When a tooth sustains damage or develops serious tooth decay or infection, then you need treatment to repair your smile. Otherwise, you risk gaps in your smile due to tooth loss! To help repair the smile, we can offer dental restorations. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS, dentist talks about restorative dentistry.
When You Need Dental Restorations
A dental restoration, such as a crown or filling, is used to repair damaged teeth or to treat issues like tooth decay or infection, concerns that could expose the sensitive portions of your tooth and leave it vulnerable to worsening oral health. Eventually, you could suffer tooth loss! If you have damage in your smile, or if your tooth begins to ache and feel sensitive and the discomfort doesn’t pass after a day or two, then let us know right away. You could benefit from a custom restoration, which saves your tooth from worsening pain and the risk of gaps in your smile!
Examining and Preparing Your Smile
To begin, our team will take detailed digital images of your smile from multiple angles. These images enable us to assess the cause and severity of your restorative concerns, so we can choose the most appropriate treatment option to avoid further complications. Every smile is unique, which is why our restorations and prosthetics are all custom-made for your smile. We may also prepare your teeth, which could involve removing structure to make room for a restoration, or removing decay and cleaning the structure. We may etch the surface we’re applying a filling material to. We also prepare your smile by administering sedation to keep you comfortable and relaxed, even if you have dental anxiety. For example, we can offer a calming anesthetic to numb the area being treated, and sedation to help you enter a calm state, so you’re comfortable and relaxed throughout the procedure. The sedation we choose will depend on factors like your age, weight, medical history, and anxiety levels.
Dental Fillings
Our dental fillings are made from composite resin, a metal-free material that is safe for all patients, and which can be shaded to blend with your smile too! The material is biocompatible and can be placed onto your teeth in only one visit, so you leave with a healthier smile and results that match the rest of your smile. In addition to treating tooth decay, the same material can be used in our dental bonding procedure to mask teeth stains, reshape malformed teeth, repair minor damage, and fill gaps between teeth to improve overall smile beauty.
Custom Crowns
If you have more severe damage or decay, then you may need more than a filling. Instead, we can create and place a dental crown that looks natural and can be secured to the visible portion of your tooth, addressing an array of serious issues. For example, our lifelike and custom crowns can repair severe decay or infection, repair cracked or broken teeth, and lengthen worn down structures too. Placement could also improve bite balance and chewing function too. They even aid in tooth replacement, restoring a dental implant and also supporting a dental bridge.
Bridges
A bridge is a prosthetic that contains new teeth with precision attached to end each. We attach the crown portions to the abutment teeth, the natural ones on each side of the gap in your smile. This supports your new teeth for 10 to 15 years on average. The bridge is custom-made for materials like ceramic, so they not only look natural and blend with your smile, but they can support daily bite forces and pressures with ease.
Dentures
If you have more severe cases of tooth loss, our team can help with a set of dentures. We have full and partial dentures to address tooth loss with a removable or implant-secured prosthetic that looks natural and lasts for years to come!
Dental Implants
Dental implants are inserted into the jawbone and act as new tooth roots, so we can attach abutments and a prosthetic to them. We can address individual missing teeth or support bridges or fixed dentures, so you have new teeth that look and function like natural ones. If you have any questions about how we treat tooth loss, or if you would like to schedule a visit to see our team, then contact our office today. Let’s make 2024 the year you enjoy your best smile!
Do You Need Restorative Dentistry?
Our team wants to help you maintain strong and beautiful smiles! Call Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS by calling (913)681-5500 to help restore your smile. We also serve patients who live in Overland Park, South KC, South OP, Martin City, MO, and all surrounding communities.
