What Are Major Restorative Dental Procedures?

Good oral hygiene is essential for preserving healthy teeth, gums, and mouth. However, despite excellent oral hygiene, oral issues like tooth decay and gum disease can still develop, significantly impacting your oral health, function, appearance, and comfort.

When this happens, restorative dentistry may be necessary to repair or replace damaged teeth to improve oral health and function and alleviate discomfort. Keep reading to learn what restorative dentistry involves and the major restorative dental procedures you can expect from your dentist.

What is Restorative Dentistry?

Restorative dentistry deals with diagnosing, preventing, and treating oral conditions to restore the function and health of your mouth. Since everyone has different conditions and needs, your restorative treatments are customized to suit your specific needs.

Common reasons for seeking restorative dental care include the following:

• Tooth decay and cavities
• Knocked-out or loose teeth
• Tooth sensitivity or pain
• Misshapen or uneven teeth
• Worn-down or eroded teeth
• Chipped, cracked, or broken teeth
• Missing teeth
• Persistent bad breath
• Sore, swelling, or bleeding gums

Seek restorative dentistry near you if you have these or other oral symptoms. Untreated oral problems can worsen, resulting in severe discomfort, impaired oral function, and tooth loss.

Benefits of Restorative Procedures

Restorative dentistry:

• It improves your bite function, allowing you to speak and eatproperly
• Eliminates oral pain and discomfort
• Improves your oral and facial appearance
• Prevents further dental issues
• Improves your oral and overall health

Major Restorative Dental Procedures

1. Dental implants

Losing one or more natural teeth can significantly affect how you speak, chew, and look. Dental implants are excellent restorative procedures to replace missing teeth and restore your smile and oral function.

Dental implant treatment involves placing an implant post into the jawbone through surgery to act as artificial tooth roots. Then, the implant post is topped with a tooth-like restoration (crown, bridge, or denture).

Once the treatment is complete, dental implants look, feel, and function like real teeth and can last a lifetime with proper care. You can get a single implant, All-on-4 implants, or All-on-6 implants based on the number of missing teeth.

2. Dental crowns

Teeth crowns are a common restorative procedure in many dental offices. A crown is a custom-made tooth-shaped cap placed over a tooth to improve its strength, size, and appearance. Dental crowns often repair moderate to extensive tooth decay, chips, cracks, breaks, and erosion. Crowns can also anchor a dental bridge or support dental implants. Common crown materials include metal, porcelain, ceramic, composite resin, and zirconia.

3. Dental bridges

If you are missing several teeth adjacent to each other and dental implants aren’t an option, a dental bridge is an excellent option to replace your teeth and restore the function and appearance of your smile. A bridge consists of one or more artificial teeth anchored to your natural teeth with dental crowns or frameworks. Bridges can also be anchored to dental implants for improved stability, strength, and a natural-looking appearance.

4. Dentures

You can consider a denture if you’re missing most or all your natural teeth. Dentures are removable, custom-made dental prostheses with false teeth and acrylic gum-like bases. Partial dentures replace a few missing teeth, while complete dentures replace all your teeth on either or both jaws. Dentures cover the gaps left by missing teeth, giving you a complete, functional, and beautiful smile.

5. Dental fillings

You might need a dental filling if your tooth is chipped, cracked, or decayed. Dental filling treatment involves removing the damaged parts of the tooth and then filling the areas with a filling material. This prevents more damage to the tooth and restores the strength, function, and aesthetics of your tooth.

6. Root canal therapy

You might need a root canal if your tooth is decayed or infected. The procedure involves removing infected or decayed pulp tissues from the tooth to prevent infection and save the tooth. Then, the dentist cleans and seals the tooth to prevent reinfection. A permanent filling or crown may be necessary for added protection and strength.

7. Inlays & onlays

Inlays and onlays are restorative treatments that repair moderate tooth damage and decay. They are custom-made to fit in the damaged parts of the tooth, improving the tooth’s shape, strength, function, and appearance.

Are You Interested in Restorative Dentistry in Westwood, MA?

If you have untreated dental issues, prompt restorative treatments are essential to prevent further tooth damage and improve oral function and health. For more information about restorative dentistry, contact Westwood Dental Group.