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Looking At Various Degrees of Tooth Loss

When it comes to maintaining a healthy, lifelong smile, it takes a lot more than just paying mind to brushing regularly. In fact, a number of concerns such as cavities, infections, and more can become a major problem if you neglect to attend routine checkups, pay mind to the foods and beverages you consume, and do not take necessary preventive precautions overall. In today’s blog, your Pella, IA dentist will take a look at the effects of various degrees of structural damage caused by decay, and how our team can step in to help.

From a Few to a Lot

While completely different concerns, tooth decay, gum disease, and overall infection actually share one common factor: harmful oral bacteria that are present in the mouth that have begun to wreak havoc on your health. Indeed, it is true that these bacteria are present in every smile, but it is up to us to ensure we are practicing excellent preventive care to keep them at bay. They tend to thrive in warm, moist, and hard-to-reach areas of the mouth, making the back molars and gums an ideal spot for them to set up camp. They feed off of the sugars and food particles you consume, causing them to secrete harmful acids that actively break down a tooth’s natural structure. This phenomenon is known as dental decay, and without proper restorative measures, can ultimately result in tooth loss.

Where to Begin

When you first encounter decay, it is often in the form of what appears to be a minor cavity. If this is not addressed with a composite resin filling, your condition will continue to worsen as these bacteria spread internally and infect the root canals. If it is not stopped or treated within a timely manner, it will ultimately keep spreading until it compromises your tooth and, eventually, the surrounding structures as well. To prevent this from occurring, our team is prepared to address it at multiple stages along the way – from a dental filling to a root canal, dental implant, or even a dental bridge to address multiple structures, we will create a treatment plan that works best for you.

Partial and Full Dentures

Occasionally, an individual is unable to seek treatment until significant time has passed, resulting in oral conditions beyond a single compromised tooth. Indeed, it could be possible you lose a number of structures or even all, but do not fret. Our team can provide custom partial or full dentures to not only address your cosmetic loss, but restore your bite’s function as well. For more information about your options, reach out to us.