Preventing tooth decay and gum disease at your Coorparoo family dental practice

You and your family must visit your Coorparoo family dental practice regularly to enjoy healthy teeth and gums. Healthy teeth and gums are important for overall health and well-being. If you have poor dental health and are suffering from issues such as tooth decay or gum disease, this can affect you daily. It can affect the appearance of your smile, which means your self-confidence can take a hit, and the impression you make on other people may not be pleasant. Your social life can also be affected by poor dental health, making you feel sad or even depressed.

Tooth decay and gum disease

Cavities and tooth decay can be painful; this pain may come and go or be constant and uncomfortable. You may suffer from sensitivity, which causes pain and discomfort when eating or drinking something cold, hot or sweet. As mentioned earlier, poor dental health can affect the appearance of your teeth; you may notice visible holes or pits in your teeth and have brown or black stains appear on them.

Cavities and tooth decay can also cause bad breath and an unpleasant taste in your mouth, which does not go away even after brushing. You must visit your Coorparoo family dental practice as soon as you notice any signs or symptoms of cavities and tooth decay. Your Coorparoo family dental practice will be able to put together a tailored treatment plan for you. If you avoid dental checkups, this will result in irreversible damage and, eventually, tooth loss.

Similarly, if you suffer from gum disease, you will notice many unpleasant symptoms, including bleeding gums, soreness, sensitivity, pain and bad breath. Again, you must visit your Coorparoo family dental practice as soon as any of these symptoms appear; otherwise, irreversible damage to your gums and the support structures of your teeth can result in tooth loss.

Visiting your Coorparoo family dental practice

Your dentist will be able to reverse the signs of cavities, tooth decay and gum disease if you visit them at the onset of your symptoms. If you wait a while hoping the symptoms will go away, you may require more extensive dental treatment. For cavities and tooth decay, you may require a root canal treatment, and for gum disease, you may need to undergo root planing or gum surgery.

Tooth loss

If you continue to avoid dental checkups and lose a tooth, this can have huge consequences. A missing tooth can affect the appearance of your mouth, smile and face, making you look much older than you are. The rest of your teeth may shift to fill the gap left by the missing tooth; this includes the adjacent teeth and those above or below the missing tooth. The remaining teeth can start to become loose, and eventually, you may experience further tooth loss.

Dentures and dental implants

Dentures are one of the most common and traditional methods of replacing missing teeth, and you can discuss this dental appliance with your dentist. Dentures are suitable for elderly patients looking for a comfortable and convenient way of restoring the shape of their mouths and faces. Missing teeth can cause a sunken appearance, making you look older than you are, so wearing dentures will restore the shape of your face. Dentures also allow you to regain a lot of the function of your mouth so that you can bite and chew a variety of cooked foods. Dentures also make it easier to speak since speech can also be affected by tooth loss.

Another method of replacing missing teeth is with dental implants. Dental implants have become the gold standard in tooth replacement, and you must contact your dentist to determine whether you are eligible. Dental implants are small titanium screws that can be fixed into the jawbone to replace one or more teeth. To use dental implants, you must have healthy teeth and gums and a healthy jawbone. You may require bone and gum grafting, and your dentist will be able to put together a tailored treatment plan for you.

Speak to your dentist today to find out more about looking after your teeth, preventing tooth decay and gum disease and replacing missing teeth where necessary.

Disclaimer

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.v