What does it mean to have the dentist excavate and evaluate a tooth?
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and they told me it’s an hour long appointment and they have to excavate and evaluate my bottom molar. What does this mean? I have really bad anxiety at the dentist so I am just trying to prepare myself for whats going to be going on. Can anyone help me figure this out??
Don’t let this frighten you. Excavation can be a general term for cleaning the tooth prior to examination - removing tartar and plaque, that sort of thing. If this is a follow-up, it may mean they found a cavity and must remove (excavate) the decay before filling. By the fact that you said excavate and evaluate, I’m guessing this is a first visit and you expressed concern about the molar. So they are going to clean it and examine it and take it from there.
The best thing you can do is call your dentist’s office back and ask them exactly what they mean. It will go a long way in helping you mentally prepare for the visit.
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September 18th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Don’t let this frighten you. Excavation can be a general term for cleaning the tooth prior to examination - removing tartar and plaque, that sort of thing. If this is a follow-up, it may mean they found a cavity and must remove (excavate) the decay before filling. By the fact that you said excavate and evaluate, I’m guessing this is a first visit and you expressed concern about the molar. So they are going to clean it and examine it and take it from there.
The best thing you can do is call your dentist’s office back and ask them exactly what they mean. It will go a long way in helping you mentally prepare for the visit.
References :
September 18th, 2009 at 11:41 am
When a dentist excavates a tooth, he is removing decay. If the decay is deep, then it is time for and evaluation. This evaluation is to see what course of action to take. This means that the possibility of a root canal or and extraction or a sedative filling or an ordinary filling are treatment options. The dentist is the one to call this, that is why they go to school as long as they do. This is all done under local anesthetic. Just relax and keep your mouth open wide.
DDS 34 yrs
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