What Is Restorative Dentistry?
Restorative dentistry, also known as prosthodontic dentistry, can help a patient who has damaged or missing teeth, restore the overall health and aesthetics of their teeth. Whether from disease, injury, or other causes, receiving proper treatment for damaged or missing teeth is essential. This will help prevent further problems and help the patient with any difficulties eating or speaking.
Why Would I Need Restorative Dentistry?
Restorative dentistry, as the name implies, is necessary to restore function to your teeth and your overall oral health. Our doctors may simply need to crown a tooth with a deep crack or place an inlay or onlay in a tooth with extensive decay. Or there may be more involved. A patient usually knows if he or she is in need of restorative treatment because their tooth/teeth or gums have likely started to be painful. Issues such as gum disease need to be addressed with restorative dentistry, as their continued progression will lead to tooth loss. In most cases, if a person opts to not have a restoration made to a damaged tooth or other oral health problem, the problem will become worse and will lead to higher costs and bigger problems.
How Do Teeth Become Damaged?
There are obvious causes — you tripped and knocked a tooth out, or you bit into a sandwich and something hard cracked or chipped your tooth. Having braces when you were young can sometimes lead to tooth trauma later on and that may dictate a root canal and a crown placed on the tooth.
Other problems are self-inflicted. Lackadaisical brushing and lack of flossing allows plaque and tartar to build on teeth, leading to decay and gum problems. When allowed to continue further, decay left untreated will lead to a tooth likely needing extraction, which will then need to be replaced with an implant or a bridge.
We can damage our teeth subtly, as well, by doing things such as chewing ice or opening bottles with our teeth. Even chewing your fingernails can damage the teeth over time.
What Happens If I Don’t Replace A Missing Tooth?
Some people put off replacing a tooth that has needed to be extracted or was lost due to trauma, but this is a bad idea. Here’s why.
Missing teeth can be embarrassing visually, and can also create whistling sounds when pronouncing certain words. And missing molars can create problems with chewing, making the person avoid certain foods, which can cause nutritional deficiencies.
Teeth need pressure on each side from adjacent teeth otherwise they tend to move. This is what happens with a missing tooth, as the adjacent teeth slide over to fill the gap. This creates problems with your alignment and bite.
Chewing and biting involve a great deal of energy down into the tooth. This energy is transferred through the tooth down into the jawbone, stimulating the jawbone to continually regenerate new bone mass. This is key to a healthy, strong, jawbone. Without that energy coming down through the tooth, the jawbone in that area begins to deteriorate and resorb.
Dental Restoration Candidates
You may be a good candidate for restorative dental procedures if you have:
Chipped or cracked teeth
Missing teeth
Eroded enamel
Low bone density
Gum disease
Cavities
The best way to know if you are a good candidate for restorative dentistry is to see our doctors for a consultation. They will be able to tell right away which procedures are best suited for your specific needs.
What Is The Difference Between Cosmetic And Restorative Dentistry?
Cosmetic and restorative dentistry procedures often overlap each other. Both forms of dentistry utilize dental implants, bonding, and crowns. The main difference between the two forms of dentistry is what the main focus of the procedure is. With cosmetic dentistry, the dentist will go above and beyond simply restoring the tooth until they’ve created the perfect smile for their patient. Restorative dentistry, however, is more practical. This means that the dentist will focus on ensuring that the patient ends up with a set of healthy, restored, and functional teeth. Finally, the cost of cosmetic treatments is often much higher than the cost of restorative treatments. Many restorative procedures are covered by insurance policies, whereas cosmetic procedures, often, are not.
Restorative Dental Procedures
At our practice, we have several restorative dentistry options available. Which ones we use depends on the patient’s oral health, preference, and recommendation by our doctors. Each of these methods have their own benefits, For a complete full-mouth restorations, we may combine multiple treatments.
