Preventative Dentistry

    SACRAMENTO, CA, March 31, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- You are probably familiar with the old cliche: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Well, it's even truer in dentistry than in other aspects of life. Preventative dentistry is relatively easy, quick, and inexpensive. However, if you don't take advantage of preventative dentistry, you may have to resort to restorative dentistry, which can be costly, time consuming, and unpleasant.

Preventative Dentistry
There are two main components to preventative dentistry: your daily at-home care and routine dental appointments.

Daily at-home care is by far the most important part of preventative dentistry. You need to brush your teeth twice a day and should floss every day as well. Your dentist will give you pointers about brushing based on the occurrence of decay and tartar on your teeth. He or she may also recommend additional steps such as mouthwash or other plaque-fighting treatments.

The other part of preventative dentistry is your regular dental visits. At your regular dental visits, you will have your teeth thoroughly cleaned, including the removal of tartar, calcified plaque on the teeth. Your dentist will also check for small cavities--tooth decay--and recommend treatment before the cavity develops.

Restorative Dentistry
Unless you are a masochist like Bill Murray or Jack Nicholson, restorative dentistry is much less pleasant than preventative dentistry. First, treatments for gum disease may include pulling the gums away from the teeth, then scaling and planing them. Scaling is scraping away tartar below the gumline. Planing is when they sand down your tooth root to give a more even surface for your gums to attach themselves again.

Tooth-colored fillings, although aesthetic, are not necessarily pleasant, either. They first require the use of the dental drill (no one's favorite pneumatic appliance) to remove all the decayed enamel, then the placement of the filling itself. More severe decay might require the placement of a dental crown. More drilling, and, after two weeks, the application of the crown which is bonded by dental cement, something that in itself can be a painful experience.

If you lose a tooth or teeth, restorative dentistry can go even further, with dental implants, metal posts that screw into your jawbone.

In short, everyone is happier with preventative dentistry than with restorative dentistry. The best way to make sure you're on the right side of this equation is to take advantage of preventative dentistry before it's too late.

To learn more about dentistry, please visit the website of Advanced Dental Concepts in Sacramento today.

Website: http://www.hightechsmiles.com

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