World Magazine 2024
Dental health is among the most important things when it comes to medical care in human beings. It is even more important considering that we are directly in charge of keeping our mouth hygiene at a high level since it is an easy and straightforward practice to do so. Brushing our teeth and flossing is synonymous with a healthy mouth and teeth as well as fresh breath and the general feeling of comfort and satisfaction after a meal and in social situations. For these and many other reasons, it is important that throughout our lives we make sure that our dental health remains at a high level.
An Important Practice
Human beings have it easy in this sector due to the great care we put towards the one and the same goal while educating the children. From the very moment we become aware of who we are and what it means to take care of ourselves and be responsible, our parents teach us about the importance of brushing teeth. You probably remember your parents doing it while you were still very young, and the next thing you know, your parents place a toothbrush in your little hands and encourage you to brush your teeth on your own from that point on. The importance of this practice has been drummed into you over the years and even though you do it regularly, at least once a day, you are encouraged to do more. This lesson is meant to carry you from childhood to adulthood with strong, healthy teeth that will serve you a lifetime.
When children do not behave and purposefully fail to brush their teeth before bed and in the morning, the parents and older generations use scare tactics. One of the most used things to scare us into maintaining proper oral hygiene is the prospect of cavities. Cavities occur when small holes form in your teeth around the areas of damage. Their formation is encouraged by a combination of factors, including food debris in hard-to-reach places and often ignored spots, as well as the presence of bacteria and subpar oral hygiene habits like never washing your mouth after eating. Eating too many sweets can also cause bad teeth issues which is why children are taught to limit candy intake from the earliest days. These threats of developing cavities often worked because of how painful you were told that having one could be. While some things are merely used to scare the kids into doing the brushing, that part is largely true.
Why you should get that cavity filled as soon as possible
You may be one of those who have relatively painless cavities, which makes them easier to ignore. That, however, is not encouraged nor the generally adopted way of doing things. Cavities tend to grow larger over time if left unattended, and the longer they are left unattended the bigger the problem will get once the time finally comes. The best argument for seeking help for a cavity is the ease of repair. If detected and seen to be timely, the resolution of the issue is much easier than the alternative. Cavities that have been allowed to fester and increase become more challenging to treat and may lead to the necessity of taking such drastic measures as the permanent removal of the otherwise healthy tooth altogether. And nobody wants to lack teeth, both for the reason of practicality while eating, dental health, and aesthetics.
Ignoring the cavity or simply delaying the decision to make an appointment with your dentist for cavity removal can have significant repercussions and lead to the worsening of the problem in the most dramatic of fashions. One of the more severe results of an untreated cavity is the formation of a tooth abscess. A tooth abscess is a bacterial infection around the tooth that forms pus. The abscess can develop at different points around the tooth and if it remains ignored, the abscess will progress further and cause sepsis and major jaw infection. At their worst, untreated abscesses have been known to be fatal considering how much it can spread and how close the problem is to the rest of the vital head organs.
Cavities can damage pulp and nerves in the tooth. This is very painful and may cause significant amounts of discomfort. If you decide to fight through the pain or even find ways to block or ignore it, your quality of life may deteriorate and you will be rendered unable to perform most tasks during the day. You may find that you have to look for new and more effective ways to deal with the pain, and this process can become all-consuming and detrimental.
Lastly, it is not financially prudent to ignore a cavity. Despite your feeling that you do not have enough money to make an appointment at a doctors’ office, you should make every endeavor to do so as early as you can manage it. The more complicated the care of the cavity becomes, the more out of pocket you will be, thus landing you in much more dire financial straits in the end. Just like with the pain and other health issues, if left unattended the price and the medical bills will be larger and harder to deal with.
What is the treatment procedure for a cavity?
Dealing with cavities has largely become a routine procedure for dentists. A cavity is treated using a special filling. For those cavities that have not progressed beyond a certain point, the procedure for putting in the filling is fairly straightforward and can be done in one visit. A special tooth drill is used to extract the cavity and clear out the affected areas before a compound made of resin is poured into the hole. This resin compound is what is referred to as the filling and it fills out the hole, preventing anything else from going in.
Prompt treatment of your cavity is the most prudent method of tackling a problem such as this. However, if the one on your teeth has progressed further than you had originally thought, you will need to consider cosmetic dentistry to resolve the matter. Depending on the situation your course of action may differ. What is certain is that it is always easy to deal with if you react on time, just like with other health issues.
