When it comes to taking care of your smile, there are a number of factors you must take into consideration. After all, your oral health is the most important aspect, but there are a few different areas that contribute to the quality of your smile. Indeed, prevention helps to keep it strong, but sometimes life may have other plans that threaten your smile’s integrity. Fortunately, restoration mitigates damage and restores broken structures. In today’s blog, your Cedar Rapids, IA dentist discusses the way dental decay can influence your oral health, and how root canal therapy might be able to help.
Internal Infection
While dental decay is certainly not the only oral health threat out there, it is the most common. Indeed, decay affects millions of people every year in some form or another and oftentimes is not difficult to treat when caught early. If you wait too long before seeking treatment, however, your concerns can become exponentially worse.
Dental decay starts off as oral bacteria lurking in the hard-to-access areas of the mouth. If they are permitted to thrive, they will begin feeding off of the food and beverages you consume. What’s more? Bacteria like sugar in particular, which causes them to produce a destructive acid that actively wears down your teeth.
As the infection spreads, it will work its way down into the inner workings of your teeth. Here, your sensitive dental pulp will become infected, and your nerves that are housed in the roots will become damaged. At this stage, you will likely experience sharp pains, difficulty eating, and more. To learn more about this process and what steps you can take to help, reach out to our team today.
Compromised Structures
Decay and infection will not cease spreading once it has made its way into the inner part of your tooth. In fact, time is not on your side during this process, and the longer you wait, the lower your chances of restorative success.
In order to prevent the need for an extraction, your dentist may recommend a root canal procedure. This process involves carefully but thoroughly removing the infected portions of the pulp, then filling the hollow root canals with a dental material. Finally, a custom crown restoration is placed on top to ensure proper healing, and then you are good to go!
Caring for Your Teeth
Taking care of your smile is a lifelong process, and there are so many forces working against it. With a well-rounded routine and taking care to attend regular checkups, we can provide quality care that helps you maintain a healthy grin for life.
Learn More Today
To learn more about the benefits of restorative dentistry or to schedule your next appointment with our team, contact Cedar Dental in Cedar Rapids, IA by calling 319-364-7108 today.
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