Although dental care begins with brushing and flossing daily at home, visits to a dentist for West Mobile Dental Care once every six months play a vital role in ensuring your teeth, gums and jaw bones remain healthy. During each bi-annual visit, the dentist will clean your teeth to remove any surface stains and plaque or tartar that have built up since your last visit. He will examine your gum tissue for signs of gum disease. X-rays will also be taken to ensure your jaw bones are structurally sound and there are no signs of cavities.
Should cavities be found, your dentist will schedule appointments to correct the issue. He will drill away the cavity, as well as a minuscule portion of the healthy enamel and dentin surrounding the cavity, to ensure only healthy tissue remains. Once this is complete, he will fill the space with a tooth colored resin compound and use a specialized UV light to harden the substance, giving it the strength of natural enamel. This same substance can sometimes be used to repair minor chips and cracks in teeth as well.
If your teeth are uneven, badly stained or have gaps, they can be covered by veneers. One type of veneer is made of resin composite, the same material used in fillings. Another type of veneer is made of porcelain. Both are thin, strong and undetectable once applied. Both also give the appearance of perfect teeth. Porcelain veneers last longer but are more expensive than their resin counterparts.
Severely damaged teeth that can not be repaired using resin or are too badly decayed to be safely covered by veneers may need to be removed. The gaps left by missing teeth can cause difficulties in chewing and speaking clearly. If a few, or all, of your teeth have been removed, they can be replaced using different methods.
If you are healthy, you may be good candidate for dental implants. A dentist offering West Mobile Dental Care will assess your level of health before making this determination. The implant process begins with inserting small metal rods into a patient’s jaw bones. After allowing a few weeks for the gums to heal and the implants to fuse with the jaw bone, a crown, or artificial tooth, will be attached to the implant. If you are diabetic or suffer from another illness, your dentist may recommend dentures in Mobile, AL as an alternative.
