There have been a number of technical breakthroughs in dentistry for the safe, effective restoration of your teeth. As a result, there are new choices when it comes to selecting materials to repair missing, worn, or damaged teeth. Also, the durability of various prosthetics has increased, giving our dentists the ability to give proper support for current teeth or provide a replacement for missing teeth.
Fillings
Advances in modern dental materials and techniques have given dentists and patients new choices for dental fillings. These new materials have not eliminated the usefulness of more traditional dental materials, such as gold, base metal alloys and dental amalgam. That's because the strength and durability of traditional dental materials continue to make them useful for situations, such as fillings in the back teeth where chewing forces are greatest.
Amalgam - Used by dentists for more than a century, dental amalgam is the most thoroughly researched and tested restorative material among all those in use. It is durable, easy to use, highly resistant to wear and relatively inexpensive in comparison to other materials.
Composite - Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-colored filling. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam.
Porcelain Crowns (Caps)
Crowns can help to cover a tooth and restore it to its normal shape and size.
A crown can make your tooth stronger and improve its appearance. It can cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't enough tooth left. It can be used to attach a bridge, protect a weak tooth from breaking or restore one that's already broken. A crown is a good way to cover teeth that are discolored or badly shaped. It's also used to cover a dental implant.
Porcelain Fixed Bridges
Bridges can help if you're missing one or more teeth and you have noticed a difference in chewing and speaking. Bridges help maintain the shape of your face, as well as alleviating the stress in your bite by replacing missing teeth. A bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth and literally bridges the gap where one or more teeth may have been. The restoration can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials and is bonded onto surrounding teeth for support. Unlike a removable bridge, which you can take out and clean, a fixed bridge can only be removed by a dentist.
Full and Partial Dentures
Dentures are used if you've lost all of your natural teeth, whether from periodontal disease, tooth decay or injury. Complete dentures can replace your missing teeth and your smile. Replacing missing teeth will benefit your appearance and your health. Without support from the denture, facial muscles sag, making a person look older.
There are various types of complete dentures. A conventional full denture is made and placed in the patient's mouth after the remaining teeth are removed and tissues have healed which may take several months. An immediate complete denture is inserted as soon as the remaining teeth are removed. Our dentist will take measurements and make models of the patient's jaws during a preliminary visit. With immediate dentures, you do not have to be without teeth during the healing period. Even if you wear full dentures, you still must take good care of your mouth. Brush your gums, tongue and palate every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you insert your dentures to stimulate circulation in your tissues and help remove plaque.