Restoration Dentistry: Crowns, Fillings, Onlays and Inlays
If you need to repair the structure of your teeth, you should consider restoration dentistry. Whether you need to fill a cavity, bridge a gap made by missing teeth or improve the strength and integrity of one of your teeth, restoration dentistry can help you bring your teeth back to their former glory.
Why you should consider restoration dentistry
Restorations like crowns, fillings, onlays, and inlays can make a huge difference when it comes to a patient's oral health. When left untreated, cavities, tooth fractures, and other issues that compromise the tooth structure can cause pain, discomfort and plaque build-up. The best way to ensure that a patient is prioritizing their oral health is to talk to a dentist about restoration dentistry.
Here are some ways in which a dentist can help repair and restore tooth damage:
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are metal, ceramic or porcelain covers that can strengthen a tooth and make it look more aesthetically pleasing. According to the American Dental Association, crowns “cover a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size.” These tooth-sized crowns completely envelop the tooth covering any unsightly damage, protecting teeth with significantly large fillings and preventing compromised teeth from breaking. If any of a patient's teeth are cracked or weakened due to decay, a crown can help fix the damage and keep their teeth from further harm.
This restoration can be done with a simple procedure which requires a dentist to reshape the tooth and create an impression of the surrounding teeth. This impression is used to create the crown which is then cemented onto the tooth in question. If a patient has a tooth that is suffering from decay, a crown might be the right solution for them.
Fillings
According to Cleveland Clinic, fillings are the “most common type of dental restoration.” If a patient has a cavity or is missing part of a tooth due to decay, a filling can help take care of their problem. This will ease tooth pain and make it more comfortable for them to chew and talk.
Fillings, which involve taking materials like amalgam or resins and using them to fill gaps within a tooth, are typically less expensive and less invasive than other restorations. Dentists simply clean the cavity in order to get rid of plaque and bacteria, fill the cavity with one of the materials listed above and harden the filling using a dental curing light. WebMD states that fillings help prevent further damage to teeth because they “protect the nerve” and eliminate bacteria build up. Taking care of all of a patient's cavities with this form of restoration dentistry is the best approach.
Onlays
Onlays are similar to fillings except that they constructed in a lab and fixed onto a damaged tooth. If a patient has a cavity that is rather extensive, an onlay can help restore your tooth without requiring a procedure as invasive as a crown.
Sometimes a tooth might have a cavity or other damage on its cusp that needs to be repaired. Dental Works notes that a restoration is only an onlay if it “covers one or more of these cusps.” This restoration requires similar procedures to those of a crown, but ultimately needs less reshaping of the tooth, making it a well-desired restoration dentistry option for patients.
Inlays
Inlays are another form of restoration dentistry that can help a patient if they have a cavity that cannot be fixed with a filling. Inlays are just like onlays, but they are only cemented to a tooth in the area between its cusps. Inlays tend to be stronger than traditional fillings, and they can help restore the integrity of a weakened tooth or a tooth with a cavity.
Trying restoration dentistry
If you want to take care of painful cavities and restore your teeth, you should look into restoration dentistry.
Request an appointment here: https://parsonspointedentalcare.com or call Parsons Pointe Dental Care at (770) 538-1203 for an appointment in our Johns Creek office.
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