Dental care entails treating oral diseases or conditions like tooth decay with regular or restorative measures, as well as procedures that improve the look of your smile, such as braces.
Good oral health is crucial to overall wellness. Unfortunately, however, many individuals struggle to access affordable dental care and suffer serious consequences without it – including disease progression, costly hospital use and missed work/school days.
Preventive care
Regular brushing and flossing can prevent minor issues from growing into more significant problems that necessitate more extensive, costly procedures.
Dental insurance typically provides complete coverage of preventive care and 80% of basic procedures like fillings and crowns after you meet the deductible threshold.
Compare plan costs and coverage options available in your area to locate cost-effective dental plans that suit your needs, while health savings accounts provide tax benefits that could save money for dental care expenses.
Routine checkups
Regular dental checkups offer numerous health advantages. Your dentist will perform professional cleanings and may suggest x-rays to assess the state of your teeth and gums.
As part of their preventive care services, dentists provide early identification of issues like tooth decay and gum disease in order to minimize further treatment needs. Furthermore, your dentist can advise you on better oral hygiene practices to help mitigate future issues; this helps decrease inflammation throughout your body which has been linked to many serious medical conditions.
Cleanings
Dental cleanings involve the removal of hardened plaque and tartar that may lead to gum disease or tooth loss, and is part of your regular dental exam process.
Plaque contains acids that erode away at teeth, leading to cavities. Brushing and flossing alone cannot remove all of this buildup; professional dental cleaning will be needed to take care of any remaining plaque buildup.
Cleanings also work to alleviate bad breath by clearing away bacteria that has collected on tooth surfaces, and most dental insurance policies cover these procedures at an affordable price.
Fillings
Fillings are an efficient and cost-effective solution for protecting teeth from damage. By filling decayed sections of a tooth and restoring its natural form and function, fillings can protect and preserve oral health.
Dental fillings also serve to protect teeth against further decay by acting as a shield between them and bacteria that cause cavities.
Dental fillings may be constructed of gold, silver amalgam, composite resin or porcelain. While composite fillings look more natural and are customized to match the color of your teeth, they’re less durable and susceptible to staining than gold and silver amalgam fillings.
Crowns
Crowns are tooth-shaped caps placed by dentists to cover damaged, weak, broken or discoloured teeth. Additionally, crowns may also be used to hold bridges in place or cover root canal-treated teeth.
Resin crowns tend to be less costly than their alternatives but may wear down faster and cause increased sensitivity to hot and cold foods.
Metal alloy crowns rarely chip or break, and have the longest wear lifespan of all crown types. Unfortunately, their metallic color may put off some patients.
Veneers
Veneers are an effective solution for correcting crookedness, discoloration or gaps between teeth; however they’re not suitable for everyone.
If veneers seem like the right choice for you, speak to your dentist about the costs and what to expect during this procedure. They may also discuss other solutions such as crowns or implants as options.
Keep in mind that while porcelain can resist stains, it is still susceptible to discoloration and disintegration. Therefore, to protect your veneers properly you should regularly brush and eat soft foods while avoiding chewing pens or biting your nails.
Root canals
Root canal therapy is used to save a tooth that has become infected or inflamed. A dentist or endodontist will numb the area using local anesthetic, then drill into the tooth to access its pulp (soft tissue in its center). They will remove bacteria, decayed nerve tissue and clean and disinfect before filling and sealing off all canals before filling them back up again.
Root canals often receive a bad reputation; however, they’re generally no more painful than getting a tooth filled. Over-the-counter painkillers can be taken to manage any discomfort.
Implants
Implants are surgically placed into the jawbone to replace missing teeth. They support artificial (fake) ones that resemble natural ones while helping preserve bone structure and chewing function.
Before receiving dental implants, patients must meet with an oral surgeon to discuss their health in detail. Uncontrolled chronic conditions, such as diabetes or immune system issues, may slow healing times and undermine success with implants.
Once an implant has undergone the process of osseointegration, a crown will be added to complete its artificial tooth replacement.
