Large Cavities: How Do You Keep From Losing Your Teeth?

If you have several large cavities in your teeth, the last thing you want to do is lose your teeth. Although your situation may appear dire right now, you may actually have a chance to save your teeth instead of lose them. Learn how to keep from losing your teeth below.

Clean Your Entire Mouth Thoroughly

If your decayed teeth hurt, you may take extra precautions to keep them clean during your oral care. Although it's important to keep bacteria out of your cavity-prone teeth, you should still maintain good oral care throughout your mouth. Bacteria can grow or lurk on almost any surface in your mouth, even on the muscles inside your throat.

Before you clean your mouth, be sure to wash your hands with antibacterial soap. Dirty hands can introduce germs into your mouth that may make your cavities worse. In addition, take a moment to wash or rinse off your toothbrush before you use it. Germs from your toilet, loved one's saliva, or even the indoor environment in your bathroom can coat the surfaces of your toothbrush and contaminate it. 

After you clean your teeth, rinse your mouth and gargle your throat with clean water and an antiseptic mouth wash. If necessary, repeat the rinsing stage until your mouth feels clean and refreshed. By following these cleaning habits and the tips above, you may help keep your cavities from becoming infected with bacteria. 

The next thing you may need to do is see a dentist from a place like A Q Denture Services about dental crown placement.

Crown Your Teeth

When teeth develop large areas of decay, they require extensive treatment to repair them. Simply filling the large holes with composite or porcelain restorations might not be enough to strengthen or rebuild your teeth. If the surfaces of your teeth are almost or completely worn away from decay, simple restorations may not benefit you as well. To overcome these major problems, you'll need to fix your teeth with dental crowns.

Although dental crowns have been around for many years, the restorations are still some of the most advanced treatments used today. Crowns allow dental providers to "cap" or cover large cavities, traumatic tooth injuries, and many other problems that could cause tooth loss. 

Crown placement generally takes at least two appointments to complete. If a dentist needs to place multiple crowns on your teeth, your treatment may take slightly longer than normal to complete.

A dentist needs sufficient time to take x-rays and impressions of your teeth and jawbone. Dentist and laboratory specialists use impressions to make (fabricate) the ideal crowns for their patients' teeth. The fabricated crowns should fit comfortably and completely over the crowns of your natural teeth. If the fabricated crowns don't fit properly, germs can slip under them and damage your restored natural teeth. 

After you obtain your new dental crowns, you want to be careful about what you eat. You want to avoid chewing or crunching on hard candy, popcorn, and similar snacks until a dentist gives you permission to do so. Some foods can damage the surface of fabricated dental crowns. You also want to maintain good oral hygiene when you obtain your new crowns. Dark berries, wine, coffee, and similar items can stain the porcelain surfaces of your crowns. If you have problems drinking and eating after your crown placement, consult directly with a dentist. 

Finally, keep your new dental crowns and natural teeth healthy by seeing a dentist twice a year. If you have problems with your teeth, a dentist may suggest that you come into the office sooner than every six months. 

If you're interested in repairing your teeth with dental crowns, contact a dentist today. 


Share