Fillings and Procedures
The dental fillings that we use to restore your teeth in our Thousand Oaks office are bonded tooth colored composite fillings which match the color of your teeth, thereby giving off the aesthetic effect of having no cavities at all. When caught early, cavities can be generally treated easily and painlessly.
What are teeth fillings?
Teeth fillings are a dental restorative material used to eliminate tooth decay and restore the function, integrity and morphology of missing teeth structure. They are called teeth fillings because new material fills a hole that the decay left. The structural loss of teeth, and the need to provide teeth fillings, typically results from cavities or external trauma.
The teeth fillings that we use to restore your teeth in our Thousand Oaks office are bonded tooth colored composite fillings, which match the color of your teeth, thereby giving off the aesthetic effect of having no cavities at all!
Don’t wait with discomfort
Be aware that cavities can be treated easily and painlessly if you schedule an appointment early enough. Please don’t wait a year after experiencing the discomfort associated with a cavity to see your Thousand Oaks dentist. If not treated, your simple cavity can lead to an extraction or deeper decay that might need a root canal and/or extraction.
Teeth Sealants
Teeth sealants are used to fill in narrow grooves in a tooth that cannot be adequately cleaned with daily brushing. In some cases, the tooth structure has fine grooves or pits that accumulate plaque – not due to lack of brushing but because they’re too narrow to allow even one bristle into them. These teeth typically develop cavities over time and you don’t want that. Dr. Shirin will brush on a coating that seals the grooves and pits, making it possible to brush off all the plaque and keep your teeth healthy.
Root Canal
Endodontic therapy (Root Canal) is a sequence of treatments for the pulp of a tooth, which results in the elimination of infection and protection of the decontaminated tooth from future microbial invasion. This set of procedures is commonly referred to as a “root canal.”
When are Root Canals Necessary?
Root canals are made necessary when a cavity is allowed, through neglect, to reach all the way to the pulp. Regular cleaning and checkups can prevent and detect problems early on. Sometimes deep restorations or trauma to a tooth may cause the nerve to be damaged to the point that it needs root canal therapy in our Thousand Oaks office. Once this occurs, the pulp becomes infected and can even extend through the root tip and begin to eat away at the surrounding bone (this is an abscess). By the time the pulp is infected it has to be treated. It cannot heal on its own. It can even weaken the entire immune system, which is quite dangerous and painful.
Symptoms
Symptoms that the pulp has become infected may include sensitivity to hot, cold or sweets, localized pain, swelling, pain when biting or exacting any sort of pressure as well as a bad taste in your mouth. Sometimes, however, no symptoms are apparent and the person is unaware of any problem until the next dental exam.
Treatment
A root canal is performed to clean out the infected tooth pulp and to disinfect the canals of the tooth; the only other treatment would be to extract the tooth. Once the infection is resolved, the canal(s) is filled in to prevent any further infection. Usually a core build-up and crown is recommended for restoring a tooth that has had root canal therapy.
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