Restorations
Treatment to restore your smile.
Teeth are a fantastic tool, you use them on a daily basis and they are likely something you would not like to give up anytime soon. Restorative dental treatments are procedures to restore a tooth or teeth to a more complete state after they experience life and are worn from decay, breakage, or infection. Restorative dental treatment alongside proper oral hygiene and preventative dental treatment (oral hygiene visits), can keep your smile healthy and lasting. Below are some of the types of restorative treatment and procedures that we provide. If you have any questions, never hesitate to call our office, 780-963-4626.
Restorative Dental Treatment
Inlay and Onlay Restorations
An inlay or onlay restoration is a custom made filling made of composite material, gold, or tooth-colored porcelain. They are made in a professional dental laboratory and is permanently cemented into the tooth by your dentist, similar to a crown.
Both inlays and onlays can be utilized to conservatively repair teeth that have large defective fillings or have been damaged by decay or trauma. Inlays are an ideal alternative to conventional silver and composite fillings as the material used is more durable. Onlays are an ideal alternative to crowns (caps) because less tooth structure is removed in the preparation of onlays.
Composite Fillings
A composite (tooth colored) filling is used to repair a tooth that is affected by decay, cracks, fractures, etc. The decayed or affected portion of the tooth will be removed and then filled with a composite filling. Because composite fillings are tooth colored, they can be closely matched to the color of existing teeth, and are recommended for a more aesthetic restoration option over amalgam fillings.
Fixed Bridges
A dental bridge is a fixed (non-removable) appliance and is an option for replacing missing teeth.
A bridge is usually made of porcelain fused to metal. This type of bridge consists of two crowns that go over two anchoring teeth (abutment teeth) and are attached to pontics (artificial teeth), filling the gap created by one or more missing teeth.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection. In order to save the tooth, the pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth), nerves, bacteria, and any decay are removed and the resulting space is filled with special, medicated, dental materials, which restore the tooth to its full function.
Having a root canal done on a tooth is the treatment of choice to save a tooth that otherwise would die and have to be removed. Many patients believe that removing a tooth that has problems is the solution, but what is not realized is that extracting (pulling) a tooth will ultimately be more costly and cause significant problems for adjacent teeth.
Dental Implant and Crown
Dental implants are artificial roots and teeth (usually titanium) that are surgically placed into the upper or lower jaw bone by a dentist or Periodontist - a specialist of the gums and supporting bone. The teeth attached to implants are very natural looking and often enhance or restore a patient’s smile.