Keeping healthy teeth is a challenging feat given the constantly busy lifestyles most of us lead. We are often faced with the dilemma to choose from dental health and other important tasks. And more often than not, we end up choosing to go for the meeting at work and rescheduling dentist appointments. And we also overlook the importance of a healthy oral hygiene routine.

If you find yourself in this scenario, you are not alone. Busy workdays and busier weekends might take a toll on your teeth. Tooth decay is one of the most common problems that might make you experience toothaches. Unhealthy teeth also give way too many other dental issues.

Apart from tooth decay, damaged teeth can also be caused by injuries through accidents. In case you are suffering from damaged teeth due to decay, trauma, or injury, this article can explain to you the dental restoration treatment options to help make your teeth function properly.

What is Dental Restoration?

Dental restoration is the part of dentistry that, as the name suggests, involves restoring the natural tooth structure. Dentists analyse your damaged teeth using advanced dental imaging technologies and decide the course of restoration treatment that is required. They use artificial materials to support damaged natural teeth structures.

What are the types of Dental Restoration?

As dentistry continues to evolve with time, the options for restoring damaged or decayed teeth also increase. The most popularly used teeth restoration methods are as follows:

1. Dental Restorative Fillings

When the decay is removed from any tooth, it often leaves a hollowness inside which must be filled with strong artificial material. This also applies in case of damage due to injury. The dental restorative fillings can either be made of amalgams or composites. You can select your preferred filling material from the available options such as gold, ceramics, silver, or mercury, etc.

Tooth coloured fillings also known as white fillings are most popular as they are difficult to differentiate from the other natural teeth and often go unnoticed. You do not need to worry about someone spotting the metal tooth fillings when you laugh or talk. It is just like natural teeth.

2. Porcelain Crowns and Veneers

Crowns are fixed over a natural tooth and usually cover it from all sides. The natural teeth structure that remains inside is protected from direct contact with hot or cold food and drinks and other forces in the oral cavity.

While veneers are used to protect the outer layer of the teeth of usually the upper jaw. They hide any deep marks or stains on the teeth and also protect the front teeth from further damage.

These are made of thin porcelain material that matches the shade of other adjacent teeth. They can be made in a single visit using CEREC.

3. Dental Bridges

These are structures commonly made of ceramics that help keep the adjacent teeth of a missing tooth together. When you lose one or more teeth and the adjacent teeth are relatively stronger, the dentist might suggest you go for this treatment. An artificial bridge helps hold the natural teeth in place and make chewing food easier for you.

4. Dental Implants

Dental implants are one of the most long-lasting tooth restoration methods. They can be used for one or more missing or damaged teeth. If your natural tooth is somehow unable to function normally and is posing a threat to your chewing capacity, the dentist might suggest you this option. The only prerequisite to this treatment is to have enough jawbone density.

An anchor usually made of titanium or other friendly alloys is inserted into the gums or jawbones. It is then fitted with an artificial dental crown on the top. It looks and functions like a sturdy natural tooth. Dental implants can be done for more than one tooth and hence the options available include all-on-4, all-on-6, all-on-8, etc. Because of them being fixed on the jaws, they are often considered as the permanent teeth restoration/replacement solution.

5. Dentures

Dentures are age-old and tested temporary teeth restoration method. They have been widely used and almost every one of us knows at least one person who uses them. They are more popular with elderly people who have lost natural teeth and their jawbones are not sturdy enough to hold dental implants.

Dentures can be custom-made in order to match the exact requirements of the patient’s missing or damaged teeth. They can be placed over a jaw and removed when required. The only problem this ease of wear and removing also make them prone to slipping in most embarrassing ways.

6. Root Canal Therapy

RCT also ranks as one of the oldest and popular methods to remove tooth decay and restore teeth. The dentist often captures X-ray images of the decay and decides on how to carry out the restoration. The decay is then drilled out and the remaining tooth structure is filled with artificial filling. If the tooth is weak, it can also be topped by a crown after applying the filling. This method suits patients of all ages.

The Takeaway:

Our teeth are one of the most important parts of our body. It can be difficult to maintain good overall health when oral health deteriorates. To overcome this challenge, it is advised that you visit your dentist at prescribed intervals. And if your teeth are damaged due to decay or injury, the advanced technology of dental restorations can help make your natural teeth function better. Contact your nearest dentist and enquire about dental restoration work today.