Repairing and restoring a damaged or diseased tooth helps rehabilitate your oral form, function, and aesthetics. These procedures are done under a special branch of dentistry known as “Restorative Dentistry”.
Restorative dentistry offered at the dental clinic Hunt Valley, MD, helps patients restore their damaged tooth structure to improve oral health and functions.
What is restorative dentistry?
Restorative dentistry is an important branch of dentistry that focuses on repairing and replacing damaged or diseased teeth. Teeth can be damaged due to dental decay, trauma, or gum disease. The main goal of this branch is to improve oral health, chewing abilities, and speech.
What are the types of procedures involved in restorative dentistry?
There are several types of dental restorations, depending on your oral needs. These include:
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- Dental fillings
- Dental cements are specially designed and formulated to restore tooth cavities.
- These materials seal the tooth and prevent further damage.
- Dental fillings
- Dental crowns
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- These are specialized caps that restore a broken tooth or repair extensive tooth decay.
- These are customized according to the shape, size, and color of the affected tooth.
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- Inlays and Onlays
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- Sometimes a cavity may be too small for a crown or too big for a filling.
- In such cases, your dentist may recommend inlays or onlays that are customized according to the tooth.
- Inlays fill areas between the cusps, while onlays cover at least one cusp
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- Root canal therapy
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- Extensive dental caries with pulpal involvement may require advanced procedures like root canal therapy.
- This procedure involves the removal of the decayed crown tissues and the entire pulp and replacing it with a biocompatible plastic material.
- Crowns are then fabricated to cover the treated tooth to strengthen it and restore oral functions.
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- Dental bridges
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- These are permanently fixed prostheses that replace one or more missing teeth
- They act as a connection or bridge, connecting two teeth adjacent to the missing space.
- Dentures
- Are traditional teeth replacement solutions that are removable, replacing one or more missing teeth?
- Dental implants
- This is a small screw-like post of titanium that mimics the lost tooth root.
- They offer support and stability for future restorations like crowns.
Bottom line
Restorative dentistry is the most common services offered by your dentist that help eliminate pain and infection, restore your tooth form and function, and greatly influence your personality by enhancing your smile. These procedures greatly save your teeth from unwanted extractions and significantly rehabilitate your oral health.