One of the most common causes of missing teeth is actually tooth decay. Tooth decay is dangerous because it can actually corrupt a tooth to the point where the only solution left available to you will be to have that tooth removed. Now, many people believe that, once a decayed tooth is removed, that will be the last they see of the dangerous condition. However, what these people don’t realize is that missing teeth can actually increase your chances of developing tooth decay. This is because the teeth surrounding the missing tooth can actually begin to lean into these empty spots, falling into positions that can make them hard to keep clean. And, as we know, failing to keep your teeth properly maintained can lead to tooth decay.
If you currently reside in the Waterloo, ON area and have recently lost a tooth, it is important that you consider restoring that tooth with a dental implant from Dr. K. Ashraf as soon as possible. By treating the problem early, you can drastically lower your chances of developing tooth decay. We encourage you to read more of this page in order to find out more about tooth decay and how it works against your smile.
From a young age, we are taught that tooth decay is the result of eating too much candy and sugar. However, this is a very simplified explanation for the condition. The actual cause of tooth decay is bacteria, which is attracted to your teeth by the sugar you have consumed. This bacteria uses sugar as a fuel to create acids, which will proceed to eat away at the defenses of your tooth. After enough time, these acids will burn through the inner layers of your teeth, resulting in pain and discomfort. Read more about the layers of a tooth below.
The most common result of tooth decay is a cavity. Cavities form when tooth decay manages to get past the enamel of your teeth and they must be treated with dental fillings. However, if tooth decay manages to reach the pulp of your tooth, you will need a root canal in addition to a dental filling. Should tooth decay do too much damage to one of your teeth, that tooth will need to be removed in order to prevent the condition from spreading.
When it comes to teeth, most people are only aware of the two major parts that compose them: the root and the crown. However, our teeth are actually made up of layers of four different tissues. These tissues include:
Should you happen to lose a tooth because of tooth decay and reside in the Waterloo, ON area, we encourage you to consider replacing that tooth with a dental implant. Dental implants provide beautiful, natural-looking replacement teeth that are supported by titanium tooth roots. If you would like to learn more about the effects of tooth decay and how dental implants can help prevent further damage by the dangerous condition, we encourage you to contact us and schedule a no-obligation consultation with dental implant provider Dr. K. Ashraf today.
During this difficult time, we are trying to do our part during the COVID-19 crisis. We are continuing to see patients with dentofacial emergencies. This means as one of the few practices remaining open during this pandemic, we are treating patients with emergencies from our fellow dental colleagues, in the Waterloo and Wellington regions (Waterloo-Kitchener-Cambridge and Guelph and surrounding townships)
We hope to assist and help as many people as we can. We also hope this will reduce the number of patients that are visiting hospitals that can be treated by us, thus freeing up time and room for the hospitals and slowing the spread of this virus.
Some additional steps our practice has taken to slow down the spread of the virus and "flatten the curve" are:
- Sanitation of common areas such as the front entry doors and the waiting room in between every patient
- Appointments are spread out so that the waiting area only has one patient at a time
- All front desk staff are wearing masks
- State of the art air purifiers (Surgically Clean Air Units x5 in total)
- Patients receive gloves upon entering the clinic
And of course we have all required PPE protocol set as a standard by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons and the Province of Ontario.
During this time we all need to help each other and do our part, only then can we pull through this quicker and return to a more happy, thankful and prosperous society.
Wishing you all the best of health,
From our family to yours.