Dental patients are interested in two types of Dental care St. Louis treatments. The first type of treatment keeps the teeth and gums in good health. This includes dental check ups every six months. The dental hygienist scrapes off all of the tartar and plaque that builds up on the teeth. This prevents tooth decay and gum disease. The dentist then comes in and examines the patient’s mouth for any existing cavities that need to be filled. By checking the teeth often, cavities are filled when they are quite small. It protects the rest of the tooth and minimizes the need for future root canals and porcelain crown.
Dental fillings used to all be silver, which looked quite bad in a patient’s mouth. Today the dentist can use composite fillings that match the color of the patient’s tooth. This is one of the ways that traditional dentistry is meeting the needs of patients who want their mouth to be attractive as well as healthy. Some older patients are so thrilled with the way their tooth looks when an older filling is replaced, that they ask the dentist to replace all of their silver fillings.
Teeth whitening is the most popular and requested cosmetic procedure in Dental care St. Louis practices. Patients may have tried home whitening kits and been disappointed with the results. It can take quite a bit of time each day to use one of them. People get frustrated because the results won’t show for one or two weeks. In contrast, the dentist can lighten teeth by up to eight shades in just one visit. Typically this visit lasts from one hour to 90 minutes. The dentist then explains how to maintain the tooth color. If the patient follows these instructions, the procedure should last for about two years.
Even with the best preventative care, a tooth can need to be extracted because they were injured in an accident. Patients are relieved to find out dental implants can easily replace the tooth. As soon as the gum is healed the dentist can insert an implant into the jaw bone. A porcelain crown is placed on top of it and the result is a very realistic tooth.
