When out teeth come under attack from tooth decay caused by plaque and bacteria, dental cavities begin to appear in our teeth. If these cavities are not addressed with treatment they will get bigger until the enamel is breached and plaque and bacteria can penetrate to the more sensitive central area of the tooth. This could be the cause of dental infection or abscess that will certainly be painful and often costly to treat.

One way of preventing this from happening is to use a dental filling to prevent the cavity from growing any larger. This involves using dental bonding to fill the cavity and solidify. However, in some circumstances, the cavity may already be too big and will require a greater degree of protection. This is when a Sunbury dentist may resort to using a dental crown. This is an artificial cap that is cemented over the whole part of the tooth above the gum line to protect it from further damage.

The process of fitting a crown first involves the removal of a certain amount of tooth enamel. This allows the crown to fit comfortably over the top of the existing tooth without appearing too large. The new crown, usually made from porcelain but they can also be made from metal including gold and silver, will have been specially designed and manufactured to fit into place. It will then be cemented in place using composite resin bonding.

Dental crowns are also used as the result of a number of other dental processes. For example, after a root canal procedure which is used to remove any traces of bacterial infection in the teeth. Because the tooth will have already been significantly damaged by the infection, a crown will be needed after surgery to protect the tooth from further infection. Dental crowns are also used to repair teeth that have been damaged by dental trauma such as cracks and chips.

Dental cavities are caused by the wearing down of the enamel of the tooth, this is a natural process of eating, but the matter is exasperated by bacteria that produces acid and wears away the enamel much quicker, says a Weybridge dentist. The symptoms are a soreness in the tooth (toothache) and an infection of the gums; this is caused by the bad bacteria in the mouth seeping into the cracks that are prevalent in most cavities. Gum and teeth infections can be a simple infection, or it can develop into a more complex problem. An abscess is probably one of the worst things that can come out of a cracked cavity, and the symptom of that is an excruciating pain, swelling and a few sleepless night. The treatment for dental cavities can be a simple filling or a more complicated root canal treatment. A filling would involve a dentist drilling out any enamel that is likely to crumble and cause problems under a filling. The filling is a mix of metals that are antibacterial, and will fill the cavity whilst also sealing in the chamber of the tooth to prevent further infections. This is then topped off with a porcelain crown to make the tooth harder and better wearing. The other method is a root canal, this involves drilling out all the inside of the tooth, then scraping out the bacteria that has got into the cavity chamber. Again the hole is filled with an antibacterial material and sealed off with a porcelain crown. It then needs the patient to start a regime of good and disciplined oral hygiene; this includes flossing which prevents further tartar building up on the tooth root, making it weaken, which results in the loss of the tooth prematurely. Prevention is always preferable to a cure, just ask any dentist.

New parents should understand that newborn babies are more prone to oral conditions such as infections and oral thrush because of their relatively-weaker immune system. For this reason, you should work with your Surrey dentist to ensure that the correct oral hygiene program is implemented to ensure your child’s oral health.

Newborn Babies
Breastfeeding can actually transmit bacteria and germs to your baby via the skin. It is therefore important that you clean the area around your nipple before feeding your baby. Since most babies are bottle-fed, parents should make sure that the bottles and plastic nipples are sterilised before use. If your baby uses a pacifier or a dummy, this should be sterilised as well.

Although oral thrush is quite common among babies, it might be a good idea to buy a new set of feeding equipment especially if the oral disease is recurring.

Older Babies
Since teeth begin to appear during the sixth month, your baby should be checked regularly by a Surrey dentist in order to monitor signs of dental cavities. If your baby drinks plenty of juices and eat sweets, then they are more prone to cavities. To minimize this, make sure you give juices in a feeding cup and softly brush the baby’s teeth daily. The gums and tongue should also be cleaned using gauze or cotton dipped in sterile water.

During teething, it is best that you consider these tips:

• Remove dribble and saliva gently
• Put Vaseline around mouth if soreness or irritation occurs
• Ask your dentist fro a mild pain reliever

Most dentists prescribe fluoride supplements as soon as the first set of teeth appears to strengthen them. Again, you can ask your dentist regarding this.

At some point in their lives, some people may need to have their dentists to perform special procedures for filling in holes made by cavities in their teeth. Many years ago, holes in the teeth were filled with silver fillings that look obviously foreign from the rest of your teeth. As technology and new discoveries were made, a white-colored filling finally came up. Although there are still dentists around Shepperton who do teeth filling using silver amalgam, most of the population of dental patients who have learnt about this new addition in dentistry already demand white filling for aesthetic and functional purposes. Most people would think that opting for the white composite fillings are purely for aesthetic reasons. However, you will be surprised to know of its functional advantages. But take note that if cavities have reached the pulp of the tooth, this procedure is no longer applicable.Silver Amalgam versus White Composite Filling

Take a look at some advantages and disadvantages of the two types of fillings.

o The white composite type of filling looks far better than the silver amalgam. It effectively blends with the natural color of teeth so that they don’t look like they have been filled at all.
o With careful execution of the appropriate procedures for filling a tooth, white composite fillings help your teeth to be less sensitive to hot and cold compared to the silver amalgam.
o Composites are also much safer for the patient as they are mercury-free. Most dentists usually use the term silver amalgam but there is actually a lot of mercury mixed in it.
o As silver amalgam, in its hardness and type of material weakens the tooth in the long run, white composite fillings help teeth to be more resilient to pressure and become less brittle.

Although white fillings are more expensive than the silver amalgam, they prove to be more beneficial to the dental patient than the latter.

Dental caries is an infectious disease which can lead to cavities (simply put, tiny holes) in the structure of tooth. This affects overall construction and health of the tooth ultimately resulting in destruction of tooth.

Dental caries is quite common and can be prevented maintaining proper hygienic condition. However, the number of cases of dental caries has been significantly declined because of fluoridated water and general awareness in the people of Surbiton.

There are many causative factors that are associated with dental caries such as eating sugars in excessive quantity, oral bacterial infection etc. Dental caries caused by bacteria contain acid. The acid, secreted by bacteria, causes local demineralization of the tooth surface and then it damages the tooth structure. If left untreated, it may decay the tooth and may form tooth abscess.

Dental caries treatment in Surbiton includes proper clinical examination, its remedy and advice about hygiene and diet. The main goal of dental caries is treating the cause; if infection, it is treated with antibiotics and in case of sticky substances, it is cleaned properly. Caries those are superficial can be treated by fluoride treatment offering re-mineralization but when caries have lead to cavities, they are to be removed and repaired with some special dental material like composites and amalgams. In some of the cases, dental caries are treated placing crown on tooth. In other case wherein the tooth structure is lost and tooth is susceptible to get affected more, root canal treatment remains the only option.

With proper hygiene and diet restriction, dental caries can be prevented and is also advisable in order to save you undergoing any surgical procedure.