Going to the dentist is usually a dreaded occasion for most people. It usually connotes a lot of pain and discomfort. What most people don’t realize is that dentists strive to cause as least pain as possible. It is unfortunate that visits to the dentist carry this stigma because regular checkups are vital to ensure proper oral health.
You need to set an appointment at an appropriate time before going to the dentist. A time of the day that is convenient is right after lunch time. This is ideal because some procedures cause discomfort which will make it hard for you to eat solid food right after. You also need to give yourself time to prepare psychologically if you are scared of certain procedures.
The first thing your dentist will usually do is to conduct a thorough assessment of your teeth. He will check for the presence of any cavities and for children, he will check the development of their adult teeth. He will also decide what procedures must be performed on your teeth, if any.
Cleaning is the most common procedure performed. A special tool is used to clean your teeth. It does this by putting out a fine stream of water. Fluoride treatment is also done for children to strengthen their teeth and prevent the formation of cavities. Care must be done when cleaning because too much cleaning may harm your teeth because of excess abrasion to their surface.
If there are cavities present, they must be cleaned and filled. Drilling and scraping is done first to remove the diseased part of the tooth and then filling with a special material which hardens after exposure to ultraviolet light. You may experience pain during the drilling but this is only temporary. The pain experienced is similar to the discomfort felt when eating extremely cold food such as ice cream.
Sometimes, tooth extraction is necessary in some cases. For children, sometimes their milk teeth are so loose that little effort is needed to extract them. For adults, however, it is necessary for a local anesthetic. First, a topical anesthesia is rubbed on the gum area of the tooth to be removed. Then a local anesthesia is injected into the area. When the area is completely numb, the tooth is pulled with pliers.
Special areas of care include the fitting of prostheses like dentures and replacement of teeth. These must be fitted properly by first casting a mold of your teeth. Another special area of care is orthodontic treatment to correct misaligned teeth. This is achieved by the application of orthodontic appliances such as braces. This requires a lot of time and regular visits to assess the progress of the treatment.
Your dentist Oakville will always provide you information about oral hygiene you can perform at home. After certain procedures, he will tell you how long you can’t eat or how long you must avoid chewing food on a certain side of you mouth. He will also reinforce proper oral hygiene practices like brushing and flossing. You must also set an appointment for a follow up to ensure that the procedures performed were successful and if they were not, corrective action may be taken.
