You have broken enamel, damaged dental work, gum recession, or other oral health complications. It’s hard to eat, embarrassing to smile, and you are often in pain. In short, you need to fix your teeth. But along with wanting to eliminate discomfort and achieve fully functioning teeth again, you want a beautiful smile too. Restorative dentistry delivers on all fronts.
The Importance of Fixing a Broken-Down Smile
If you have an oral health problem, addressing it quickly is important to avoid further complications, lengthier and more invasive repairs, and lots of unnecessary pain. Unfortunately, many people wait too long to get help, whether you have dental anxiety, think you can’t afford oral health care, or are simply too busy to prioritize your teeth and gums. Eventually, instead of one small repair, you may need multiple repairs.
Sometimes you need restorative dentistry to correct dental problems you didn’t see coming. An accident, fall, blow to the mouth, or sudden infection can put you in the position of needing dental restorations, stat. Some of the most common solutions for issues like this can include:
- Root canal therapy: If a tooth has been badly broken or is deeply infected, your West Bloomfield dentist will do everything possible to save the tooth from extraction. This includes root canal therapy. The infected or damaged pulp of the tooth is removed, the canals are cleaned and filled, and the tooth is capped with a porcelain crown to protect it from further destruction or bacteria and to make it look as though nothing ever happened.
- Tooth-colored filling: When you have minor tooth decay, a tooth-colored filling will correct the problem and your tooth will look just like it always did as the composite is color-matched to your enamel. Fillings can also be used to do minor repairs and upgrades to beautify your smile.
- Inlays and onlays: If you have damaged or broken teeth but a filling isn’t robust enough of a repair and a full crown may be too much, your West Bloomfield dentist may suggest an inlay or onlay. These minimally invasive repairs are strong and tooth-colored for a natural-looking restoration.
Restorative Dentistry for Missing Teeth
If you are missing teeth, you may think your smile will never be complete again, but this isn’t the case with restorative dentistry. There are three main ways to replace missing teeth:
- Dental implant: The long-lasting, permanent way to replace missing teeth is with dental implants. This restoration replaces both tooth root and crown for a complete repair, stimulating the jawbone and filling the holes in your smile. Dental implants look and feel like natural teeth.
- Dental bridge: A dental bridge spans the area where the missing tooth or teeth once were. Typically clasped neighboring teeth and anchored in place with porcelain crowns, this restoration fixes an entire section of your oral health and spruces up your smile.
- Denture or partial: Many people balk at the idea of dentures, but the modern version of this solution is reliable, natural-looking, and comfortable. A denture can even be attached to a dental implant for a permanent restoration and avoidance of adhesives.
Find out what restorative dentistry is right for your oral health. Contact New Orchard Dentistry to schedule an appointment with Dr. Nashef and his team.