Your smile is bombarded by bacteria every day. Sometimes, these bacteria are able to penetrate the protective layers of a tooth, and form a cavity. Unfortunately, there is no way for you, as a patient, to treat and eliminate this type of infection on your own. That is why our Toluca Lake dentists are here to help you regain oral health!
The exact type of treatment that you require will depend on the extent and the location of your cavity. For example…
Cavities holes with small diameters, which do not cover a lot of surface area, can generally be filled with a dental compound in order to restore the tooth post-cavity-extraction. Once the resin is in place, our team will cure it so that it hardens and bonds to the natural tooth material. This is a quick and convenient way to restore a tooth.
When an infection has spread to cover more of the tooth, our team may recommend placing a custom restoration as the final step in the treatment process. Using porcelain restorations we are able to rebuild larger areas of the tooth. These restorations look natural, and preserve healthy bite alignment for the patient.
In both of the cases we have discussed so far, the patient’s dental infection was confined to the outer layers of the tooth. The treatment protocol changes when a tooth is infected and damaged down to the tooth’s core. In cases like these root canal therapy is often required. During root canal therapy our team goes into the inner dental structure, and clears out all of the infected material, as well as any remaining dental pulp, nerves, and roots. The amount of dental material that we need to eliminate from the surface of the tooth will dictate whether we restore the tooth with a filling or a larger restoration.
The sooner that you seek treatment for emerging dental infections, the better your tooth’s prognosis. Our Toluca Lake dentists are here to give you all of the information and support that you need, so just give us a call to get started!