The Most Common Dental Treatments
There are many options to treat dental and oral problems. Here are the most common treatment options seen by generalist-dentists and specialists. Many patients have experienced one to several of these.
Cleanings
While an earnest personal oral hygiene routine is very helpful, there may still remain plaque and tartar on teeth that you cannot remove without a professional cleaning. This is usually performed by a dental hygienist with the use of high-powered tools and cleaning aids. This should be your twice-a-year routine. Another procedure called scaling and root planing involves deep cleaning below the gumline.
Fluoride Treatments
The application of fluoride on your teeth is a must-have preventive measure to fight off cavities and tooth decay. This treatment usually follows an in-office cleaning. Fluoride helps strengthen tooth enamel to make teeth more resilient against attacks from bacteria and acid.
Sealants
Sealants are clear, protective coatings applied to the molars as back teeth are notoriously prone to cavities due to their position in the back of the mouth. That’s due to the difficulty in reaching them for brushing and flossing. Children of school age are generally recommended to have sealants on the appearance of their molars. It’s a painless and easy procedure that fights off cavities.
Fillings and Crowns
Part of restorative dentistry they aim to restore that which was damaged. A filling is used to repair a cavity or crack in the tooth. A drill is used to remove the damaged area and then cover the cavity with some filling material, like amalgam or composite. A crown is used if a large portion of your tooth needs to be removed or has broken off due to an injury. Artificial crowns fill in the gap where your natural teeth used to be.
Root Canal Treatment
When the soft pulp portion of the tooth has decayed or died, it is removed together with the nerves and blood supply therein. The space left is thoroughly cleaned, coated with an antibiotic, and filled with a biocompatible material up to the root tips. A soft, temporary material is placed on the top of the tooth.The patient is given anesthetic for the entire procedure. Root canal is a procedure that aims to save the natural tooth.
Surgery for Dental and Oral Problems
Flap surgery
A small cut in the gum tissue aims to lift up a section of it to remove tartar, bacteria, and other debris from underneath the gums. Then the flap is stitched back into place.
Bone grafting
It is used to restore the damaged bone, due to severe gum disease or trauma, that surrounds the root/roots of the affected tooth. The replacement bone will serve as a graft taken from your own bone; or it can be a donated bone or one that is synthetic. This aims to restore the functionality of your jaw bone.
Soft tissue grafting
This aims to correct receding gums usually from periodontal disease. A small piece of tissue from your mouth is removed or use a donor tissue and attach it to the areas of your gums that are missing.
Tooth extraction
This is used to surgically remove unsalvageable teeth, when root canal or other surgery is not indicated. Impacted wisdom teeth are also candidates for extraction. Except for extracted third molars, missing teeth will need replacement.
Dental implants
Implants replace missing teeth due to disease or accidents. An implant is surgically placed into the jawbone and allowed to integrate and to heal. An artificial crown is customized later to attach to the implant and fill in the gap left by the missing tooth.
Variety of Treatments for All in Lynnwood
For your dental and oral issues, look no further than Song Dental. We are your friendly and experienced Lynnwood dentists in the neighborhood.
