Tooth decay occurs due to an infection with certain types of bacteria that tend to use sugars in food to make acid. These acids tend to make a cavity in your teeth over time.
A filling is a way to restore your damaged tooth back to its normal function and shape. A dentist removes the decayed tooth material and cleans out the affected material after which he fills the cleaned out cavity with a filling material to prevent further decay.
Your teeth may be at risk of decay due to adding new fillings according to recent stats. It was discovered that 34% of neighboring tooth surfaces had decay in the enamel, and 27.2% had decay in the dentine which is the soft tissue inside the tooth.
After which the person got a filling on the neighboring decayed surfaces of which 57.3% still had decay in the enamel while 42.7% had infected the dentine as well. It was discovered that dental treatment had a significant impact on the development of tooth decay.
Spread of Decay
Dental fillings are more prone to infection and decay according to experts. Dental intervention can cause more harm than good. According to studies any 6 out of 10 teeth which were next to a filling had decayed after 5 years and 30% of those needed fillings. Dentists may damage neighboring teeth in their attempt to repair a single tooth. There is no option according to dentists as teeth simply need to be replaced when they have become so decayed that there is simply no alternative but to replace them. Most interventions by dentists tend to cause problems and affect adjacent teeth in the mouth.
Prevention of Tooth Decay and Smile-Boosting Tips
If your teeth have become decayed and restorative treatment with fillings may be the only treatment option available, then you can take these steps to lower the chances of increasing your tooth decay.
- Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
- Make sure to use a fluoride mouthwash
- Floss on a regular basis
- Lead a healthy lifestyle
- Instill good dental habits in your kids
- Have regular dental check-ups
The majority of people facing dental decay need to cut back on their sugar intake to improve their oral hygiene. Your dentist needs to be updated with the latest techniques to ensure that they don’t damage other teeth when they do a filling. Contact Joshua Hong DDS to get aware of the possibility of tooth decay in your neighboring teeth and make it a point to check up on them at every follow-up appointment you make. This will help you curb the rate of decay in your teeth or even prevent further decay altogether.