The teeth are an important part of anyone’s health and image, and healthy, solid teeth will look attractive and make for a great smile, while damaged or infected teeth will not only be ugly and painful, but may call for a costly visit to the dentist’s office, and the price of dental procedures may vary based on the work that must be done or the patient’s health insurance. Taking good care of one’s teeth means not having to check the price of dental procedures nearly as often, and good teeth will often need no more work than routine cleaning. But the price of dental procedures may be an issue if a person’s wisdom teeth must be removed or if a child needs braces, and the price of dental procedures can be found out ahead of time with a phone call or other consultation with a healthcare provider such as a dentist. A root canal, a dental implant, or even dentures cost may all vary based on what the patient needs. How can teeth be care for to avoid expensive work like fillings or tooth removal? What common dental procedures are done today?
Dental Work
Dentists are often hard at work caring for their patients, whether doing a routine cleaning or doing something more involved like a root canal, tooth extraction, or filling a cavity. Dental implants are common today; scientific literature has suggested that these implants are added to about 500,000 patients per year, and nearly three million Americans already have them. The good news is that dental implants boast a 98% success rate, and a good dentist will charge a fair price of dental procedures and expertly get this work done, often with the aid of dental assistants in the office. Today, dentistry ranks as among the top 10 most trusted and ethical professions in the entire United States, and dental assistants are a big help; they are highly motivated dental school students or recent graduates who see dentistry as a serious carer, and often, their patients are in good hands.
A root canal may need to be done if a tooth’s interior fleshy pulp has become infected with harmful bacteria, but this procedure isn’t necessarily painful or scary like some people might think. The mouth or just that tooth’s area will be numbed, and surgical equipment will be used to extract the pulp and leave the tooth hollow. The only lingering effects of this are a slight increase in that tooth’s fragility, and the fact that the affected tooth will no longer feel heat or cold. This can help prevent the tooth from hurting and help prevent infections from spreading. Tooth extraction, meanwhile, may be done in an infected tooth threatens to spread that infection to other teeth too, or if a wisdom tooth is coming in and crowding other teeth out of their proper positions. Here too, the patient’s mouth will be numbed and the tooth can be extracted, pain-free. In other cases, a cavity can be diagnosed and filled, or crowns can be put on.
Everyday Tooth Care
A person who takes good care of their teeth will have minimal need to visit a dentist, and this can save a lot of money. The best news is that most tooth care is easy and affordable to do, and can save a person from painful tooth problems. Brushing one’s teeth after every meal with a good toothbrush and toothpaste is the staple of tooth care, and this will remove plaque, the bacteria that produce it, and sugar from the teeth. Removing the sugars from the teeth will help prevent too many of them from multiplying on the tooth’s surface, and this helps protect the enamel. What is more, floss can be used to reach the areas deep between the teeth where toothbrush bristles cannot reach, and after all this and rinsing out the mouth with water, mouthwash can be used to kill off remaining bacteria and even freshen the breath. Most of a person’s necessary tooth care is that simple.
Teeth can also be protected by avoiding harmful behaviors. Tobacco products, ranging from cigarettes to chewing tobacco, should be avoided, as they can stain teeth and even cause them to fall out.
