As hard as teeth are they are not indestructible. Even if you practice the best oral hygiene, ensuring that you brush twice a day and floss you can still suffer tooth trauma. Tooth trauma can be a simple chip or it can be as serious as a tooth broken off at the gum-line. To attend to problems of this nature a Lakeview dentist employs reconstructive techniques as well as cosmetic techniques. The treatment that the dentist chooses will depend on the seriousness and the amount of damage.
If one of your teeth should become chipped the first thing the dentist will do is to determine how the accident happened, in many cases he or she will rely on the results of one or more X-Rays. The dentist will inquire about the amount of pain the patient is suffering. If the results of the X-Rays show there is no damage to the root and the patient is suffering little or no discomfort there are a few ways to repair the chipped tooth.
If the chip is small the dentist will attempt to file the tooth until it is smooth. There are cases where the damage is so inconsequential that the dentist may not do anything. Minor chips are treated using bonding material which is cured, ground and polished until there is no evidence of damage. Chips which are a little larger will be treated with porcelain or composite veneers; the veneer is bonded to the front of the tooth; the result is a smooth surface that looks perfectly natural.
A badly chipped tooth or one which is causing the patient a great deal of discomfort will normally require a crown. A crown, often called a cap, covers the entire surface of the tooth, restoring its appearance and protecting it. In some cases the dentist may elect to fill a badly broken tooth, this is usually the course taken when the affected tooth is in the back of the mouth. Regardless of whether the dentist elects a veneer, a crown or a filling it can be done in a perfect color match.
If the damage is such that the remaining root has to be extracted the dentist will usually suggest a dental implant be used. This procedure uses a titanium peg, imbedded in the jaw bone; once the peg is firm the dentist fits a crown on the top. The result is a perfect artificial replica of the lost tooth.
Tooth trauma is something that should be attended to as soon as possible, the quicker you get to your Lakeview dentist, the more options he or she has to repair the damage. Visit ArtofModernDentistry.com to know more information.
