As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Likewise, there is more than one way to fix a tooth. If you are the lucky owner of a set of perfectly healthy teeth, you may never need any of these procedures. But most of us will need to restore a tooth eventually. This post from David Rice DDS in Elgin looks at cosmetic and restorative dentistry procedures that are used routinely to repair damaged teeth:
A Porcelain Veneer
These wafer-thin covers can hide a chip or crack or repair the alignment of a tooth that is slightly crooked.
A Filling, Inlay, or Onlay
This procedure has been used to restore teeth for over a century though the materials and techniques have advanced. One fairly new option is white filling replacement for metal fillings. A traditional filling is shaped and molded after it is applied to the tooth. Because inlays and onlays are produced in a dental lab, they are ordinarily called indirect fillings. Inlays are applied to just the center of the biting surface of a tooth (not to a cusp or point) and are typically smaller than onlays. An onlay restores one or more cusps of a tooth.
Dental Bonding
Bonding, officially called direct composite veneers, is used to repair chips, cracks, stains, and make teeth longer. It is also sometimes used to fill cavities. A pliable composite resin is applied to a tooth and molded to the specific shape required. The resin is then hardenend with a special curing light.
A Dental Crown
A crown replaces the entire visible portion of the tooth, restoring appearance, strength, and function. Crowns are used for teeth that have had a root canal, teeth with acute decay, the replacement tooth in a dental bridge, and the visible portion of a dental implant. Crowns can be made of all metal (such as gold), porcelain-fused-to-metal, all ceramic, or all resin.
Dental Implants
Many dentists consider a dental implant to be the ultimate restoration because it restores both root and crown. Most dental implant recipients report that the implant is indistinguishable from a natural tooth. Another boon is the fact that an implant can prevent bone recession which is common at an extraction site. Dental implants are used in a variety of applications such as anchoring dentures and dental bridges.
For more specifics about any of these procedures, call David A. Rice, DDS in Elgin. We provide restorative dentistry, and general and family dentistry. Make an appointment today!
Contact David A. Rice, DDS:
847-741-2353
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
1972 Larkin Ave Ste 1
Elgin, Illinois
60123