Restorative Dentistry

People generally go to the dentist for one of three reasons — for their regular dental check-up, to enhance the aesthetic appearance of their teeth (cosmetic dentistry), or to fix some problems with their teeth. Restorative dentistry largely deals with the latter of these scenarios.

As the name suggests, restorative dentistry is all about “restoring” the normal appearance and function of your teeth. Do you have cavities in your teeth because of some disease? Do you have missing teeth, either because of injury or tooth extraction? Do you have fractured or broken teeth? These are all situations in which you would seek restorative dentistry procedures.

At Woodshore Family Dentistry, we offer a wide range of restorative dentistry procedures to rectify all of these issues and more. In this article, we discuss the importance of restorative dentistry and we give you a brief overview of the most popular restorative dentistry procedures offered by our clinic.

Importance of Restorative Dentistry

Restorative dentistry covers a wide umbrella of dental issues and procedures. It’s important to go for restorative dentistry for the following reasons:

Keeping all your teeth perfectly aligned and healthy.
replacing missing or rotten teeth so you can carry on speaking and eating properly.
Boosting your self-confidence by restoring chipped or rotten teeth and replacing missing teeth.
Prevent dental issues from spreading and causing other associated problems. For example, a missing tooth can destabilize some of the surrounding teeth and lead to misalignment.

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Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are covers or caps for your teeth. They can be used for both aesthetic or restorative purposes. If you have a broken tooth, or discolored tooth, or a misaligned or missing tooth, dental crowns can basically cover up the existing tooth. Dental crowns can be made of various materials — porcelain, ceramic, gold, silver amalgam, etc. If your dental crown is made of porcelain or ceramic, it completely resembles and feels like actual teeth. As such, even if you have dental crowns, no one will know it.

There are various steps involved in the dental crown procedure:

Your dentist first examines your teeth and performs procedures necessary to build up the core of your teeth so you can receive dental crowns.
Next, your dentist takes impressions of your teeth. This may be in the form of a mold of your teeth or the exact shade of your teeth. This is done so that the prepared dental crown can resemble your actual teeth.
You have to wear temporary crowns for a period of two weeks while the permanent dental crowns are being prepared.
You receive the permanent dental crown, which is attached to your teeth. The dentist also makes final adjustments and cements it in place.

Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are similar to dental crowns but they’re meant to replace missing teeth. While dental crowns could even be placed over existing teeth, dental bridges are only meant for missing tooth or teeth. A dental bridge may be flanked by crowns on both ends, or a crown on one side, or a dental bridge may also be mounted over an implant. The primary purpose of dental bridges is to replace the missing teeth, but it can have several benefits — giving you a smile makeover, help with chewing and speaking, maintaining the shape of your face, preventing your surrounding teeth from drifting, etc.

The following are some of the most crucial steps involved in the dental bridge procedure:

The dentist thoroughly examines your teeth to determine which type of dental bridge you need.
Dental crowns are prepared for the anchoring teeth on either side of the missing tooth or teeth. In this case, the abutment teeth may have to be shaved down so the crowns can be attached over them.
The dentist takes an impression and mold of your teeth and bite arrangement in order to create a dental bridge that resembles all your other teeth.
You have to wear a temporary dental bridge while the permanent one is being prepared.
After about two weeks, the dentist attaches the permanent dental bridge and cements it in place.

Tooth Colored Fillings

Cavities are pretty common in most people. Over time, some of your teeth may start decaying for a number of reasons — accumulation of plaque and tartar which leads to bacterial decay, fractures, and various others. If you don’t treat and fill up the cavities, they continue growing till they infect the whole tooth and you may have to go for advanced procedures like root canal treatment or even tooth extraction.

Tooth-colored fillings, as the name suggests, are fillings for your cavities that resemble actual teeth. Fillings can be made of various materials, including gold and silver amalgam. However, tooth-colored fillings are made of composite resin or porcelain. These materials are extremely durable and they look just like real teeth so no one can tell the difference.

The following steps are involved in the tooth-colored fillings procedure:

The dentist numbs your tooth with local anesthesia.
Using an air abrasion instrument or drill, the dentist removes the decaying part of your teeth.
The dentist cleans the cavity and removes all the debris.
The tooth-colored filling is placed in layers and hardened with a special light.
The dentist polishes and adds the finishing touches on the tooth-colored filling.

PATIENT TESTIMONIALS

This place is great! Everyone is so kind and very professional. The dentist is awesome also. He takes the time to listen and gives you all the options with no pressure. They are also great with kids here. My 10 and 3 year old also do well when they come here. I highly recommend this place for anyone who wants great care for their teeth.

Laura H.

The entire office is very friendly. They go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. I really appreciated the extra time each Doctor took to review my medical history. Very gentle, kind and confident dental care.

Paula H.

I can’t say enough about my experience at this dental office! The entire staff was very friendly, from the second I walked in to the time I walked out. The doctor took the time to explain all that was going on, and he was very gentle in his approach which is what I like. Highly recommend this place!

Shaan

Me and my wife had been looking for a new dentist and we finally found them. This group of people are great. Extremely courteous and good at what they do. I couldn’t be more pleased with our new dentists and would highly recommend them to anyone.

Paul S.

The staff was so friendly and helpful. You can tell they really care about their patients and love what they do. They all made the experience really easy & comfortable. Highly recommend!

Kurstie P.

Hadn’t been to the dentist in 3 years because I just didn’t like it… tried this one out. Very kind and professional staff, friendly, outgoing, made me feel welcome. Definitely would recommend this dentist

Meena D.

The office is very clean and my daughter loved the tv in the ceiling to watch while her work was being done. Thanks again to the staff and doctor for making her feel comfortable.

Michael J.

Great customer service from check in to check out! It was my daughter’s first dental appointment and the staff made her very comfortable!

Santanna W.

The staff was very welcoming and friendly! Dr. Pattni explained my plan thoroughly and made sure I was comfortable during my treatment which I really appreciated. They also perform orthodontic work at affordable prices which is great because now I only have to go to one office for all of my dental needs. Not to mention the decor, ambiance, and state-of-the-art equipment is truly exceptional! Will definitely be coming back!

Anjani P.

Schedule an Appointment with Woodshore Family Dentistry

Restorative dentistry is crucial for a number of different reasons and you should seek treatment as soon as possible to prevent dental issues from spreading. At Woodshore Family Dentistry, we do everything we can to protect your teeth or provide the best replacements that look and feel like actual teeth. For more information on our restorative dentistry services, please schedule an appointment today.

CALL NOW (979) 341-9890