People tend to think of great smiles and cosmetic dental work when they hear the term dentist nowadays and with good reason. Cosmetic dentistry is probably the number one reason people visit the dentist and a bright white smile seems to be everyone’s major concern. However, there is more to modern dentistry than that, in fact quite a lot more. The primary concern of most Dentist Silverdale WA is the health of their patient’s teeth and gums and ensuring those patients know how to practice good oral hygiene. Unfortunately, many people seem reluctant to discuss their brushing and flossing habits with their dentist, perhaps because they are afraid of being criticized. This is really too bad because the dentist is the one person who is best qualified to ensure you are performing these procedures properly.
If your oral hygiene is sloppy and sometimes even when it isn’t, you can suffer from cavities and subsequent infections. These are extremely painful occurrences and may be the only time that some people really appreciate a Dentists Silverdale WA. When cavities happen you have two options, pull the tooth or drill and fill. Sometimes, it seems that pulling is the easiest choice, but there can be severe drawbacks to this decision. For example, pulling a tooth leaves a vacancy with noting to fill it. This allows the existing teeth to shift positions which could result in a crooked smile at best.
Filling a cavity and saving the tooth is generally the best option even when it requires extra work like a root canal and crowning. However, there is always the alternative of an implant. Sometimes dental implants are considered as a cosmetic treatment but their primary purpose is to replace a missing tooth and return the function that tooth provided. For many patients, having a Dentist Silverdale WA replace a severely damaged tooth with an implant is the preferred option. In many cases, dental implants are better than the older method of partial dentures or bridgework. Bridges can be difficult on the patient and are often uncomfortable plus, most bridges require anchoring to existing teeth in some fashion which can be damaging to those teeth.
