The oral hygiene you practice daily creates the foundation for your smile care. By brushing and flossing regularly, you remove plaque deposits that threaten tooth decay and gum disease. While your at-home habits are vital to protecting against common oral health problems, you must also visit your dentist to examine the results of your efforts. By providing professional cleaning and checkup, we can detect cavities when they do occur and provide a conservative restoration to preserve your tooth. On the other hand, if you wait for painful symptoms before you head to an appointment, decay can progress much further, increasing the work needed for repair, or even leading to problems such as a dental infection.
At your Katy, TX, dental practice, we suggest visiting at least twice per year to provide preventive and restorative care. By examining your smile regularly, we create a dental record that alerts us when problems present. For cavities, early detection allows us to typically place dental fillings that return the outer seal of a healthy tooth after removing decay. To learn more about how we help keep smiles strong, speak to your dentist about the importance of routine care.
How Tooth Decay Breaks Down Your Smile
When your smile is healthy, the enamel on the outside of your teeth provides a barrier against oral bacteria and withstands the force of your bite. By prioritizing cleaning your smile each day, you remove sticky plaque from your smile’s surface to prevent damaging this vital layer. But when left to grow, plaque creates an acidic waste product that breaks down the outer seal of your tooth. When this happens, a cavity forms that can continue to break down your tooth without treatment. Therefore, we suggest visiting every six months to receive a professional cleaning and inspection of your grin.
When You Need A Dental Filling
At your checkups, we will suggest removing cavities immediately upon discovering them. Depending on their size and location, we could place a dental filling or crown to restore the part of your tooth broken down by decay. Made from a composite resin, your filling quickly solidifies after placement. Modern materials allow us to shade your restoration to the color of your smile, restoring its appearance. To take care of your tooth afterward, continue brushing and flossing regularly to prevent decay from taking hold again.
Talk To Your Katy, TX, Dentist About Receiving Treatment for a Cavity
When you take the time to visit your dentist, you can receive professional services to prevent decay or detect it early. When removing a cavity, we take special care to place a restoration that complements your smile and returns its natural look. To learn more about preventing and removing decay, please call Lathrop Dental Center in Katy, TX at 832-437-3849 to schedule a visit.
