When it comes to dental work, a lot of people have a natural aversion to actually going through with the services they need. For many of us, the mere thought of seeing the dentist can fill us with dread, especially if our dental problems have advanced to the point that the pain has become unbearable – you think the last thing you want is someone poking around on these sore areas of your mouth!
Fortunately, with the modern dental technology, you will find there is nothing to fear at our Rigby dental clinic. In this post, we’ll be covering three dental procedures that many people find to be the most terrifying, and explaining how we can make the process easy.
Root Canal Therapy
Ah yes, the dreaded root canal. You’ve no doubt heard horror stories of this procedures, and in the past, fear of root canals was well-warranted. It’s a major dental procedure that involves a lot of complex work.
If you have dental decay that has progressed past a certain point, a root canal is one of your only options. Dental decay progresses through some predictable steps:
Plaque builds up on certain areas of the tooth. The protective outer layer of the tooth is called the enamel. This material can be replaced naturally by the body, however, if your dental hygiene is lacking and plaque begins working its way past the enamel, it will start to eat away at the next layer of the tooth.- The next step of tooth decay involves plaque eating away at the dentin, the second layer of the tooth. Once a hole is worn away in the dentin, you officially have a cavity. We can fill cavities at our Rigby dental clinic, which will stop the decay process. However, if left untreated, plaque will begin to attack the next layer of the tooth.
- The tooth pulp resides underneath the dentin. As the name implies, this is soft, pulpy tissue that contains the tooth nerve and is comprised of various blood vessels (these keep the tooth alive). The tooth nerve is incredibly sensitive and can cause you severe pain if plaque begins working its destruction on the pulp tissue. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens if cavities are not filled up. The tooth pulp becomes inflamed and begins to swell, although the swelling becomes suppressed by the surrounding dentin and the pressure is forced downward onto the tooth nerve. Blood supplies are cut off from the tooth as a result, and the tooth begins to die. If dental decay has progressed to this point, a root canal at our Rigby dental clinic can solve the problem and eliminate your pain.
- The final stage of dental decay is the formation of an abscess – an inflamed pocket of pus that usually appears at the gumline. It usually resembles a pimple. We can drain the abscess and perform a root canal.
If you’re suffering from advanced dental decay, don’t put off treatment because of fear of the dentist. We have all of the technology and sedation methods for clean and safe root canal treatment that is far from the nightmare it once was. You will find our Rigby dental clinic to be calm and relaxing, complete with a friendly staff that will listen to your needs and concerns. We also provide a number of spa-like amenities to help you relax further, including:
- Warm hand wax
- Aromatherapy
- Warming blankets
- Chair massage
- Conscious sedation
Dental Extractions
When it comes to dental procedures that send fear through people, dental extractions are a big one. We should all be grateful that we aren’t limited to technology used for dental extractions in years past. At our Rigby dental clinic, we have all kinds of ways to numb your teeth and gums, ways of sedating you or even putting you in an unconscious state throughout the procedure, and technology that makes the procedure safe and clean.
The most common form of dental extraction is wisdom teeth removal. Your wisdom teeth are an extra pair of molars that grow in the back of your mouth. Over time, these can grow and move in ways that can be detrimental to not only your gums, but also the surrounding teeth; they can cause teeth to shift and move in uncomfortable ways, creating damage and even abscesses. It’s important to have your wisdom teeth removed early in life – ideally in your teenage years. This is because the longer they are left to grow, the more complex and difficult the extraction can be.
That said, no matter what your age, we can perform wisdom teeth extractions quickly and easily, and send you off with all of the information you need for proper care and recovery. If you have a tooth that has undergone extensive damage, sometimes a dental extraction is the ideal solution. At our Rigby dental clinic, we can take care of this as well.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are essentially small, screw-like posts that are installed into the gums and jawline. They serve as foundations – in a way, replacement tooth roots – to hold dental crowns that will later be installed on them. Dental implants are placed and often left to “heal into” the periodontal structures. Over time, the gums and jawbone will grow around them and further hold them in place. This process can take anywhere from weeks to months, after which time, dental crowns are installed on the posts. During the healing process, temporary crowns can be given to you so you aren’t walking around with nothing but metal or Zirconium posts in your mouth.
At our Rigby dental clinic, we can install dental implants in a way that’s virtually painless, helping keep you feeling comfortable and relaxed throughout the entire procedure. After their installation, you will be sent off with plenty of information for care and recovery. The recovery period is usually quite mild, often consisting of only some aches and pains which go away with time. Once the periodontal structures have grown accustomed to the dental implants, you can come back in for a second appointment to have your dental crowns installed. This can usually be done very quickly.
The dental implants you will get at our Rigby dental clinic will look and function just like your natural teeth. You will have the benefits of being able to eat and chew properly, speak properly, and have the normal aesthetic appeal of a healthy smile.
If you have missing teeth that you would like replaced, contact our Rigby dental clinic today. You’ll see right away why there’s no reason to fear the dentist.
