9 Types of Restorative Dentistry and When You Need Them!

Preventative care is the best and most cost-effective way to maintain a healthy and beautiful smile. Still, the unfortunate can happen, and you might find yourself with oral imperfections. Thankfully, you can restore your perfect smile with restorative dentistry.

Depending on your oral flaws, restorative dentistry restores your oral health, bite functions, and appearance. Treating dental imperfections also eliminates the associated symptoms such as pain, swelling, and infections. Below are the nine most common restorative dental procedures.

Top 9 Most Common Restorative Dental Procedures

• Dental fillings

Dental fillings are common procedures among adults and children. Most people who’ve had a cavity are familiar with dental fillings. A dental filling is a material used to fill holes or cavities left after removing the decayed portions of a tooth.

Filing a tooth prevents further damage and restores the tooth’s strength, stability, and appearance (only for tooth-colored fillings like ceramic). Common filling materials include amalgam, gold, ceramic, composite resin, and glass ionomer. These materials vary based on color, budget, strength, durability, and compatibility.

• Dental crowns

When your tooth is extremely damaged, decayed, or discolored, the dentist can recommend placing a dental crown to hold it together and improve its appearance. Dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap placed over a damaged tooth to restore its proper size, shape, strength, and aesthetics.

A crown is also used to hold a traditional or cantilever bridge, cover a tooth after a root canal, and cover a dental implant. You can enjoy your new smile for 15 or more years with the right crown and proper oral hygiene.

• Dental bridges

If you’re missing one or more teeth next to each other, the dentist can use a dental bridge to restore your bite function, health, and smile. A bridge consists of one or more artificial teeth supported by a dental implant, frameworks of metal or porcelain, or dental crowns attached to the adjacent teeth.

• Dental implants

You can consider dental implants if you’re looking for a stable and long-lasting alternative to replace missing teeth. An implant consists of a scree-like titanium post anchored into the jawbone to replace the root of a missing tooth. A tooth-colored crown is placed over the implant to strengthen and protect it.

• Dental veneers

Minor teeth damages like cracks, chips, and discoloration can affect your oral health, bite function, and appearance. The dentist can place a dental veneer on the tooth to prevent further damage and restore your smile and bite. Veneers improve a gummy smile and correct minor tooth crookedness and improper tooth gaps.

• Composite bonding

Dental bonding is a standard restorative procedure for minor teeth damage like chips, cracks, and discoloration. The dentist will apply and shape a tooth-colored bonding material to the tooth to prevent further damage and restore your oral health, bite, and appearance. Unlike alternative treatments like veneers and crowns, very little or no enamel shaving is required.

• Dentures

Your dentist will likely recommend dentures if you’ve lost most or all-natural teeth. A denture is a dental device that replaces missing teeth and gums. This improves bite function, health, speech, and appearance. Full dentures, partial dentures, and implant-secured dentures are the most commonly used dentures.

• Root canal therapy

You may need a root canal procedure to remove the infected pulp tissues if a tooth is significantly decayed or infected. It prevents the infection from spreading further and relieves associated symptoms like pain and swelling. After the root canal, a dental crown can improve the tooth’s strength, stability, and appearance.

• Tooth Extraction

Your dentist will only recommend tooth extractions as a last resort. Extracting may be the best remedy if you have a significantly damaged or decayed tooth that can’t be saved with root canals, fillings, or crowns. Later, you can replace the extracted teeth with replacement treatments like implants, bridges, and dentures. Your dentist can also recommend tooth extractions to remove an impacted tooth or eliminate overcrowding.

Schedule an Appointment Today with our dentist in Beverly, MA

Do you have any dental imperfections? Our restorative dentist in Beverly, MA, can help restore your oral function, health, and smile. Schedule a dentist appointment at Beverly Dental Group for more information.