Restorative procedures help protect both oral health and overall health while improving the appearance of the patient’s smile. Being able to properly chew food and having correct bite alignment affect a patient’s health in ways that go beyond just a smile. When restoring damaged, broken, and decayed teeth, the goal is to return the tooth to its original strength, function, and esthetic. Biomimetic dentistry, which is defined as the reconstruction of teeth to emulate their natural biomechanical and esthetic form and function, accomplishes all of this in a conservative approach with strong and attractive results.
Composite fillings use tooth-colored material to restore teeth with cavities and maintain a natural appearance. Once the decay is removed, the tooth is filled with a composite material which is then cured using a specialized light to harden the material. Composite fillings can be done in one visit.
Inlays and overlays are types of porcelain fillings that go inside the tooth (inlay) or over the entire tooth (overlay) and that match the color of the remaining and surrounding teeth. Unlike traditional fillings, porcelain inlays and onlays cover most or the entire tooth, which makes them nearly impossible to detect.
Porcelain crowns completely cover a damaged tooth, which improves its appearance, strengthens it, and can noticeably improve its alignment and shape. Designed to match the natural color your teeth, porcelain crowns can protect and/or restore a fracture tooth, replace large fillings, cover discolored or misshapen teeth, serve as an attachment for a bridge, cover a dental implant or cover a root canal.
A porcelain fixed bridge works to fill in the space created by a missing tooth or teeth. A fixed bridge is one or more artificial teeth cemented in place with support provided by the teeth on either side. Although there are various materials available for bridges, porcelain matches the look, function and feel of your natural teeth for an appealing, aesthetic appearance.
Dental implants replace missing teeth and protect existing teeth by helping to preserve bone structure. Dental implants are composed of three pieces: a small screw made of a biocompatible metal called titanium, an abutment that connects the screw, and the final restoration.
Also known as endodontic therapy, root canals treat teeth with decay reaching all the way to the pulp of the tooth. Another reason for root canal therapy is when trauma or deep restoration causes nerve damage to the tooth. The infected pulp requires immediate attention to avoid further damage to the mouth and to the entire immune system. During a root canal, the dental professional cleans out the infected tooth pulp and disinfects tooth canals before applying a filling and/or crown to prevent further infection and to restore the tooth’s strength.
Practicing good oral hygiene is essential to protect and preserve your smile and the health of your mouth because even losing a single tooth has an impact. Sometimes however, teeth require extraction due to decay, periodontal disease, damage from an accident, an infection or various other reasons. Before extraction, the dentist carefully examines the problem tooth or teeth to decide on the best course of action. One of the most common tooth extractions is the removal of wisdom teeth that have become problematic due to impaction, infection, overcrowding, cysts or pain. The timing of wisdom teeth extraction is different for everyone, but often performed before the wisdom teeth can cause discomfort and other oral health issues.
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