How tooth decay can be treated is dependant on how severe the problem of tooth decay is for an individual. Consistent visits to the dentist are vital to catching early signs of tooth decay. Visiting your dentist regularly will help you avoid extensive and costly treatment for extreme cases of tooth decay.

For mild tooth decay without any cavities, a fluoride treatment and brushing with fluoride fortified toothpaste should be able to reverse the early stages of tooth decay. Ask your dentist also to recommend floss enhanced with fluoride and the best brand of tooth paste for you.

If a cavity is already present, a filling or a crown will be needed. With your average cavity, a filling will do. A filling is less expensive and invasive than placing a crown. Crowns, also known as a cap, are for more severely damaged teeth. Crowns replace a large part or all of a decayed tooth.

The most extreme cases of tooth decay infect the pulp of your teeth. In such cases, a root canal is needed to remove the diseased pulp. It is possible that the severity of your tooth decay will result in the complete removal of your tooth in which case you will want a dental implant or a bridge. If you suspect tooth decay, see your dentist in Central Leeds as soon as possible as the longer you wait, the worse it will become!

Tooth decay in infants and toddlers is also known as Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. Also referred to as Early Childhood Caries, it frequently impacts the baby’s upper front teeth, but may also affect other teeth. In the most severe cases, the tooth decay in new teeth is so severe that they must be removed. Fortunately, Baby Bottle Tooth Decay can be prevented.

There are of course basics like healthy foods, keeping pacifiers clean, and discouraging prolonged use of sippy cups. If the baby’s teeth are exposed to an excessive amount of sweets, the bacteria in the child’s mouth feeds on the sugars to produce acids that break down hard tissues of the teeth. This is how decay begins and eventually turns into cavities if undetected.

After each feeding, wipe your baby’s gums with a clean dampened washcloth to remove left over food and plaque. If there are visible teeth, brush them gently with a baby toothbrush and water. Also keep your own teeth clean so that the germs of your mouth do not spread as much to your child’s.

It is best not to use toothpaste until your child knows for sure not to swallow toothpaste. Consult your dentist in Central Leeds about how much fluoride your child needs. Your dentist can also help instruct your child on proper brushing and flossing methods. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as your dentist is here to help!

With all the reminders that we have in life to look after our teeth, it’s still a shocking statistic that tooth decay has not gone away in Leeds. So let’s look at the reasons why. It’s great growing up and feeling indestructible when you are young- drinking, smoking, poor diet, who cares, our bodies can take it, but poor oral hygiene is born out of ignorance and poor education. You may get away with it for a few years, but constant disrespect of your teeth will get you in the end. After only a few hours, bacteria starts to form in the mouth and left alone, plaque and tartar will develop around the teeth and start to infect the gums too. The acids from these evils will then start to rot the enamel of the teeth and tooth decay will begin to take hold. Best case scenario is to make sure that you never miss a beat when it comes to dental appointments. Your dentist will able to remove all the nastiness from around your teeth and gums and if there are any signs of decay, they will proceed with a simple filling to rectify any signs of rot within the teeth. However, this should be seen as an early sign that you may not be looking after your teeth as well as you should be, because the next step down from a filling is root canal treatment; this is where constant ignorance to oral hygiene has meant that your teeth have taken on a new level of tooth decay and are not only threatening the life expectancy of each individual tooth, but if allowed to develop into gum disease, could affect the whole of the organs in your body.

If you are considering starting a family in central Leeds, firstly, congratulations! But you might like to consider doing a little bit of research on how to look after your children’s teeth beforehand, because what happens to your child’s teeth during the growing up years can influence the health of their teeth and body’s later on in life. The most troublesome periods are during teething, by which time you should have already signed up a pediatric dentist to give you a hand. Everyone is prone to tooth decay at some time, but children more so, with a whopping 75% of children suffering from it by the time they hit their middle teens. Getting a right balance between the sugar and starch levels in their food can be very important, but also how you clean their teeth and how they themselves learn to clean their teeth is imperative at this time of their lives. But there is a dental ace that you can play that can help you in your plight- the dental sealant. A dentist can lay a film of plastic over the teeth to eliminate any chance of bacteria and acids forming on the surface of the teeth. It isn’t the easiest period for both parties, but with professional help at hand in the form of a good dentist that will always be around to help you out and most importantly, build a up documented history of your child’s teeth, there is no reason why your children should not be able to smile with confidence.