Restorative Dentistry

• Fillings
       Thanks to advances in modern dental material and techniques, dentists have more ways to create pleasing, natural-looking smiles.  As a result of decades-long research, dentists and patients today have several choices when it comes to selecting materials to repair worn, damaged, or decayed teeth.  These options include either amalgam (silver fillings) or composite (tooth colored fillings).  The ultimate decision about what to use is best determined by the patient in consultation with the dentist.

• Crowns
       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 structure 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.  If your dentist recommends a crown, it's probably to correct one of these conditions. Your dentist's primary concern, like yours, is helping you keep your teeth healthy and your smile bright.

• Bridges
       Sometimes called a fixed partial denture, a bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth, looks great, 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.

• Removable Partial Dentures
       Removable partial dentures usually consist of replacement teeth attached to pink or gum-colored plastic bases, which are connected by metal framework.

• Complete Dentures
       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. You’ll be able to eat and speak—things that people often take for granted until their natural teeth are lost.
       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. The dentist takes measurements and makes models of the patient’s jaws during a preliminary visit. With immediate dentures, the denture wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period.
       Another option is an implant supported denture.  A number of implants are surgically placed in the jaw bone, and after adequate healing, specific locator devices are attached tothe implants that essentially snap into the denture aiding in retention.