CONSERVATIVE DENTISTRY
CONSERVATIVE DENTISTRY is concerned with the
conservation of teeth and gums.
PREVENTION
The dental work begins with
prevention of caries and gingivitis - based on proper oral hygiene, proper alignment of the teeth (braces), adequate food and good habits that sustain life and aesthetics of the natural teeth.
Very important, too, are
regular visits to the dentist, where any problems are detected in early stage and therefore much easier to deal with (for example, in
periodontics, identify in time gum disease helps prevent premature loss of teeth).
CARIES
Tooth decay is caused by in the mouth existents bacteria that convert sugar into acid. In a first phase, the caries demineralises and destroys the enamel and dentine and then finally the nerve.
When pain occurs, the nerve is affected!
There are several
factors that predispose caries:
. Improper dental hygiene;
. Unbalanced diet;
. Hygiene difficulting shape and position;
. Age (in periods of high incidence from 4 to 10 years and 18 to 25 years).
If decay is not very deep, usually the treatment is completely painless. In the case of a deep cavity, a light anaesthesia can be given to avoid possible inconvenience.
It should be stressed that,
once a cavity appears, we must go immediately to the dentist, since, let time pass, the only thing we get is that the decay becomes larger and reaches to the nerve, completely destroying the tooth and requiring a much more extensive, complicated and expensive treatment (from large reconstructions to
crowns or
implants).
TREATMENTS
If there is a small cavity, you need a filling. But, if the decay is much deeper and affects the nerve of the tooth, it requires a more complicated treatment, called
endodontics.
If the part is very destroyed it needs a reconstruction or a crown (fixed
prosthesis) when we choose the material, texture and colour or the crown, we talk about cosmetic dentistry.
Oral hygiene
Fillings
ORAL HYGIENE
Proper ORAL HYGIENE consists in a careful
daily cleaning with a brush and toothpaste suitable to our teeth, as often as necessary (general rule: when you wake up, after meals and at bedtime).
We recommend the use of
dental floss or an
irrigator for cleaning the teeth.
Mouthwashes complete oral hygiene, eliminating most germs and help prevent cavities.
It also recommends a
dental cleaning done by professionals once a year or as recommended by the doctor.
FILLINGS
After removing the caries, a FILLING is made with a mouldable material which, when applied to the teeth, hardens to be as strong as the tooth itself.
The filling can be made of various materials and different colours. Today, are commonly used cosmetic fillings, both for its strength, and, above all, its tooth-like colour.
In our clinic, we do not use harmful materials such as silver amalgam (black fillings).