Restorative Dentistry
Listed below are types of restorative treatment to fix broken, decayed or missing teeth.
Tooth Color Fillings
Another material that can be used to fill cavities caused by dental decay is composite resin filing (tooth color filling). Composite resin fillings are the most common alternative to dental amalgam. They are sometimes called “tooth-colored” or “white” fillings because of their color. Composite resin fillings are made of a type of plastic (an acrylic resin) reinforced with powdered glass filler. The color (shade) of composite resin fillings can be customized to closely match surrounding teeth. Composite resin fillings are often light cured by a “blue-light” in layers to build up the final restoration.
Advantages of tooth color fillings include:
- Blend in with surrounding teeth
- High strength
- Require minimum removal of healthy tooth structure for placement
Disadvantages of tooth color fillings include:
- More difficult to place than dental amalgam
- Higher cost of placement
What is Dental Amalgam?
Dental amalgam is a dental filling material used to fill cavities caused by tooth decay. It has been used for more than 150 years in hundreds of millions of patients around the world.
Dental amalgam is a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid (elemental) mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper. Approximately 50% of dental amalgam is elemental mercury by weight. The chemical properties of elemental mercury allow it to react and bind together the silver/copper/tin alloy particles to form an amalgam.
Dental amalgam fillings are also known as “silver fillings” because of their silver-like appearance. Despite the name, “silver fillings” do contain elemental mercury. Studies show that there is an increase in mercury vapor release from teeth containing dental amalgam in the mouth after chewing.
Crowns
A crown is a tooth-shaped covering existing tooth structure above the gum line. You may need a crown to:
- Make a root canaled or broken weak tooth stronger
- Make a tooth look better and last longer
- Align a misshapen tooth
Description
Getting a dental crown may involve two visits. At the first visit, old restorations or decay is removed and tooth prepared for the crown. A temporary crown is placed on the tooth until the next visit when the lab-manufactured crown can be fitted and placed on the prepared tooth.
After the new crown is cemented, it can take a few days to get used to the new crown in your mouth and then it should feel fine. However, if your bite does not feel comfortable, the crown may need to be adjusted. If you have any questions after your crown has been cemented, you should contact our office.
How do I care for my crown?
You care for your crown just as you would for your natural teeth. The crown itself cannot decay, but decay and gum disease can start where the edge of the crown joins the tooth.
Bridge
A bridge, also known as a fixed partial denture, is a dental restoration used to replace a missing tooth by adjoining the adjacent teeth or dental implants on either side of the missing tooth, with a pontic (missing tooth shape restoration) in between.
The process of restoring a smile with a bridge requires at least two appointments. The first appointment is used to prepare and temporize the teeth. The second appointment is to adjust and cement the fixed bridge in place. Occasionally additional appointments are needed if the span of the bridge is long and the supporting metal framework for the bridge needs to be tried in the mouth before the porcelain that is tooth color and shade is applied to the framework.
Even though every tooth of the bridge is physically connected, the final bridge makes the teeth look like they are individual and natural.
Bridges can:
- Restore your smile
- Restore the ability to properly chew and speak
- Maintain the shape of your face
- Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
- Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position
Veneers
Veneers are considered a conservative solution for patients requiring improvement of the shape, color, or position of their front teeth. Ceramic veneers have been extensively and successfully used to mask intrinsic staining, to give the appearance of straightening, and to correct minor malformations of front teeth without the removal of substantial amounts of sound tooth structure.
Veneers are a well-established treatment method for conservative esthetic restoration of malformed, discolored, misaligned, traumatized, fractured, and worn front teeth.
Implants
Dental implants are replacement tooth roots that are another option to replace missing teeth. Implants provide a strong foundation for fixed (not removed at night before sleep) or removable replacement teeth that are made to match your natural teeth color, shape and function.
Implants are a small titanium shaft surgically implanted into the bone and allowed to integrate into bone structure. The bone grows around it forming a tight connection which additionally slows or stops the bone loss that occurs when the root of a natural tooth is missing. Usually the implant is fully integrated in the mouth between three to six months. The dentist then attaches the replacement tooth (crown) onto the top of the implant. A fixed bridge needs two supporting teeth to support the missing tooth in between. When the missing tooth is the last tooth in the back of the mouth, there will not be a supporting natural tooth to connect the missing tooth to make a bridge. Therefore, an implant can be done to restore the missing last tooth in the back of the mouth.
There are many advantages to dental implants, including:
- Improved appearance. Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth since they are designed to fuse with bone.
- Improved comfort. Since they become part of you, implants eliminate the discomfort of removable dentures.
- Easier eating. Sliding dentures can make chewing difficult. Dental implants function like your own teeth, allowing you to eat your favorite foods with confidence and without pain.
- Improved self-esteem. Dental implants can give you back your smile and help you feel better about yourself.
- Durability. Implants are very durable and will last many years.
- Convenience. Removable dentures are just that; removable. Dental implants eliminate the embarrassing inconvenience of removing dentures, as well as the need for messy adhesives to keep them in place.
- Improved speech. With poor fitting dentures, the teeth can slip within the mouth causing you to mumble or slur your words. Dental implants allow you to speak without the worry that teeth might slip.
Full Mouth Reconstruction
In general, full mouth reconstruction is the process of rebuilding or simultaneous restoration that affects all the teeth in the mouth.
Full mouth reconstruction treatment can include Crowns, Bridges, Veneers, Dental implants, Orthodontic appliances and Partial or Full dentures. To achieve the best possible results, some patients may require Orthodontics treatment as well.
The aim of full mouth reconstruction is to restore structure, function and esthetics of your teeth.
Full or Partial Dentures
Full Denture: Full Dentures are designed to replace all the teeth of the upper jaw or lower jaw or both when no teeth are remaining.
Removable Partial Denture:
A removable partial denture is designed specifically to meet the needs of the patient and can replace one or more missing teeth with false teeth. A natural appearance and speech clarity are restored along with the ability to eat more efficiently.
Removable Partial dentures are created out of a metal and acrylic composition or completely out of acrylic. A patient’s specific needs and anatomy dictates the design of the partial denture and every effort is made to construct a self-cleansing partial denture that preserves the remaining teeth and oral tissues.
The design of a partial denture is intended to distribute the chewing forces evenly over the entire surface of the remaining teeth and soft tissues. Changes to your remaining teeth may be recommended to help equalize these forces.
Metal partials are generally preferred as they are structurally superior. They are thinner and more hygienic than an acrylic partial. Acrylic partials are typically used as a transitional or temporary partial. We will consult with you to determine the appropriate partial for your situation.
Benefits of Partial Dentures:
A removable partial denture may help limit movement of your existing natural teeth. They also allow you to better grind and chew food improving digestion.
There are a few different types of removable partial denture and materials:
- Removable partial denture with metal clasps
- Acrylic gum colored removable partial denture
- Partial dentures with precision attachments that have better esthetics and function
- Flexible partial dentures
- Implant supported partial denture
Benefits of Dentures:
- Eliminates “sunken” appearance of your cheeks and lips
- Help improves your smile
- Improve chewing where there are missing teeth
- Decreases the strain on your remaining teeth