Tooth Decay Treatment and Diagnostics in NYC

Today in NYC, the most common request in the dentist's office is tooth decay treatment. This is because the problem of caries is very common. If you do not take any measures and do not carry out prevention, the pathological process spreads in depth. The cavity between teeth forms, and various complications can join. It is important to remember that this is a serious disease that contributes to the gradual washing out of calcium from the tooth enamel, due to which it collapses.

Caries at the initial stage proceeds without any symptoms. It is very difficult to diagnose it on your own, so the experienced specialists of Village Dental Medicine in Greenwich Village can help you. We use modern diagnostic equipment that can detect signs of pathology at any stage, even at the stage of stain appearance without damaging the enamel. If you let the process take its course, the disease spreads in depth, affecting the tissues of the pulp and periodontium. With severe tooth decay, it is impossible to save your tooth. The patient has only one way out – the installation of an adequate replacement: an artificial crown or a denture.

Susceptibility to the development of enamel decay is individual and depends on the anatomical structure of the tooth surface, enamel saturation with fluoride, diet, and other factors. The main cause of caries is the destructive effect of bacteria on the hard tissues of the tooth. Streptococci are the most detrimental to teeth – they affect the enamel and provoke the onset of caries.

The fastest reproduction of bacteria occurs in a favorable environment for them, which is formed under different conditions:

The importance of tooth decay prevention is proved by statistics: a properly selected program of measures reduces the likelihood of developing caries in children by 80%, and in adults, in almost 100% of cases, it helps to avoid tooth extraction due to caries. It is important to eliminate the factors that provoke caries and increase the resistance of tooth tissues to the effects of pathogenic bacteria. To avoid the problem, you should follow a few important tips.

Proper oral hygiene. Do not avoid the rule of brushing your teeth twice a day for at least 2 minutes. You should clean not only the outer but also the inner surface of the teeth, the tongue, and the spaces between the teeth and near the gums. The use of mouthwash is also recommended.

Replenish fluoride deficiency. It is important to maintain a sufficient amount of this element in the body. Such a substance prevents the development of caries and strengthens enamel. That’s why doctors recommend using special mouthwashes, drinking fluoridated water, or using fluoride-containing toothpaste.

Proper nutrition. Avoid contrast foods. When taking too hot dishes or very cold drinks, microcracks may appear on the enamel, through which harmful bacteria that cause caries enter. Also reduce the total amount of carbohydrates in your diet, especially sugary foods. Try to eat a balanced diet.

Regular visits to the dentist. The most common recommendation for the prevention of many dental diseases, but no less important. Regular check-ups with a specialist help to avoid complications such as rotten teeth and early decay of the dentition. With the mineralization of plaque and the formation of tartar, it is desirable to carry out regular professional oral hygiene.

In some cases, the presence of the disease can be detected by the person himself without outside help. The first sign is the darkening of the enamel in certain areas of the tooth surface and the presence of a cavity on the front tooth. If the patient has bad breath, dark spots on the teeth, as well as pain, you should consult a specialist. The tasks of modern dentistry are fixing tooth decay, the preservation of the patient's dentition, and prevention of the development of the pathological process. For early detection of pathology, there are various methods of effective tooth decay diagnostics.

1. Medical history and visual examination. At this stage, the dentist examines the oral cavity with a mirror, a probe. Probing allows to determine the depth of the carious lesion, to conduct a differential diagnosis of deep caries, medium and superficial.
2. Vital staining of enamel. This method can detect caries at the earliest stage of its development. A special dye reveals damaged areas of the enamel, which, when stained, will not change their color. In this case, the treatment is carried out with the help of remineralization, which helps to restore the structure of the dental tissue.
3. Ultraviolet. The teeth are pre-cleaned of plaque and thoroughly dried. In those areas where there are carious lesions, under ultraviolet rays there is no luminescent glow that healthy enamel emits.
4. X-ray examination. X-rays are also used to determine the area of the lesion. It allows dentist to identify wisdom tooth decay in the interdental space, under the filling.

At our dental clinic in the center in West Village, qualified dentists provide each patient with an individual approach. For differential diagnosis, certified equipment is used, which ensures high accuracy of diagnosis and the correct determination of treatment tactics.

The whole process of cure tooth decay is delicate and painstaking work. Therefore, it is important to choose a specialist who will do the job well. The treatment of caries teeth in the Village Dental Medicine, located in Manhattan, is carried out with the due skill of a doctor, the use of effective methods for the prevention of pathology and the use of various technologies for its treatment. Thanks to this, it is possible to restore even a badly damaged tooth painlessly and aesthetically.

Methods of dental caries treatment are directly related to how the disease has managed to develop. Caries can develop in several stages gradually:

1. Superficial caries – white areas of demineralization appear, which subsequently become dark, and the surface of the enamel becomes rough. To treat caries, it is necessary to remove the affected enamel, treat the area of the tooth with a fluorine-containing preparation and carry out the remineralization procedure. As a result – the complete restoration of enamel and neutralization of carious spots.
2. Medium caries – inflammation passes to the dentin, which is located under the enamel, as a result, a carious cavity appears in the tooth. Pain becomes stronger. The doctor anesthetizes the area, drills the edges of the damaged enamel and installs fillings.
3. Deep tooth decay – at this stage, the process goes beyond the dentin. The disease gradually reaches the dental nerve, which becomes inflamed and caries turns into an even more dangerous disease – pulpitis. If untreated, the inflammation becomes purulent, the nerve dies, and there is a risk of tooth loss. For effective tooth cavity treatment at this stage, the dentist removes the affected part of the tooth. After a thorough cleaning of the tooth, the cavity is disinfected and a medical patch is applied. It promotes the formation of secondary dentin. After that, a tooth cavity filling is installed.

The price of caries treatment depends on the degree and size of the damage, the location of caries on the tooth, the choice of filling materials, and the qualifications and experience of the dentist. Also affected are additional procedures that may be necessary, such as root treatment or the installation of a crown. If you want to get the actual tooth decay treatment cost, sign up for a consultation with our specialists. They have extensive experience and modern equipment, which allows them to perform their work efficiently even in the most difficult cases. Visit us in Greenwich Village near the Jefferson Market Library.