It’s a scary experience going to the dentist for a tooth checkup especially when you are worried about losing your tooth. What’s even scarier is not knowing what you’ll be up against when you eventually meet your general dentist. Knowing what you will be up against when you visit the dentist can help in building your confidence and make the experience a lot easier for you to handle. That’s why in this blog post, I’ll be telling you about the 10 most common dental procedures from a general dentist.
Who is a general dentist
A general dentist (tooth doctor) is a primary care dental supplier who carries out the diagnosing , treats, and conjointly your overall oral health care needs which include fillings, crowns, bridges, gum care, veneers, root canals, and preventive education.
10 most common dental procedures
In this section, I’ll be telling you about the 10 most common dental procedures performed by general dentists.
- Tooth alignment
A general dentist can align crooked or uneven teeth. How? A general dentist achieves that through various forms of corrective measures such as placing braces on the teeth, crowns, or veneers to help the patient correct the teeth problem they have.
- Replacement and restoration
A general dentist can also replace severely damaged teeth to help the patient recover the beautiful smile they once had. They can achieve that through implants, dentures, dental bridges, and bonding.
- Diagnostic testing
A general dentist specializes in diagnostic procedures which means that they can help with investigations that determine when it’s time to change the practitioner.
One of the most used pieces of equipment by Charlottesville dental practitioners is the x-ray machine. The general dentist uses the x-ray machine to identify cavities, track dental development, examine roots, and diagnose oral health issues.
- Tooth decay
Tooth decay can happen to people of all ages. If you have tooth decay, lucky for you, a general dentist is familiar with tooth decay problems and has several approaches to deal with the deterioration and damage. Treatments do vary and depending on the nature and severity of the injury, the dentist can also perform root canals procedures.
- Gum disease
General dentists are really good with treating gum or periodontal disease. The treatment for this type of disorder varies and as such, it could range from giving the patient medicated mouthwashes, tooth scaling, and cleaning. Depending on the severity of the situation, the general dentist will resort to using laser procedures and in the worst case surgery.
- Fillings
If you have tooth decay or cavities, then dental filling is a dental procedure that can be used to treat it. Fillings can also be used to repair teeth (injured) that have fractures.
- Teeth cleaning
This is one of the most common reasons that will take you or anybody to see a general dentist. It’s recommended by dentists that you clean your teeth every 6 months. You might say “I brush my teeth daily”. Surprisingly that’s not enough, why? Because your toothbrush will never be as efficient as the tools dentists use to clean your teeth.
- Teeth whitening
A general dentist can perform teeth whitening on a patient. To achieve that, the general dentist bleaches the teeth using a special substance like hydrogen peroxide gel and sometimes to make the teeth whiten faster, they can also add a special light source. The dental procedure is quite fast because it’s been carried out by professionals.
- Root canal
People dread visiting the dentist for root canal treatment and their reason is justified. The reason why most people dread it is that it’s usually preceded by a painful tooth.
In root canal, the tissue underneath your tooth gets infected and inflamed. To get rid of the pain, the general dentist will have to deaden the nerve in order to remove the tissue. The procedure sounds painful, right? Not to worry, you’ll be numbed before they start the procedure so you won’t feel any pain.
- Dentures
A denture is a condition that usually comes with old age so if you are young you wouldn’t have to worry about it. The aim of performing dentures is to replace your teeth in a natural way. The teeth you’ll be given are removable.
This is another common dental procedure that can be carried out by a general dentist.
click here for more articles
