In dental care, as in many other areas of health, it is well known that “prevention is better than the cure.” However, it is still necessary to demonstrate consistency, both in the implementation of daily protection and at regular checkups. Your family dentist in Northeast Minneapolis will express that both of these are extremely vital in keeping your teeth healthy. This article will explain brushing and regular visit issues as well as the two major causes of trips to the dentist.
Brushing
Regular brushing from childhood should be the minimum required from each patient, based on dental hygiene statistics. This is not enough to keep your teeth healthy, though. Many dental problems are difficult to identify. Take the case of proximal decay (between the teeth), which is very commonplace. This decay is not seen at first and, actually, only a dentist can get in there to identify the degree of progress and implement appropriate treatment.
Visits
Annual or bi-annual visits are a must. If you suffer from periodontal problems, or bleeding gums, you should visit a Family Dentist in Northeast Minneapolis even more regularly. These visits will allow the dentist to perform scaling, which is carried out to eliminate plaque. X-rays will be taken as well, to see if there are any other issues that need to be attended to.
Today, two evils are characterized when associated with a toothache: pulpitis and infection.
Pulpitis
This is an inflammation of the pulp, the portion which is furthest inside the tooth, consisting of living tissues (nerves, blood vessels). When tooth decay is poorly treated or not treated at all, it progresses until it reaches the pulp of the tooth, which can cause intense pain of varying duration, before finally necrosis of the tooth sets in. If left untreated too long, the tooth must be extracted.
Infection
There are, however, several types of infections. The most common concern of them is periodontal pocket infections, related to loosening or infections of the root. This relatively common problem often has its origin in faulty treatment of cavities. Pain disappears in the necrosis stage and returns tenfold during infection. If a root canal is performed too quickly, the same can happen. Root treatment on a molar, for example, can take up to two hours to be done properly.
Your Family Dentist at Diamond Dental is there to assist you in whatever dental problem you have. Make your appointment today.
