Top 10 Common Dental Procedures and How They Work

One of the most important things you should keep in mind regarding taking care of oral health is to visit your dentist for dental procedures. Oral care is necessary to avoid oral diseases from affecting your health condition. It helps to prevent heart problems, diabetes, and many other health-related issues.

If you have queries about the most common dental processes to consider, this article will greatly help you. Let’s get into the top dental processes and how they work.

If you are experiencing infection, pain, injury, or any other problems with your teeth, it is mandatory to visit a dentist immediately. A dental process is where your dentist performs the following:

• Treatment of gum or periodontal disease
• Tooth extraction
• Dental crowns
• Aligning your teeth and jaws
• Dental bridge and dental implant
• Dental fillings
• Treatment of tooth after injury

Listed below are the most common dental procedures your doctor follows.

Here are some of dental procedures to follow:

1. Dental Cleaning

Routine dental cleaning is necessary as a dentist will remove the plaque and calculus or soft and hard deposits through scaling. It will be carried around your gums and from the root or surface of your teeth. 

Your doctor might advise you to deep clean if the gum problem makes your teeth pull away from the gums creating wide spaces of five millimetres. If the issue persists, the space will continue to increase, weakening the bones supporting your teeth. This will then lead to tooth loss.

Process:

Step 1: The dentist uses a mirror to detect inflamed gums or gingivitis around your teeth. 

Step 2: Using a scaler, your dentist removes the tartar and plaque between your teeth and the gums.

Step 3: After your teeth are free of tartar completely, doctors will brush and scrub them with an electric brush.

Step 4: Then your dentist flosses your teeth to completely eliminate any leftover tartar after locating the potential trouble areas around your teeth.

Step 5: With liquid fluoride, you will have to rinse your mouth thoroughly to eliminate any leftovers.

Step 6: To protect your teeth against cavities for several months after that, the dentist follows the fluoride treatment.

Benefits:

• A routine dental cleaning eliminates bad breath and reduces gum disease.
• It cleans between and above your teeth and gums, thoroughly protecting the roots of your teeth.
• Regular dental cleanings can also reduce potential cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks.
• Dental cleanings prevent tooth loss and enhance aesthetic appeal.
• It helps detect any oral health problems early.

2. Dental Fillings

Dental fillings can be an ideal procedure for you if you have cavities that decay your teeth. Through dental fillings, your doctor will repair your decayed teeth. Through advanced equipment, your doctor will check if there are cavities and continue with the process of dental fillings. Moreover, you can choose the type of filling you want to go for, such as silver, gold, porcelain, etc.

Process:

Step 1: Firstly, your dentist will numb the area with a numbing gel and inject local anaesthesia into your gums.

Step 2: Your doctors will remove the decayed section through a specialised machine.

Step 3: Then, they will fill the hole in your tooth with a composite filling component as required.

Step 4: At last, they will polish the filling carefully and align and adjust it, so you do not feel uncomfortable while chewing.

Benefits:

• It halts the decaying process by repairing the damaged tooth and restores its usual functionalities.
• It ensures a barrier against harmful bacteria as they prevent further worsening of the decaying area.
• Dental fillings preserve your tooth's originality without causing much harm to the tooth structure.
• Fillings last for a long time and are affordable.

3. Dental Crowns

A dental crown procedure is necessary if there is decay in a larger portion of your teeth. It saves your teeth from extraction and restores the teeth by covering the damaged one entirely. Therefore, this process protects your teeth from further damage.

Process:

Step 1: The dentist prepares by extracting a layer of your tooth's outer surface to match the crown's thickness.

Step 2: A mould of your tooth is sent to a laboratory where an expert makes the crown accordingly. The expert also tries to match the colour of the teeth so that it blends well with the adjacent ones.

Step 3: You will have to wear a temporary crown until your doctor provides a permanent one for your tooth.

Step 4: After the permanent crown is ready, your dentist carefully and properly fits it in the required area using dental sealing.

Benefits:

• Dental crowns help reduce discomfort as they completely repair your enamel through a restorative treatment.
• The dental crown procedure is minimally invasive and doesn’t require much time.
• This procedure ensures restoration of the appearance and structure of your teeth.
• The crowns are custom-made for you as per the size, colour and structure of your other teeth.
• Since they are permanent, this dental procedure stays for a long time.

4. Tooth Extraction

Your dentist will advise a tooth extraction procedure when your tooth has decayed beyond saving. A tooth extraction procedure is when your dentist removes a tooth that has decayed severely or tries to push through the gums, causing infection. If your tooth is above the gum, your doctor will loosen it from the bone socket and pull it out.

Process:

There are two ways of tooth extraction- simple extraction and surgical extraction.

Simple Extraction Process-

Step 1: A local anaesthesia will numb the area around your tooth so that the procedure becomes easier.

Step 2: Your dentist will loosen the enamel through an elevator tool and pull it out through forceps.

Then he/she will prescribe you antibiotics you need to consume for recovery.

Surgical Extraction Process-

Step 1: Here, your doctor will inject local and intravenous anaesthesia to keep you calm and numb the area around the tooth.

Step 2: Depending upon your health condition, your doctor can also give general anaesthesia. This will keep you unconscious throughout the process.

Step 3: Using incisions, your oral surgeon will then carefully cut into your gum.

Your doctor will cut the bone around your tooth and extract it.

Benefits:

• A tooth with an infection tends to spread the pain to the adjacent tooth too. Tooth extraction saves the rest of your enamels from decaying simultaneously.
• Tooth extraction relieves you from pain and discomfort caused by the infected tooth completely.
• It enhances your smile and gives an aesthetic look.
• An infected tooth can worsen the situation if it stays unattended for a longer time, even leading to sepsis in extreme cases. Removing it once and for all will save you from worse situations ahead.

5. Veneers

A very common problem with teeth these days are crooked teeth and discoloured enamels. Your dentist might advise veneers if your teeth have lost their colour or are crooked. Through the procedure of veneers, a thin layer is placed over the frontal section of your tooth to restore its appearance. Made of resin-composite materials, they are permanently bonded to your enamels. The procedure is very simple and painless.

Process:

Step 1: Firstly, your doctor will have a preliminary discussion to understand which options suit you better. In some cases, doctors often suggest braces before conducting dental veneers.

Step 2: To evaluate the health of your teeth, your dentist will prescribe an X-ray. After ticking off the chances of tooth decay, gum cavity and other oral infections, you will be offered veneers.

Step 3: To get an impression of your tooth, your doctor will grind out the enamel and make a mould of its exact shape.

Step 4: This mould is then sent to the lab to create veneers.

Step 5: After the veneers are ready, your doctor will schedule an appointment to fit them accordingly.

Step 6: Your doctor cleans the teeth properly to ensure there are no bacteria.

Step 7: A grinding machine then creates a rough texture on your tooth onto which the veneers will be placed.

Step 8: Using dental cement, your doctor will fix the veneers to your tooth. They will also use ultraviolet light to harden the surface, so the cement dries up easily.

Benefits:

• Treats broken and chipped teeth effectively.
• It ensures a brighter appearance when there is severe discolouration of your teeth.
• Minimises the gaps between your teeth.
• Repairs unusually shaped teeth or pointed enamels that might affect your appearance.

6. Root Canal

A root canal procedure is essential when the tissue inside your tooth has gotten infected and swelled up. This might cause severe pain. Your dentist will remove the pulp causing the infection and eliminate the chances of it worsening further. Hence it also protects your tooth from a bacterial infection in future.

Process:

Step 1: To numb the area that is infected, doctors use local anaesthesia.

Step 2: Then they place a rubber dam to isolate the tooth from the rest and keep it dry during the process.

Step 3: A small cut is made onto the crown to remove the pulp.

Step 4: After removing the pulp, the root canal is cleaned thoroughly and disinfected.

Step 5: A temporary dental filling is used to seal the opening to avoid infecting it.

Step 6: Sometimes doctors can use dental crowns to protect the tooth from decaying.

Benefits:

• It prevents infection from spreading to adjacent teeth.
• Reduces further complications of jawbone infection.
• It reduces the chances of tooth extraction.

7. Invisalign

Invisalign is a process through which your dentist corrects crooked teeth and straightens them to make them look healthier. Most people today choose invisalign procedure over traditional braces, and you can opt for this one too. While traditional braces use metal to tighten your teeth and push them back into their place, invisalign is an effective process that is far less visible.

Process:

Step 1: You first have to consult your dentist regarding this procedure, as he/she will assess your oral health before proceeding to next steps.

Step 2: Your dentist will let you know the process of how to wear them and how to take care of them as well.

Step 3: Throughout the treatment, your dentist uses 3D technology to monitor your teeth and properly place the invisaligners.

Step 4: Wear the aligners as your orthodontist restores your smile.

Benefits:

• Invisalign trays are made of smooth plastic and are hence comfortable to wear.
• While traditional braces are visible, invisaligners are invisible, allowing you to smile without a second thought.
• These trays are removable, and you can brush and floss your teeth before outing them back again.
• Invisalign results in wonderful tooth structure, enhancing your look in future.

8. Bonding

One of the most common dental procedures is bonding which repairs your damaged enamels. This process includes a resin that your oral surgeon tints to match the natural colour of your tooth.

Process:

Step 1: Your doctor selects a resin material that matches the colour of your tooth.

Step 2: The surface of your tooth is prepared as a conditioning liquid, ensuring the material sticks firmly to your enamel.

Step 3: The composite resin material is then applied and smoothened according to shape.

Step 4: Your doctor then hardens the resin with a special light that bonds the component properly to the tooth surface.

Step 5: The dentist will then make some adjustments and polish it to restore your natural look.

Benefits:

• Ensures quick treatment with high-quality results.
• This process is less invasive and saves time as it doesn't involve enamel extraction.
• It is safe for your teeth as it prevents bacteria from infecting them.
• Effective for cosmetic imperfections as it repairs chips and cracks and teeth discolouration.

9. Dentures

Dentures help fix your teeth naturally as they are prosthetic materials to replace your missing tooth. They are supported by the soft tissues that surround the area. Dentures are easily removable. Depending upon your requirement, you can have a complete denture or a partial denture.

Process:

Step 1: Your doctor will ensure that the gums and your teeth are healthy for new teeth to set in.

Step 2: Then they will conduct an X-ray to ensure no underlying issues with your oral health.

Step 3: The denture-making process starts with a cast of your upper and lower enamels being taken.

Step 4: Your doctor ensures that the upper enamels are aligned with the lower ones properly for the dentures to fit properly through the CJR process (centre jaw relationship).

Step 5: During your last sitting, the dentures are fitted, and your dentist will give you instructions on how to take care of them.

Benefits:

• Dentures are long-lasting and robust and allow hassle-free maintenance.
• You feel comfortable while eating and drinking, just like your natural teeth.
• They enhance your appearance.

10. Teeth Whitening

A very simple procedure, teeth whitening includes two bleaches, carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide, that remove the stains on your teeth. It brightens your teeth as the bleach breaks the stains into minor particles and reduces the colour concentration.

Process:

Step 1: Using a shade guide, your doctor will let you choose a shade close to your teeth.

Step 2: They will then polish, rinse and scrub your teeth before the procedure begins.

Step 3: To isolate and protect your gums, they will apply a gel to keep them clean.

Step 4: Then they apply whitening gel onto the teeth as per requirement.

Step 5: After keeping it for some time, the gel is removed and washed off.

Your teeth look brighter, which improves your look too!

Benefits:

• Removes stains and discolouration from your teeth.
• Reduces bacteria and ensures healthy-looking teeth.

So, here are some of the most common dental procedures you can rely on per your requirements. But before that, always consult your dentist for an oral health check-up. Additionally, take care of your teeth regularly to prevent bacteria from causing decay.