The Oasis Dental Center is committed to patient education and encourages everyone to read the literature below and visit our links for a better understanding of dentistry. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns.

How Do I floss my teeth?

What is the difference between primary and permanent teeth?

Oral Health Center

Dental Plaque

Plaque is made of groups of different germs (bacteria) that grow on teeth. These bacteria react with sugars and starches in foods to produce acids and other substances that can seriously damage the teeth, gums, and surrounding bone. Acids can dissolve tooth enamel by removing minerals from the enamel (a process called demineralization). Plaque constantly forms on the teeth and needs to be removed every day. It tends to accumulate in areas that are undisturbed, such as in the grooves and on the biting surfaces of the back teeth, between your teeth and under your gums, and next to the gum line. Plaque contains bacteria that is always feeding on the sugars in the food you eat, and the bacteria produce acids that attack the teeth for 20 minutes or more after eating. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel resulting in tooth decay. Brushing and flossing every day is one way to prevent plaque from damaging your teeth, seeing your dentist on a regular basis is another.

Root Canal

A root canal is done when decay will likely damage or has already killed a tooth. During a root canal, a dentist or endodontist removes the pulp from the center of a tooth and fills the pulp cavity. This can prevent the development of a painful infection in the pulp that may spread to other teeth; it can also treat an infection that has developed into an abscessed tooth. This procedure can relieve toothache, stop infection, and promote healing.

What to expect.

• First, the dentist will numb your gums by applying a jellylike substance. After your gums are numb, the dentist will inject a local anesthesia that will completely numb the teeth, gums, tongue, and skin in that area. Sometimes nitrous oxide gas will be used to reduce pain and help you relax.
• The dentist may separate the decayed tooth from the other teeth with a small sheet of rubber on a metal frame. This protective rubber sheet also helps stop liquid and tooth chips from entering your mouth and throat.
• The dentist will use a drill and other tools to romove the pulp from the tooth and will fill the inside part of the tooth below the gum line with medications, temporary filling materials, and final root canal filling. After the dentist removes the decay, he will take an impression of the tooth and a technician will use the impression to make a crown that perfectly matches the drilled tooth.
• The tooth may be fitted with a temporary crown until the permanent crown is made and cemented into place.

What to expect after surgery.

After a root canal, your lips and gums may remain numb for a few hours until the anesthetic wears off. Afterwards, you may have throbbing pain, which you can treat with pain medicines, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or a stronger prescription painkiller. The pain usually lasts only a day or two.

Crowns that seal the top of the tooth and strengthen it may come loose over time and may need to be repaired, redone, or cemented on again. It is important to keep scheduled appointments following your surgery as waiting to long could comprimise what work has been done resulting in tooth loss.