Suppose you have ever felt unattractive and embarrassed when you smile or shy away from giving speeches because your teeth appear appalling. In that case, you must start thinking about revitalizing your teeth. The main focus of restorative dentistry is to repair or replace missing or damaged teeth, which also helps improve oral functions and an individual’s overall health.
Some typical restorative procedures include bridges, crowns, implants, filling, and dentures. While the essence of restorative dentistry is to repair and replace bad teeth, the treatment is often long-lasting and allows you to enjoy the full functions of teeth, such as eating, biting, speaking, and even smiling. Several effective therapeutic procedures exist, but you can learn about six as you read further.
Do You Need Restorative Dentistry Procedures?
Before you know about the types of restorative dentistry treatment approaches, finding out if you need them is relevant. Therefore, if you have the following dental problems, you should opt for restorative dentistry:
- Tooth decay or cavities
- Broken, cracked, or damaged teeth
- Missing teeth
Is Restorative Dentistry Different from Cosmetic Dentistry?
The main focus of restorative dentistry is on oral health functions and improvement, while the essence of cosmetic dentistry is based on improving smile and aesthetics. However, most dental procedures might offer both treatments to ensure the outcome of functional and aesthetic improvements.
For instance, a dentist can offer you treatment with a dental crown to recover chewing and biting functions, but the crown can also improve the uniformity of your smile.
What Are the Types of Effective Restorative Procedures?
Different therapeutic procedures have proven effective over time, depending on a patient’s unique dental health needs procedures of restorative dentistry include;
1. Dental Crowns
When fixing damaged or broken teeth, dental experts use crowns. Dental crowns repair huge tooth cavities and restitute broken teeth. Crowns are sometimes called dental caps, as they fit the tooth entirely. Before placing a crown above your tooth enamel, your dentist will first extract your natural tooth, but only a fraction of it. Afterward, your dentist will shave the area before placing the crown.
2. Onlays and Inlays
In some cases, a cavity becomes too large such that dental filling is not the perfect intervention. Similarly, it can become too small, so dental crowns cannot work. If you are experiencing this type of dental situation, onlay or inlay are the best solutions your dentist will recommend.
They are custom-made dental restorative materials that entirely fit your tooth’s natural structure. They are like tiny puzzle pieces; inlays and onlays bond on the tooth permanently. However, they both perform slightly different tasks. While Onlays conceal the cusps of your teeth, inlays fill the narrow spaces between the cusps.
3. Fillings
When cavities are caused by bacteria in the mouth eating into your tooth enamel, it becomes so bad that it completely wears out the tooth. A dental filling is a perfect restorative procedure that can help repair holes in the tooth, especially if they are not so big.
During this procedure, a dental expert extracts the caries lesion from the area of your tooth it is occurring and fills in the hole with a resin or tooth-colored component material. This stops the progression of cavities and inhibits the risk of progressive damage.
4. Root canal therapy
Sometimes a cavity or crack goes deep enough into your tooth to reach the pulp. If bacteria get into the pulp of your tooth, it can cause a painful infection. In these cases, root canal therapy is necessary.
The procedure usually involves the dentist extracting the affected pulp, which includes blood vessels and small nerves inside the tooth. Afterward, the dentist conducts thorough or deep cleaning inside the diseased surface before filling up the deep with a plastic-made dental material known as gutta-percha.
Finally, the dentist places a dental filling to cover the tooth and stop bacteria from further invasion. Sometimes, people receiving dental filling as treatment also need dental crowns for additional support and strength to the tooth.
5. Dentures
Dentures are restorative procedures that are very common for people who have lost a tooth or more. You can either receive the treatment to correct a missing tooth or to restore a complete arch of missing teeth. However, partial denture restoration for various missing teeth is also in separate areas. The dentist places dentures above a patient’s gums and ensures that the lower jawbone supports them.
Most cases also call for denture treatments that are implant-supported.
When dental experts use implants in denture treatments, they do not carry out treatment by altering a patient’s natural tooth. This is why they recommend implants as a golden option for restorative dentistry.
Implant dentures are devices that are comparable to traditional types of dentures. The difference is that the denture does not rest above the gum to ensure support. Instead, the dentist attaches them to the implant. What’s more? Dental implants offer more restorative stability than traditional dentures.
Since dental implants are tiny threaded materials that can help restore missing teeth, the dentist will only need to place a crown on the implant for the proper functioning of the tooth. A crown attached to an implant feels as perfect as a natural tooth. Asides from dentures and crowns, the dentist can also restore missing teeth with bridges through dental implant restoration.
6. Fixed bridges
Opting for bridges can be a great option as it is a cost-effective procedure in restorative dentistry. The dentist uses two or more crowns to help people with missing teeth. Bridges fix the spaces between two teeth or more. Dentists can offer this treatment to patients who have already developed gum problems like gingivitis since they are not fixed directly inside the gum.
Conclusion
It would help if you had restorative dentistry for all disturbing dental problems. The repair is possible, your general health will improve, and your teeth will perform actual functions again. Restorative procedures may seem overwhelming or scary, but there is nothing to worry about, as treating dental problems help you deal with many more health issues later in life.