Your Kanata Invisalign® Provider
If you have a lost or damaged tooth, restorative dental care may be necessary to protect your oral health. Today, our Kanata dentists discuss different types of restorative dental services and how they help renew your smile.
Restorative Dental Treatment
Restorative dental care refers to treatments that restore a damaged tooth's structure, integrity, and/or function. This damage can range from decay to injury (chipping and other external trauma, for example). Restorative dental treatment is designed to bring your tooth (or teeth) back to their normal function.
The timeline for restorative dental treatment is usually hard to guess. This is because many factors play a role in how a procedure will play out, such as the extent of damage to the tooth, how difficult the procedure will be, and how comfortable the patient feels during the process.
The Importance of Restorative Dental Care
To put it simply, badly decaying teeth can adversely affect your appearance, self-esteem, and even your overall health (not just your oral health). Replacing and/or fixing decaying teeth can help maintain good oral health by preventing plaque build-up. Further, filling open or damaged spots in vacant areas of the mouth is important for keeping teeth well-aligned. And, believe it or not, replacing missing teeth can put far less pressure on remaining teeth when eating. The more teeth there are, the easier it will be to chew and the less plaque build-up there will be on the natural teeth.
The Treatment Process
Before treatment even begins, it's likely your dentist will diagnose your condition using a variety of means, including X-rays and a thorough examination of your mouth.
Treatment will vary depending on the individual. If there isn't too much damage and the treatment is minimally-invasive, Treatment may only require a single dental appointment. Other times, when the damage is much more extensive and thus requires a more complex procedure, treatment will likely require more visits. Again, depending on the patient, specialists, such as a prosthodontist, endodontist, or maxillofacial surgeon, might need to be called in.
During the procedure, your dentist might use different types of anesthesia so that you don't feel any pain. They might also use anesthesia to calm your anxiety or fears.
Most dental restoration procedures are classified as either direct or indirect. Direct procedures usually involve repairs done inside the mouth. Indirect procedures are done outside the mouth and then attached to the tooth or the tooth structure. Your dentist will determine what procedure is best for you.
Direct Restoration
Another word for this common procedure is 'fillings.' With direct restoration, your dentist usually places a mouldable substance inside a cleaned tooth cavity. This material will harden and restore the tooth's structure. Common materials used for fillings include silver amalgam, composite fillings, and glass ionomer fillings.
Indirect Restoration
With indirect restorations, construction happens outside the mouth. There is usually much more work involved with indirect restorations, but the results are usually more stable and long-lasting. It can also restore the overall look of your teeth. Some common examples of indirect restorations include veneers, crowns & bridges, implants, and inlays & Onlays.