Keep those teeth in check
Thursday, June 17, 2010 16:16Cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/articles/root-canal.html treatment, or endodontic therapy as it is properly known, is one of those dental procedures we grow up being taught to dread, and it is one that keeps dentists in business and prevents the need for a dental practice for sale sign to arrive on the scene. Having holes drilled into teeth and all the pulp, blood vessels and nerves scraped out so that a contamination can be stopped is not the most inviting proposal to the majority of people.
However, though this may already seem like one of the more unpleasant dentistry jobs, it is often the later effects which are the worst part for the patient’s dental health. After the procedure has been carried out the tooth will be dead, this is deliberate and is designed to stop an infection which has taken root in the tissue within it. Where too many people go wrong, and what causes too many tooth removals for Nottingham dentists, is in assuming that with the tooth being dead it is not susceptible to decay and does not need to be looked after any more. This is entirely wrong, just because the tooth is no longer alive does not mean it is immune to further damage.
If patients stop brushing some of their teeth because they have had this treatment and believe them to be unable to decay, they not only risk the removal of that tooth but of others in their mouth if decay or disease is allowed to build up and spread. It is vital that patients remember to maintain their full oral hygiene routine and do not stray from it, especially because with the lack of nerve endings it may be impossible to feel that anything is wrong with the tooth before it is too late to salvage it.