Don’t Wait! Why is it important to listen to your Dentist?
If you have made the healthy choice to make an appointment with your local dentist for a Check-up or to discuss your dental concerns, well done! But is that it? Can you go home and forget all about your teeth? Well, what are the facts?
When seeing your dentist, it is likely that a discussion ensued about what dental treatment or options are best suited to your unique situation. This can range from booking your next maintenance check-up to any preventative or slightly more invasive dental treatments.
Does it matter how long you wait to get this preventative or restorative dental treatment done? In short, the answer is a resounding, yes! And here are a few reasons why?
Fillings
Dental fillings are needed to stop tooth decay once it’s developed, this will help your tooth stay intact and prevent further decay. Fillings improve the structural integrity of the tooth and can restore the function of your bite.
If you leave a tooth to decay unchecked the result can be disastrous! The result of not getting a filling done when recommended can mean the following:
· Nerve exposure & infection – this can mean a TOOTHACHE.
· Nerve exposure & infection can then lead to more invasive and costly treatments required to save the tooth such as root canal treatment or even extraction.
· Due to the integrity of the tooth being lost to decay, large parts of the tooth can break away.
So, when your dentist tells you next time that they recommend a filling, just think about all the problems you can prevent if you get that filling done sooner rather then later.
After all it can take only 3-6 months for decay the size of a pin head to balloon out underneath your dentine and cause massive problems!
Crowns
Dental crowns are caps placed on top of damaged teeth. Crowns are used to protect, cover, and restore the shape of your teeth when fillings don’t solve the problem. Dental crowns can be made from metals, porcelain, resin, and ceramics.
Crowns can increase the longevity of a damaged tooth and save you from prolonged discomfort while strengthening weakened teeth. Crowns can also prevent fractured or cracked teeth from breaking away and being irreversibly damaged. For root canaled teeth a crown will strengthen the weakened integrity of the tooth because over time the structure of the tooth can become brittle making it prone to breakages.
After all, our second molars can exert a bite force between 1,100 and 1,300 Newtons, beating the orang-utan and gibbon monkey!
