If you are hiding at parties, ducking out of photo ops, and
struggling to smile in conversations for fear of showing your teeth, it
can be fixed. Restorative dentistry is a branch of dentistry that
specializes in restoring the function and
esthetic state of a mouth. It
does not require any extra certification on the doctor's part, but
certain dentists choose to specialize in it because of how it makes the
patient feel.
Common Procedures
There are many ways to fix broken, unattractive, or missing teeth. Some of the most common
procedures are:
-
Implants- fake tooth that attaches to a titanium screw in the gums and jaw bone
-
Crowns- a tooth shaped cap that goes on top of a weak tooth
-
Bridges- a row of false teeth that attach to two other teeth to replace a single or small row of missing teeth
-
Dentures- partial or full arch of teeth that are missing or pulled from
poor structural health. These can be placed like implants or as a
well-fitted, removable insert
-
Extractions- the procedure of pulling a tooth because it cannot be saved. It is fixed with one of the other options listed here.
-
Fillings- Material used to fill cavities or missing chunks of a tooth.
Different colors are available, so no one has to know that they are
there if the spot is visibile.
-
Inlays, Onlays, and Veneers- restorations made outside the mouth then
placed on top of a tooth. It gives the tooth a more aesthetically
pleasing appearance.
Each one is used differently to help fix and depends on the health of
the patient. No mouth is limited to just one procedure, and neither is
one tooth. Too much dental work on one tooth is never desirable though,
so dentists will take that into account before recommending work. Work
like fillings does not require a full health history, but others like
implants do.Not everyone is able to handle the strain that can
physically result from dental procedures. Some of this work, like an
implant, requires months to fully complete. The titanium screw is placed
in one visit, then the patient must let it heal for a few months before
it is ready to hold the fake tooth. This requires a lot of time. There
are other things that can exclude certain dental procedures like a
compromised
immune system, poor health history, and bone loss in the
jaw.
