Enjoying a wonderful smile can take a lot of effort. First, the person must spend a decent amount of time each day just cleaning the teeth. However, the results are definitely worth it, because the alternative is a lot of cavities and the possible loss of teeth if the caries (cavities) worsen. A General Dentist in Baltimore MD can help by scheduling annual appointments for extra cleaning and checking the teeth for damage. One way to handle this task is to take an x-ray of the teeth and search for signs of decay. These usually show up as small, dark spots on the film.
If the teeth are damaged, then the dentist may have numerous options to select from. The first choice that springs to mind is drilling out the damaged dentin and filling the tooth. Of course, there are times when such a repair is not the best choice. For instance, when the shell is too thin to support the filling or too much drilling was required to clear away any damaged tooth material. In this case, a General Dentist in Baltimore MD may recommend an implant.
Dental implants are used to fill in gaps. That is, the dentist will use an inert material to create an artificial root that will then be covered by a crown. The root is used as both an anchor and a means to keep the roots of other teeth from shifting. The crown is used to keep any teeth from leaning. This prevents moving into other areas which could weaken the teeth.
This could make a person think that all the dentist is good for is repairs. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A dentist can make use of cosmetic procedures to improve the way a person looks or the way they chew their food. The latter is very important because poorly chewed food is bad for the digestive system. Popular cosmetic procedures include dental whitening, veneers, bonding and shaping. Dental cleaning is used to remove a variety of stains from deep in the teeth. Veneers are the perfect solution when it comes to covering up problems. Bonding and shaping are the solutions of choice when repairs are required for individual teeth. To learn more about dental procedures or how cosmetic dentistry can help, read the full info here.
