Getting a Filling or Removing the Dental Pulp

Does removing the dental pulp mean that the tooth can no longer be restored? The only way to restore a tooth is to get a filling? Which is better? Both methods are used to treat cavities, however which method of treatment is chosen by the dentist will depend on the situation with your tooth.

When patients hear that the dental pulp needs to be removed they often ask if it’s better than getting just a filling. Both removing a dental pulp and getting a filling are ways to treat cavities, the only difference is one method is more simple and the other is more complicated.  

Which method is better?

Generally speaking a filling is where the decayed tissues are removed and then the cavity is filled with materials to restore the tooth. This method is used the most and is simple and most clinics and dentist can carry out the procedure.

The dental pulp needs to be removed when the cavity has gotten so serious that it has already infected the pulp or nerve of the tooth. In such cases the dental pulp and nerve needs to be removed if not the pain will become worse. Once the dental pulp and nerves have been removed the pain will subside. The dentist will then carry out root canal therapy to remove the infected tissues then fill the tooth.

Although both methods are similar in a lot of ways, the choice of method will depend on how serious the cavity is and the dentist will need to do an examination before they can determine which method is most beneficial.

The Costs of Composite Bonding

When looking for an alternative to repair front teeth a lot of patients are not too keen about enamel removal when it comes to veneers and crowns. Therefore, that is where composite bonding is often chosen, so just how much does composite bonding cost?

Composite bonding can repair front teeth gaps and chipped teeth providing very good results. Composite bonding with the use of good materials and skilled techniques of the dentist can provide patients with natural looking results.

Due to work commitments some patients cannot commit to treatment such as orthodontics, so may choose composite bonding instead. Composite bonding in comparison to ordinary fillings requires more equipment such as such as rubber dams, magnifying glasses and repair tools. Usually the shade will have to match the dentin, enamel and incisal halo. Therefore, comparisons of suitable materials need to be carried out. Composite bonding will also require more professional dental staff.  

Overall, composite bonding prices will be more expensive than fillings and compared with veneers, crowns and other forms of repair treatment are about the same price.

An exact cost is hard to say, composite bonding prices are based on per tooth, the cheapest composite bonding for a tooth can start at over 1,000 RMB. However, this will depend on the skills of the dentist and the overall results.

Composite bonding costs are directly linked to how many teeth are repaired. The results of composite bonding are directly linked with skills and techniques of the dentist, therefore we must emphasize that you choose a professional dental clinic and dental professional to carry out the procedure. 

Teeth Whitening Treatment After Removing Veneers

After the removal of veneers is it better to continue with veneers or consider cold-light whitening? This is one of the considerations of patients who get veneers fitted. However, whether you can go ahead with whitening or continue with veneers will depend on the condition of your teeth.

Some patients have composite resin or porcelain veneers fitted and then want to remove the veneers because they are not happy with the results. Once the veneers are removed patients often want to go straight away for cold-light whitening treatment so can this be done?

Whether or not you can go ahead with cold-light whitening after the removal of veneers will depend on the situation. The main reason being that before veneers are fitted a layer of enamel will have been removed from your teeth.

Even though the veneer has been removed, damage to the surface of the tooth exists, also removing the veneers is time consuming and can be complicated. During the removal process it is inevitable that the tooth surface will be damaged.

To carry out cold-light whitening treatment, it is advised that the surface of the teeth should not be damaged as it can affect the results. Therefore, it is advised that if you were not happy about the color of the veneer then after the removal you could consider porcelain veneers as with damaged teeth veneers give much better results.

What if after the removal of the veneers you don’t want to fit new veneers and don’t want whitening treatment? Once the veneers are removed your may discover that the teeth are sensitive and might perhaps affect the overall aesthetics of your teeth. It must be emphasized that you need be aware of dental hygiene, if there are no cavities or gum disease then you can continue with the way your teeth are without further procedures. 

What Causes Teeth to Crack?

When small fine cracks start to appear on teeth, most people do not know or pay little attention to this problem. It is usually during a scale and polish a dentist may spot the problem. Therefore, is treatment required for this?

Although teeth are the most amazing sensory organ of the body and has the hardest tissue of the body known as enamel. However, teeth can still be worn down and the appearance of cracks to some extent is considered normal. So do you have to treat teeth with small cracks?  

Some patients think that small cracks which are shallow and not obvious to the eye that does not cause any aesthetic issues does not require treatment. There are also patients who take this issue seriously and start protecting their teeth to prevent these crack from forming into larger cracks and start treatment as soon as possible.

Prevention is Better than Treatment

The reason for fine cracks to appear in teeth could be down to a number of reasons such as eating overly hard foods and damage to the tooth. If you don’t have any sensitivity to hot and cold, other symptoms or change in color of the tooth you currently don’t require any treatment. You should however pay more attention to oral hygiene and take extra care of the teeth.  

If you already have pain and sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures you need to start using toothpaste for sensitive teeth or make an appointment with your dentist for Dental Desensitization Therapy using composite resin to repair the tooth. Extra care needs to be taken after with restrictions of eating hard foods if you continue the cracks in the teeth will get bigger and deeper and this could result in the need for root canal treatment and in more serious cases the eventual removal of the tooth. Therefore, we stress the importance of seeing a dentist as soon as you notice cracks in the teeth and a change in color.