth color ceramic layer and inner metallic body to fully tooth-colored material including Zirconia or Emax. The tooth cap or crown space is made by cutting the tooth precisely with specialized dental motors. The impression is made after that and sent to a dental laboratory. Once the crown is prepared, it is finished and seated on the tooth surface using dental luting cement such as glass ionomer cement.
Any edentulous (loss of tooth) space in the mouth can be restored using artificial teeth. The impression is made and sent to the laboratory for teeth fabrication. Artificial teeth are of various types, including removable ones and fixed crowns, and the most recent ones are implants. After the impression and trial of the denture for removable dentures, the teeth set is delivered to the patient. For fixed crowns, the support of natural teeth is taken to fix the complete tooth crown and bridge. The implant placement needs a surgical intervention and takes time to heal. The type and material of artificial teeth depend on the choice and comfort of the patient.
Tooth extraction
Any severely decayed tooth that cannot be restored using dental filling material or root canal procedure needs removal to prevent any progress of infection in the mouth. Apart from this, any impacted or embedded tooth needs removal, especially the wisdom tooth. For this, a minor surgical procedure is carried out, and the tooth involved is removed under local anesthesia.
Orthodontic treatment
The orthodontic treatment includes correcting crooked or malaligned teeth using different wires. The duration of the treatment can be stretched from 8-10 months to 1-2 years, depending on the severity of the malalignment. Nowadays, aligners are in trend where the esthetic requirement of the patient of not showing the wire is fulfilled.
Conclusion
Dental treatments are done to correct your smile and have a healthy mouth with no sign of infection or inflammation. The blog has tried to explain some standard dental procedures routinely done in every dental clinic. I hope you find the blog helpful. If you are planning or looking for a dentist in your local area, look no further than Omni Local Care to find a suitable dentist nearby.
