RESTORATIVE DENTISTRY
Keeping Your Teeth And Gums Healthy
Dedicated Dental is proud to offer restorative dentistry to give you your most brilliant smile.
Restorative dentistry is the term dental professionals use to explain how they replace missing or damaged teeth. More specifically, restorative dentistry primarily removes and repairs cavities and provides treatment for other oral conditions. It also includes treating patients who need dental repairs due to trauma or injuries. Fillings, crowns, bridges and implants are common restorative options. The goal is to bring back your natural smile and prevent future oral health issues.
Why Restorative Dentistry Procedures Are Important
Replacing missing teeth helps keep teeth properly aligned
Replacing teeth makes it easier to maintain good oral care habits to help prevent plaque build-up and the problems plaque can lead to
Missing teeth can affect your health, appearance and self-esteem
Removing decay (caries) and restoring the cavities keep teeth healthy and prevent them from further deterioration
Symptoms of Cavities
Small cavities usually do not cause any symptoms. Yearly x-rays are necessary to catch them early. If a small cavity isn’t filled in time, it will get larger and symptoms typically begin to develop. However, by the time cavity symptoms are noticeable by the patient, the cavity is past the point of being restored with just a filling.
Common symptoms of large cavities include:
Toothache — recurring tooth pain or pain that occurs without any cause.
Tooth Sensitivity — sharp pain in the tooth caused by thermal stimulation, such as cold, hot, or sweet substances..
Tooth Holes — once a cavity has developed, holes typically appear on the tooth.
Dark Stains — white spots caused by carious lesions develop into brownish or black spots over time.
X-rays — sometimes cavities aren’t noticeable on the surface. If tooth pain or sensitivity is present, a dentist will take an x-ray to check for decay. Dentists also check for cavities during routine check-ups and teeth cleanings every six months
Restorative Dentistry Treatment Options
The goal of restorative dentistry is to save teeth and also restore the natural look, shape, and feel of natural teeth by:
Repairing damaged teeth with dental fillings or bonding treatment.
Restoring missing parts of tooth structure with indirect or direct restorations, such as inlays, onlays, crowns, or fillings.
Replacing missing teeth entirely with artificial restorations, such as implants, bridges, or dentures.
Types of Direct Cavity Fillings
There are three main types of direct cavity fillings available. Direct fillings are made inside of the mouth during one office visit. Different types of fillings include:
- Composite material is a tooth-colored acrylic resin. It is the most common restorative material used for cavity fillings, broken teeth, and chipped teeth.
- Composite fillings are used to restore cavities in posterior teeth (premolars and molars).
- Advantages — The main advantage of composite fillings is that they are tooth-colored and blend in with your natural teeth. Composite resin material is strong, durable, and blends in with your natural tooth color.
- Disadvantages — Even though composite fillings are strong and durable, they are more susceptible to cavities than amalgam fillings.
- Silver amalgam fillings are a mixture of mercury with silver, tin, and copper. Mercury in dental amalgam is also non-toxic, strong, and stable.
- Silver fillings are usually used to restore posterior baby teeth (premolars and molars).
- Advantages — Amalgam fillings last 5 to 10 years longer than composite fillings. This is because they are the strongest and most durable direct fillings on the market today. Amalgam restorations are also the cheapest cavity filling available.
- Disadvantages — Despite the many advantages of amalgam fillings, they are not as aesthetically pleasing as composite fillings. However, these fillings are not visible if they are used to fix back molars.
- There are two types of glass ionomer fillings:
- Conventional Glass Ionomer (CGIs) fillings are another tooth-colored restoration made of polymerizable acids and ion-leachable glass particles. CGIs also release fluoride, which helps prevent future cavities. Glass ionomer is not as durable as amalgam or composite.
- Resin-Modified Glass Ionomer (RMGI’s) fillings are similar to CGIs, but with more strength and added acrylic resins. RMGI’s are typically used to fill cavities in primary teeth (baby teeth). They are tooth-colored but not as versatile and aesthetic as composite resin fillings.
Fillings
Cavity fillings, also called dental fillings or tooth fillings, are most commonly used to fill minor cavities (decaying teeth). Before a cavity filling is placed, your dentist administers a local anesthetic (numbing medication). Then, the diseased portion of your tooth is removed. Lastly, your dentist fills the cavity with a tooth-colored filling material.
Tooth fillings are used to close spaces in teeth where bacteria, sugars, and food can enter, which prevents the progression of tooth decay, and for repairing broken, chipped, or worn-down teeth
Tips For Taking Care Of Your Restorative Dentistry Work
Brush your teeth thoroughly twice a day.
Electric toothbrushes can help remove plaque from your teeth and restorative work.
Make sure to floss around your teeth, dental implants, crowns, and bridges every day.
Try not to chew on hard or sticky foods. These can damage your implant, bridge, or crown.
Use an antibacterial mouthwash to help fight plaque bacteria around restorative work.
