General dentistry is a type of “hands-on” dentistry that focuses on the examination, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of a wide range of oral health conditions affecting our mouth, including teeth, gums, and jaw.
General dentistry is the most popular dental care field, accounting for 80% of practitioners. People are generally recommended to visit their general dentists once every six months to prevent any oral diseases or conditions that could not only cost people a lot of money on expensive dental procedures but also take a lot of time.
General Dentistry Procedures
General dentists are the primary dental caretakers who treat and examine patients of all ages. The majority of dental problems cause significant discomfort and damage to our oral anatomy, and general dentists are highly educated and trained to treat and minimize that damage.
General dentistry offers three types of specialized care: restorative, preventative, and cosmetic.
Restorative Dental Treatment
Restorative dental treatments include any dental issue that necessitates the restoration of the structure and functionality of teeth that have been fractured or destroyed due to trauma or disease. The primary goal of restorative dental treatment is to restore your smile and avoid future oral health problems. General dentists are qualified to provide restorative dental treatments such as:
a) Tooth-Colored Dental Fillings
When you have cavities in your teeth, dental fillings are used to treat them. A cavity is a hole in the tooth that causes decay. To fix this gaping hole, the general dentist removes the decayed/damaged section of the tooth and fills it with composite fillings, made of plastic, silica, and glass particles.
These are also known as white fillings and have natural tooth structure features such as translucency and water resistance. General dentists can fix the cavity with a painless procedure of tooth-colored dental fillings.
b) Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are recommended by general dentists when a dental filling is insufficient to heal the damaged tooth. They are intended to protect the structure of the affected tooth while also preventing additional damage.
A dental crown is also used to cover the surface of the tooth after root canal treatment.
c) Root Canal Treatment
Root canal treatment is used to treat and repair teeth that are severely decayed.
The general dentist drills a hole in the decayed tooth, removes the rotting pulp, cleans the pulp chamber, fills the canal with gutta-percha, and seals the tooth with a crown.
It is the most popular restorative procedure and is extremely effective in relieving the discomfort caused by an infected tooth.
d) CEREC
Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic (CEREC) is the most recent method for tooth restoration. Ceramic restorations, like crowns and veneers, can be completed in a single visit to the general dentist with the use of this technology.
CEREC creates the desired restoration, a 3-dimensional image of the tooth that needs to be restored, using computer-assisted design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).
The general dentist will use CEREC to create long-lasting restorations for you so that you can enjoy your metal-free teeth.
e) Dentures
Dentures are complete or partial sets of false teeth. They are the removable replacement for missing teeth and surrounding tissues if you have lost your teeth due to an accident or disease.
General dentists are all highly skilled at repairing your smile with dentures that work and look just like natural teeth.
f) Tooth Extraction
When your tooth is damaged beyond repair, your general dentist will remove it in a painless process.
A dental prosthesis, such as an implant, dentures, bridge, or crown, will be used to replace the missing tooth space, hence preventing any further oral health complications.
Preventative Dental Treatment
Preventative treatments help you maintain excellent oral health by preventing disease progression.
The most popular form of preventative dental procedures is dental sealants, teeth cleaning, digital X-rays, and fluoride treatments combined with good oral hygiene habits such as brushing twice a day and flossing regularly.
If you are looking for a general dentist in Eden Prairie, MN, schedule an appointment with Anderson Lake Dental Clinic today. It is a well-known dental clinic with the best team of general dentists, offering all general dental services in a safe environment.