When are you going to need implants, veneers, dental bonding, or a dental crown in Zebulon? While it’s true that you can achieve a healthy smile if you brush your teeth twice a day, floss before going to bed, and visit the dental office once every six months, there are instances when restorative dental care is necessary to bring your smile and oral function back.
Although your enamel is strong, it can get damaged due to disease, injury, and infection. Restorative dentistry can return your teeth’s strength and structure back to working function.
Exploring Restorative Dentistry
What Is Restorative Dentistry?
Restorative dentistry is a branch of dentistry that specializes in replacing missing or damaged teeth. Patients with cavities and teeth impaired by injury and trauma can benefit from restorative treatments.
What makes this branch unique is that it combines various dental fields like periodontics, prosthodontics, and endodontics. Some patients require multiple dental works that require different specialists. Restorative dentists treat patients of all ages, from children to seniors. However, most patients requiring restorative dental work are adults.
What Is the Goal of Restorative Dentistry?
The goal of restorative dentists is to preserve your teeth and restore their natural shape, color, and function.
What Are the Different Types of Restorative Dental Treatments?
There are several restorative dental treatments for you to choose from. Knowing your possible options will help you decide which procedure is best for your unique situation.
Dental Fillings
According to the American Dental Association, around 175 million Americans receive dental fillings yearly. A dental filling is one of the most requested restorative treatments in the US. Dentists use dental fillings to replace the removed decayed parts of your teeth to restore their strength and structure.
It can be made from different materials such as silver, gold, porcelain, or amalgam. Patients who received dental fillings report a significant improvement in oral function. In addition, dental fillings also helped eradicate discomfort.
Dental Bridges
A dental bridge functions by closing the gap created by your missing teeth. It consists of two or more artificial crowns on either side of the tooth gap. These two crowns, known as abutment teeth, act as anchoring teeth, and between them are your false teeth called pontics.
Pontics can be made from porcelain, alloys, or gold. Dental bridges can be supported by dental implants or natural teeth. The average lifespan of a dental bridge is between five to 15 years, but with proper care (practicing good oral hygiene and visiting your dentist yearly), they can last longer.
Dental Implants
Another popular and highly sought-after restorative dental treatment is dental implant surgery. Dental implants can replace teeth that have fallen out because of severe gum disease, tooth decay, infection, or fracture. It also serves as an alternative to a dental bridge if the teeth on either or both sides of the missing tooth are weak and cannot support a dental bridge.
A dental implant is made up of a biocompatible metal post that takes on the shape of a screw. Attached to the post is an abutment or connector, and atop it is an artificial dental crown.
The procedure involves surgery since dental implants function as tooth roots, which means your oral surgeon will have to incise your gum tissues, drill holes in your jawbone, and insert the implants within it.
After several months, your jawbone tissues will fuse around the implants until they become permanently integrated into your jawbone. Compared to dentures and bridges, dental implants resemble natural teeth the most.
Dental Bonding
What if your tooth becomes discolored, cracked, or sustained chips? Is there a way to restore its color and shape back? Dental bonding is the answer. It’s an affordable, quick, and painless procedure that involves shaping and bonding a composite material over your affected tooth. It has a short recovery process and doesn’t require multiple dental visits.
Veneers
Are you aware that you can change your smile? Cosmetic and restorative dentistry can sometimes overlap. One example of that is veneer application. Veneers became popular when celebrities started sporting them. These are super thin porcelain shells that are reshaped and attached to your teeth to improve their size, shape, length, and color.
Dental Crowns
Did you know that nearly 15 million Americans are wearing dental crowns? A dental crown is a tooth-colored cap that covers a cracked, decayed, discolored, or damaged tooth.
Once a dental crown is in place, it will restore your tooth’s strength, structure, shape, size, and shade back to normal. It can be made from various materials like ceramic or gold. However, most patients prefer porcelain-fused-to-metal because of their natural aesthetic appeal and impressive durability.
Do You Need a Restoration Like a Dental Crown in Zebulon?
At Tyron Family Dentistry, we offer a wide array of restorative dental treatments at an affordable price. We will first examine your teeth, listen to your needs, and ask you about your goals before determining what treatment is best for you. Contact us today for a appointment.
