Teeth, apart from having a functional role, also play a significant part in enhancing your appearance, boosting self-confidence, and giving you a clear speech. Unfortunately, good and healthy teeth are a luxury that many can only dream of. Restorative dentistry is a ray of hope for such individuals.
The facility for restorative dentistry in Norfolk, MA, can provide excellent solutions to those who’ve lost teeth or are facing other dental problems that impact them both physically and emotionally.
Who needs restorative dentistry?
Restorative dentistry can be a solution for a wide variety of dental problems that can broadly be categorized into the following categories.
- Restorative dentistry can help individuals with damaged or decayed teeth to restore the natural appearance of teeth.
- With dental implants, bridges, dentures, etc., restorative dentistry can help people who’ve lost teeth to be able to regain their chewing abilities and facial expressions.
- Misaligned teeth can ruin your smile and self-confidence while also leading to other dental problems. Restorative dentistry can be the permanent solution for all your such problems.
- Restorative dentistry can also help individuals with oral diseases like periodontal disease to restore their oral health.
- Individuals with chipped, shattered, or knocked-out teeth can also benefit from restorative dentistry as it can help salvage teeth that would’ve otherwise been lost.
Restorative dentistry procedures
Any dental procedure that can repair or replace a tooth or several teeth is a restorative dental procedure. The ultimate goal of restorative dentistry is either restoring the appearance of the teeth or the functionality of the teeth. Nonetheless, the following are the standard restorative dentistry procedures.
- Cavity filling: The most common restorative dentistry procedure is cavity filling. Many bacteria can burrow into the tooth enamel and create holes or cavities that can expose the soft pulp inside. To save your tooth from further infection, the dentist removes the damaged part and fills the cavity with suitable fillings.
- Root canal: Sometimes tooth cavity goes so deep inside the tooth that it exposes the soft tissues (pulp) inside the tooth, and often, the pulp catches infection. During root canal procedures, dentists clean out the soft pulp from inside the root canal and tooth and fill the cavity with a composite material to save the tooth from structural damage.
- Dental implants: Sometimes dentists have to extract your teeth due to severe damage or decay. A dental implant, made of titanium or biocompatible metal, acts as the replacement of the removed natural tooth. The implant bonds with your jawbone and creates a solid hold for crowns, bridges, or dentures.
- Crowns: If your tooth experiences partial or complete damage to the structure, your dentist may use a crown (also known as a cap) on top of the damaged tooth after shaving off the damaged part. In case the dentist removes your entire tooth, they’ll place the crown over the dental implant installed in your jawbone.
- Dentures: Dentures are highly suitable for those who don’t have enough healthy teeth. A denture has an entire arch of teeth that is attachable to gums (using an adhesive or suction). Your dentist can also use implant-supported dentures that are firmly held in place by the implants placed in the jawbone.
- Bridges: A bridge has a row of multiple teeth and is held in place by dental implants or the crowns placed over existing teeth on both ends of the bridge. While a bridge sits on top of the gums, it does not have a root.
Benefits of Restorative Dentistry
Amidst several benefits of restorative dentistry, the following are the most notable ones.
- Restorative dentistry restores the functionality of your teeth, which allows you to eat and talk with ease.
- It eliminates the pain caused by an infected or damaged tooth by removing the infection or other problems.
- Another benefit of restorative dentistry is that it allows you to smile again by improving your dental appearance.
- Restorative dentistry can also prevent dental issues from getting worse.
- Above all, restorative dentistry can preserve your jawbone health and density by replacing the missing or decaying tooth.
However, it is essential to choose your dentist carefully for a restorative dentistry procedure. An inexperienced, unprofessional dentist wouldn’t be able to deliver you the desired results no matter how much money you spend.
