A dentist, like a medical doctor is a necessary person to visit on a regular basis. Our teeth are not only important for us looking good, they also serve an important function which is to grind up our food so it can be adequately digested and absorbed into our bodies. When the teeth don’t operate properly, it affects our entire digestive system.

So, we need to care for our teeth to maintain our overall health. When the teeth have problems, there are a number of procedures that can be performed to rectify the situation. These procedures are all performed by a dentist like Dr. Kami Hoss, at the dental office. Following most of these procedures, the patient must be on some type of medication to avoid infection, bring down swelling or both.

Here are some common procedures performed in the dental office.

The most popular dental procedure involving a hurt or damaged tooth is a root canal. Inside every tooth there is a space where the tooth pulp exists. This flesh contains nerves and blood vessels that feed the tooth and help it to continue to grow and stay healthy. When this area gets infected which can occur if a tooth is cracked, develops a cavity or some other reason, there can be created a very negative reaction in the body. In this instance the tooth must be treated. The dentist will drill a hole in the tooth and attempt to rescue the tooth pulp and nerves. Antibiotics are applied directly to the site and the tooth is then filled in with a porcelain or other type of filling. The patient is then given a round of antibiotics to ensure that the infection discontinues.

Extracting a tooth is a last resort for many dentists imply because of the appearance of the mouth after an extraction and the potential problem it creates in the mouth when other teeth start moving around as a result of the missing tooth. There are however reasons for removing a tooth and the most prominent include that the tooth is very infected and cannot be saved with antibiotics or that the tooth is dangerously impacted and has the potential for causing your injury. Wisdom teeth which grow in later can get impacted and often must be removed for the safety of the patient. Another less common but real cause for tooth extraction is when teeth have become loose due to lack of dental care resulting in gum disease. When you dentist extracts a tooth, you will be given a course of antibiotics and monitored to ensure that the infection has in fact left your body.

Crowns

Dental crowns are very popular when someone has a portion of their tooth worn down for some reason. It could come from grinding your teeth, a lost filling or eve tooth decay, but the common result is that the tooth is cracked or broken. Dental crowns are covers that fit completely over the person’s tooth. The tooth is shaved down before the crown is fitted and the crown is made of natural porcelain. When it is secured atop the new tooth it both replaces the old tooth and creates stability for other teeth in the area of the crown. Crowns can last for more than a decade before they need to be replaced. The procedure requires a local anesthetic and may require an antibiotic after the procedure in the even that there was an infection.

Each of these procedures requires follow up medication for the patient. Because the patient is being given a drug, the dentist must make sure that the patient is not allergic to the medication.