- Poor oral hygiene
- Sugary food and drink consumption
- Acidic and carbonated food and drink consumption
- Poor nutrition
- Grinding teeth
- Age
- Lack of routine teeth exams and cleanings
If you feel pain in the back of your mouth, you may have a hole in your molar. Molars are the large, flat teeth in the back of your mouth that help you grind and chew food. So if your molars get infected or start to decay, they should be treated right away.
What happens when you find a hole in molars? Can they be treated? Do the molars have to be removed? Keep reading to learn about:
To treat a hole in your molar, visit a Kool Smiles office near you. With over 120 offices spread across the country, you can get the high-quality care you need at a price you can afford. Don’t have insurance? Have Medicaid? No problem. We accept Medicaid as well as multiple forms of payment. We believe all families deserve access to quality dental care.
Call 254-781-0553 to learn more or to schedule an appointment to treat your molar.
There’s an oral health crisis in the United States. Twenty-six percent of adults ages 20 to 64 have untreated tooth decay. It’s hard to know if you have decay, if you don’t visit the dentist. Many Americans skip their appointments or delay seeing the dentist, and this, of course, can lead to more decay.
The best defense against gum disease and tooth decay is education. Here are some facts about tooth decay that leads to holes in teeth, including molars:
What is tooth decay? It’s the destruction of tooth enamel, which is the outer layer of the tooth. Left untreated, it forms a hole in the tooth.
How is it caused? By a buildup of plaque that produces acids that destroy the tooth enamel.
What is plaque? Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that forms on the outside of the tooth from foods and drinks.
Maintaining healthy oral hygiene habits is the first step towards preventing tooth decay and other oral diseases or infections from starting and spreading.
You should be brushing your child’s teeth and yours twice per day and flossing every day. Unfortunately, in a Delta Dental survey, only four in 10 Americans said they floss every day. If you’re somebody who doesn’t floss, consider keeping floss by your toothbrush in the bathroom or on your bedside table to remind you to do it. Mouthwash with fluoride can also help prevent tooth decay.
As adults, it’s also important to schedule regular visits with your dentist about twice a year, ideally every six months, to track your oral health, get an in-depth cleaning and work on preventative dental care.
Eating a healthy diet can also help you prevent decay. Certain drinks and foods to avoid include:
What drinks and foods are good for your teeth? Any foods with fluoride, like seafood, as well as sugarless chewing gum, tea, fiber-rich fruits and veggies and dairy products.
Forming lifelong brushing and flossing habits can help prevent cavities. If you suspect your molar has a hole, your dentist can take X-rays and provide cleaning services to find out for sure. They will then discuss follow-up options and the best treatments.
Cavities can lead to infection or a tooth abscess if left untreated. The infection can actually lead to tooth loss or spread to other teeth or other parts of the body. If your dentist determines you have a cavity, there are several measures to treat molar cavities:
Your dentist will likely take X-rays to see what the best follow-up treatment is and discuss these options with you. If your tooth can no longer be saved, you may need a root canal. Dr. Don Atkins, a dentist in Long Beach, CA, says, “A root canal treatment is done to clean out this infection from inside the tooth so surrounding tissues can heal.”
Unfortunately, root canals can be expensive. Getting a root canal on a molar, for instance, costs over $1,000 on average. Not sure you can afford this? Kool Smiles makes it easy for you to get the dental care kids need by offering various forms of payment options. You don’t want your child to lose a tooth because you think you can’t afford to take care of it.
Root canals, in general, cost anywhere from $300 to $2,500. After the root canal is performed, the dentist will have to put on a crown or a filling, which is an additional cost. Dental crowns can cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000 per tooth, depending on the material used. So tooth decay, if not treated, can be really expensive.
Dental crowns aren’t just used on adults. If a child suffers from severe tooth decay, they may need a filling, a root canal or a crown. If you or your child needs a dental crown, you’ll want to make sure you get the best type at a price you can afford. Here are the different options:
Know that after a while, you may need to replace the dental crown. Generally, they last between five and 15 years, but it depends on the type. Some may last longer.
Deciding on which crown is best may depend on your financial circumstances. If your child needs a dental crown, it should be covered by Medicaid, but since a dental crown isn’t considered an emergency procedure, adults may not be covered. However, some states will offer pay assistance for a crown, which is considered “restorative care” for adults. Check the Medicaid coverage in your state to learn more.
A study found that by the time Americans reach the age of 65, approximately 96% have tooth decay. Cavities are, unfortunately, all too common, but how do you know when you have one?
You may not know until you visit your dentist for a routine checkup, but sometimes, you can feel them.
Feel like you might have tooth decay? Visit a Kool Smiles dentist and get your teeth checked out.
If you have a hole in a molar, you’ll likely need a dental treatment or procedure to correct this problem. Regardless of your financial circumstances, Kool Smiles believes all families deserve quality dental care, which is why we offer many payment options. Our dentists take the following forms of payment:
To learn more about our payment plans or to get an estimate on costs for fillings, root canals or other procedures, call our customer service representatives at 254-781-0553. We’re standing by on weekdays and weekends.
From your molars to your entire mouth, get quality and affordable care with Kool Smiles. For parents nervous about taking their kids in to get cleanings or fill molar holes, our dentists and pediatric specialists invite you to watch procedures as they happen. You and your family’s comfort is our top priority.
Our dentists will also explain the procedure in advance and keep you informed about before and after treatment. If you have any questions regarding tooth decay, fillings, dental procedures, or follow-up treatment, our dentists will be more than willing to guide you through the topics.
At Kool Smiles, we are dedicated to fighting tooth decay and the oral health crisis. Don’t ignore a hole in a molar. Find quality care and prevention education services at more than 120 family-friendly Kool Smiles locations nationwide.
Contact Kool Smiles today by calling us at 254-781-0553 and schedule an appointment.
___________
Sources:
American Dental Association: mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/d/decay
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: nidcr.nih.gov/research/data-statistics/dental-caries/adults
Colgate: colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/basics/brushing-and-flossing/ada-10-survey-finds-shortcomings-in-americans-dental-health-habits
University of Rochester Medical Center: urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=4062
WebMD: webmd.com/oral-health/guide/abscessed-tooth#1
NerdWallet: nerdwallet.com/blog/health/how-much-does-a-root-canal-cost/
Authority Dental: authoritydental.org/crown-costs
Dental Associates of New England: bostonsmile.com/blog/2013/11/04/how-long-do-porcelain-crowns-135914
Today: today.com/health/most-us-have-tooth-decay-study-finds-t20781
Orajel: orajel.com/en/Resource-Center/Teething-Relief/Teething-Chart-See-When-Your-Babys-Teeth-Will-Come-In
CareCredit: carecredit.com/dentistry/
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