Restorative dentistry refers to dental treatment that restores the function and appearance of infected, damaged, cracked, chipped, broken, or missing teeth. Maintaining the structural integrity and function of your teeth is important to your health. Diseases such as heart disease are more common in people with untreated dental problems.
Restorative dentistry treatments are those treatments that have the purpose of solving various problems in the mouth.
Thanks to restorative dentistry, the dentist can save and restoring your dental rack to its former glory. So the importance of restorative dentistry lies in aesthetics, but we find it in need to treat any type of oral disease since it can lead to a major health problem.
What causes oral diseases?
There are several reasons why diseases can occur in the mouth, the most common being bacterial plaque, an invisible film of food debris and bacteria that forms daily around the teeth, which is very sticky and difficult to detach.
- Bacterial plaque sticks to tooth enamel, causing cavities; it also accumulates under the gingival sulcus producing periodontal diseases by participating in the formation of tartar.
- Plaque bacteria produce acids that, if not removed with a toothbrush and floss, demineralize teeth and lead to their destruction.
- The decay, therefore, is directly related to diet (intake of sugars), a plaque build-up by a lack of oral hygiene, little use of fluoride products, and genetic trend.
When a tooth with cavities is detected, it can be restored by removing the decayed tooth surface and replacing it with a restoration, provided that the damage has not reached the nerve, since, if so, an endodontic treatment would have to be carried out or extracted the tooth. It a bit like returning an old bathroom to its former glory.
Why Restorative Dentistry Procedures Are Important
Filling in the empty spaces in the mouth helps keep the teeth properly aligned. Replacing teeth makes it easier to maintain good oral care habits and prevent plaque build-up and related problems. When a tooth is missing, your appearance and self-esteem can be affected.
Who Needs It?
Who have the following conditions
- a chipped or broken tooth,
- a tooth with cavities,
- see the gap left by the loss of the tooth.
Restorative Dentistry Treatment Options
Fillings
The most common way to treat a cavity is to remove it and fill the piece with one or more materials. These fillers can be gold, porcelain, a silver amalgam (consisting of a mixture of mercury, silver, tin, zinc, and copper), a tooth-colour plastic, or a composite resin.
Crowns
A crown is a tooth-shaped cap that fits over the original tooth. To perform a crown, your dentist must prepare your tooth and take an impression. A specialist in a laboratory manufactures the crown.
Crowns are ideal for patients
- Who have broken or decayed teeth.
- The crowns are cemented over the damaged tooth.
Bridges
A dental bridge covers the space of one or more missing teeth. A bridge is made up of a crown at each end and one or more artificial teeth that fill the space between them. Bridges prevent the other teeth from shifting and, once placed, work just like a natural tooth.
Dental implants
Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth. An implant comprises two parts: a piece of metal for anchoring and an artificial tooth, similar to a crown. A dental implant looks like a real tooth and provides the same sensation as the original teeth.