Restorative Dentistry
Partials and Dentures
A denture is a removable replacement for missing teeth and adjacent tissues. It is made of acrylic resin, sometimes in combination with various metals. Complete dentures replace all the teeth, while a partial denture fills in the spaces created by missing teeth and prevents other teeth from changing position.
Crowns
Crowns, commonly referred to as caps, are a procedure that includes the reshaping of an entire tooth, reducing it in size by approximately 25%, then covering it with a natural-appearing, lab-fabricated crown. A dental crown can be used to replace a chipped, broken, decayed, misaligned, or discolored tooth.
Bridges
Bridges are used when a patient is missing one or more teeth, but still have one healthy tooth to both the right and the left of the space. Just as in dental crowns, the teeth to the left and right of the empty space are reshaped, reducing the size of the teeth by 25%. The two shaved teeth act as anchors or "abutments," as a bridge of new teeth cover the two reshaped teeth and fill the empty space at the same time.
Extractions
When restoration procedures such as root canal therapy, crowns, or fillings are not enough to save a tooth, it may need to be pulled, or extracted. Tooth extraction procedures today are far less painful than ever before, thanks to powerful anesthetics and sedatives. In many cases, a patient who has tooth pulled experiences little or no discomfort, and only minor bleeding.
Tooth Colored Restorations
Tooth colored restorations or fillings are also referred to as composites, because they are composed of a complex molecular structure of a resin matrix and fillers. Tooth colored restorations are actually bonded to remaining tooth structure compared to silver/amalgam restorations, which are "locked" into tooth structure. This property of resin restorations makes them a very conservative approach to tooth restoration after caries removal.
Root Canal Therapy
Root Canal Therapy is a procedure used to repair and save a tooth that is severely decayed or becomes irritated and infected. The nerve and pulp of a tooth can become irritated, inflamed, or infected through various events, such as very large and deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the same tooth, existing large fillings, a chip or crack in the tooth, or trauma to the face. During root canal therapy the inner aspect of the tooth known as the, “pulp or nerve”, is removed and cleaned using various medicaments and sealed. This procedure may require multiple visits to complete due to the severity of the infection. Most teeth that have been root canal treated will require a cast crown for additional support to prevent fracturing in the future.
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