Schedule Your Dental Filling Today

dental filling on toothTaking care of your smile is a lifelong practice that will follow you, and one that certainly could benefit from a revisiting every once in a while. Indeed, it can become easy to fall short on your regular at-home or in-office routine by becoming engrossed in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and as such, infections and other concerns can settle in without your knowledge. As time continues to pass, however, your infection will only continue to get worse. In today’s blog, your Houston, TX dentist discusses the important role of a filling when dealing with early decay, as well as what your treatment options may look like.

A Need for Decay Treatment

It goes without saying that among the various threats to your oral health that exist, tooth decay is certainly the most common. Indeed, decay occurs when plaque bacteria lurk in the hard-to-clean areas of the mouth and feed off of leftover food particles. Certain items in particular, such as sugar, causes bacteria to produce a destructive acid. This acid gradually wears down your protective layer of enamel, thus damaging your only line of defense.

Although a thorough routine of brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash is effective in keeping your structures protected, it is important to recognize that we can fall short at any moment, and that is all it takes for infection to creep its way in.

In its earliest of stages, decay may present itself as a small hole in a tooth known as a cavity. Your issues will not stop with the cavity, however, and it is important you seek timely restorative care in order to provide the best chances of successful treatment. For more information about this process and how our team can help, give us a call today.

Do Not Wait

Treating a cavity with a dental filling is simple enough, but bear in mind that the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to treat. This is largely due to the fact that dental decay will continue to spread without restorative intervention. In fact, the infection will utilize the hole as a tunnel into the inner parts of your teeth, and the rest is history. Contact our office to learn more about your treatment options and how we can help.

Additional Care for Smile Health

If decay has spread past the point that a dental filling will be effective, it may be time to consider more extensive treatment such as that of a root canal. Indeed, the infection will work its way into the sensitive pulp of a tooth, eventually damaging the sensitive nerves housed there. If infection spreads past this, the only other viable treatment option is extraction.

Learn More Today

To learn more about the ways you can treat decay, contact Sue Ellen Richardson, DDS in Houston, TX by calling 713-796-9600 and schedule your next appointment with our team today.