“Loving the smile you are in” is a phrase that actually has a number of layers. First, your grin’s appearance has a major impact on your self-confidence, as it is often the first attribute one notices about another person. Second, your oral health can impact how you feel, and feeling good is another important consideration when it comes to your shine. That being said, instances that threaten any of these factors can leave you feeling less than optimal and even cause functional difficulties. In today’s blog, your Conroe, TX dentist will look at the way dental decay causes a reduction in function and health, and how a root canal may be your last option to preserve your tooth.

Decay is Your Biggest Threat

Whether you are aware of it or not, dental decay is largely the biggest threat to your oral health there is. In fact, it affects millions of individuals of all ages every year and can cause anything from mild discomfort to severe damage. Just like many other oral concerns, it begins with disruptive oral bacteria.

You see, these microorganisms are present in every smile, and it is virtually impossible to eradicate them in their entirety. As an alternative option, we must take care to ensure our preventive dental routine is up-to-par so that we can preserve our teeth in the best manner possible.

With respect to decay, these bacteria find the hard-to-access areas of our mouth where they can thrive relatively safe from harm. Here, they feed off of the food and sugars that we consume, allowing them to secrete harmful acids that aid in breaking down our teeth. As a direct result of this, a cavity will form.

Lack of Treatment or Care

The threat behind decay is not that it causes cavities, it is that time and lack of proper treatment will allow it to grow in both size and severity. For instance, time will only cause your cavity to grow in size. As this occurs, the infection will reach deeper into your inner roots and cause sharp pains, discomfort, and impact your function as a result. If it continues past this, your only viable option might likely be extraction to preserve your oral health.

What We do to Help

Your dentist will recommend a dental filling to best address your concern but bear in mind that it may not be helpful depending on the infection’s progression. As the last option before extraction is considered, a root canal treatment may be used to properly remove the infected sections and restore your natural tooth’s function.

Schedule Your Appointment

To learn more about your restorative dental options, contact The Dental Centre of Conroe in Conroe, TX by calling 936-441-4600 to schedule your next appointment with our team today.