Restorative Dentistry
Dentist Haddonfield, NJ
 Restorative dentistry is a wonderful type of dental practice to be involved with because it involves giving our patients a new smile as well as a new lease on life. Restorative dentistry uses various dental techniques to replace or repair teeth, as well as treat areas of damage, disease, or trauma. Here is some information from Cleary Dental about restorative dentistry.
What Is Restorative Dentistry?
First, to define restorative dentistry exactly, we need to look at its history. Not too long ago, nearly all American adults lost their teeth due to disease and decay before fluoride and adequate dental care. Because so many adults were walking around without any teeth, there was little embarrassment for adults who no longer had teeth.
However, as fluoride was introduced into municipal water systems after World War II and into toothpaste, adults began to keep their teeth. This meant adults who were continuing to lose teeth needed solutions for them, especially if they lost all of their teeth because of trauma or disease.
Restorative dentistry began to develop as a practice that allowed dentists to fix teeth that were shaped strangely, broken, discolored, or that had chips or cracks. Restorative dentistry can also focus on the aesthetic appearance of your teeth. The goal is always to make your teeth look as beautiful as possible.
Types of Restorative Dental Procedures
Our dentists practice all kinds of restorative dental practices. Here are some brief descriptions of our restorative dental practices.
For some of our patients, restorative dental procedures can be as simple as needing dental fillings. Our dental fillings are made of a plastic material called composite resin, which not only can help save the tooth from decay but also make the tooth look cavity-free and amazing.
What if your tooth is discolored, severely damaged, cracked, or chipped? Dental crowns, which are usually made of resin composite or porcelain covering a metal cap, can cover the tooth completely. Because it is prosthetic, we can color the crown to match all of your other teeth. No one will even know you have a crown at all!
If your molars have large cavities, you may need an inlay or an onlay. Both inlays and onlays are prosthetics made of porcelain and cemented to the biting surface of your molars. That way, you can keep your molars but also maintain the cusps and biting surfaces so that your molars can do their jobs.
Missing Teeth
What if you have one, two, or several missing teeth? Our dentists can help you determine which type of restorative dentistry will best suit you. If you are missing a single tooth, you may want to opt for a single-tooth implant.
Dental implants use an implant screw to attach a prosthetic tooth to the jawbone, which mimics your natural tooth structure. Dental implants are also effective if you are missing multiple teeth. We use dental implants to restore all of your teeth.
If you do not want dental implants, we also offer dental bridges and dentures as replacements for your teeth.
Benefits of Restorative Dentistry
Restorative dentistry offers many benefits for patients. First of all, when cavities are filled or crowned, you are saving your tooth from further decay and the spread of infection to more teeth or your gums.
Second, once you lose teeth, your remaining teeth can move around to try and take the place of the teeth you lost. This can cause problems with your jawbone as well as your remaining teeth. Your smile could look unevenly spaced or even crooked.
Lastly, Restoring your smile also helps your remaining teeth and jawbone stay healthy and whole.
Choosing the Right Restorative Dentistry Treatment
If you are thinking about having restorative dental procedures done, you need to think about which techniques are right for you. Here are some pointers for which type of restorative dentistry you may need to help your smile look as amazing as possible.
Restorative Dentistry for Tooth Loss
First, you need to consider how many teeth you are missing because this determines which procedures would work best for you. If you are missing one tooth, you should opt for a dental implant.
If you are missing more than one tooth, the type of restorative dental procedure you need depends on the location of your missing teeth. If you have a missing tooth in different places throughout your mouth, you might need to get single-tooth implants.
However, if you are missing multiple teeth that are next to each other or across from each other, a dental bridge restoration might be the solution. Multiple-tooth dental implants are an option for some patients, and usually rely on an implant-supported dental bridge.
If you are missing all of your teeth, you also have options. You can opt for dentures to replace them, or you can get full arch restorations with implanted dentures.
Restorative Treatments for Tooth Decay and Damage
Restorative procedures are available for patients who have extensive tooth decay or damage. If you have a few teeth that have been damaged due to cavities and the damage is not severe, you can simply have the cavities filled with composite-colored resin to restore your smile.
However, if your tooth damage is severe, you may need crowns to protect your teeth and make them look aesthetically pleasing.
People with severe decay in their molars could benefit from inlays and onlays to restore how the molars chew and grind food. If you have infected teeth, you may need a root canal procedure to clear up the infection, followed by a dental crown to protect the tooth for life.
If you have a lot of broken teeth, discolored teeth, or damaged teeth, you can opt for veneers. These pieces of porcelain lay directly over your existing teeth and immediately cover up all of the flaws your teeth may have. The veneers are thin porcelain tooth covers that are cemented directly onto your teeth.
The best part about veneers is that no matter how many damaged teeth you have, the veneers will cover the flaws completely.
Not sure which type of restorative dental procedure you need to have performed by our dentists? We can help. Contact Cleary Dental at (856) 528-8607 today. We would be happy to find you a time to consult with one of our dentists today. The sooner you call, the sooner we will put you on the path to a great-looking smile! |
