Progression of tooth decay

It is no secret why proper dental care is important. The mouth is the entry point to the rest of the body. Inflammations and infections in the oral cavity will affect the rest of the body.

Dental care does not have to expensive. There is a reason why insurance companies and various dental and medical originations focus so much on preventive care. Most insurance companies will cover dental cleanings and checkups every 6 months. If you have dental implants, and you want them to last for many years, it is vital for you to get dental cleanings every 3-4 months.

Teeth decay all start with a small cavity. The small cavity can easily be fixed with a tooth colored filling. Those who come for checkups and dental cleanings every 6 months will be able to detect these small cavities in early stages. Those who neglect their dental care will allow the cavity to grow over a period of time. Once bacteria in the cavity reach the pulp (nerve of the tooth), then a simple filling will no longer suffice. At this point the tooth needs root canal treatment and a crown. The root canal is intended to clear the tooth of all bacteria, and the dental crown is intended to protect the tooth after a root canal is completed. Where a simple filling is done in 1 easy visit and the cost ranges from $80-$150. A root canal and crown will take approximately 3 visits to complete and will cost about $500-$750 for root canal, and $750 for crown. If the person neglects dental care again, and does not perform a root canal, this will lead to further break down of the tooth. After the tooth breaks to a certain point, it will no longer be possible to perform a root canal and the tooth will have to be extracted. After a tooth is extracted it is important to restore the missing space with a dental implant to have proper chewing function and keep the teeth from shifting and changing position. The dental implant cost is around $1000, and the implant crown that goes over it is around $1000. Those who further neglect their dental care and do not get dental implants will see shifting of teeth, jaw pain, and decreased chewing function. Due to missing teeth, other teeth will take more abuse due to the bite force, and this will lead to other teeth failing as well.

It is evident that those who do their regular dental checkups and cleanings maintain their teeth for longer periods of time and save a lot more money down the road. It is important to select a dentist whose judgment you can trust, and who has a good reputation. That reputation can easily be checked on the internet and through word of mouth.

Author

Dr. Emmanuil Ilyayev Dr. Emmanuil Ilyayev is a graduate of New York University College of Dentistry. He did his residency at Woodhull hospital in Brooklyn. He is a third generation dentist, following the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle. Dr. Ilyayev is focused on preventative care and educating his patients. He is gentle and has amazing bedside manners. He is a licensed dentist in New York and Florida. He is a well-rounded dentist and is up to date with the current trends in dentistry. He is trained to offer a variety of services including changing silver fillings into white fillings safely using a rubber dam, bonding, biocompatible crowns (Caps), bridges, restore implants, Invisalign, complete smile makeovers, root canals, whitening, veneers, dentures, and deep cleanings. He specializes in Cosmetic Dentistry, General Dentistry, Dental Pain. His office is also a snoring center where he helps people put an end to snoring by providing state of the art mouth pieces resulting in increase in airway making it easier to breathe.