You need a dentist, my friend, and you need one now. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the longest time, dentists are pretty much in the mainstream these days - and yes, they do perform basic tooth repair, among many things.

The real score is this: there are still numerous people who are afraid to go to the dentist’s office. Many of us cite specific instances of pain (real or otherwise) while sitting on the dentists’ chair. Others are simply conditioned to fear dental professionals; and this is evident with all the nosh-posh misconceptions that the media is feeding us about mad dentists out to pull all your teeth (and tongue too!) Or perhaps this fear was instilled into humankind decades ago, when barbers once pulled troublesome teeth with pliers and tooth pullers pulled healthy teeth in exchange for coins – all without the use of anesthesia!

In any case, tooth repair has certainly come a long way since then. And we are saying this in the most solemn and respectful manner we could muster. Dentists are now fully trained not only to help the masses perform basic tooth patches, but to help us achieve complete oral hygiene as well. Incredibly, for all ye under-the-rock-dwellers, dentists can do this by diagnosis oral cavity conditions for possible signs of disorders and diseases; by treating said conditions either through surgical and non surgical means; and eventually helping us avoid or slow down further deterioration of our teeth and gums. If that sounds like a mouthful, well… it certainly is, in the most literal way possible.

These days, tooth repair comes in all shapes and sizes; well… not really in that sense. Since dentistry has become highly specialized, tooth repair also evolved into very specific cases. The human oral cavity is different from one person to the other; and in so saying, each patient has a unique case that a dentist has to deal with. This is primarily why the dental profession had invested a lot of time and energy in developing the latest technology for oral care. You can be assured that these are not modern-day tools of torture. These are in fact, state-of-the-art tools that can detect oral decay and hopefully, help reverse the process.

Tooth repair is not simply about filling up holes in the teeth with dental amalgam. A dentist has to analyze the problem area first, to make sure that this is only a case of dental caries (tooth decay) and nothing more serious like active symptoms of gum disease. Before the amalgam is poured, the dentist has to clean out all the food debris that has accumulated within the cavity. Afterward, he or she has to very gently shape the inside of the teeth to make the filling process free from the possible build up of air holes. Only then is the amalgam poured into the teeth to harden.

In some cases though, tooth repair may no longer be an option, and the tooth must be extracted. This is done not because the dentist wants your mouth one tooth less, but because the decaying teeth may only bring you more pain in the future despite a patch repair and possibly even become an avenue for infection.