Your teeth play a significant role in your overall appearance, hence why you should strive for them to look their best. Observing oral hygiene practices like brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist are standard ways to keep your teeth healthy. Otherwise, you risk dental problems like periodontitis, tooth cavity, and tooth decay. The good news is that if you develop a cavity, damage a tooth, or lose a tooth due to extraction, restorative dentistry New York can help restore your smile. Restorative dentistry is any dental procedure that repairs or replaces damaged or missing teeth, preserving your teeth, gums, and smile for years to come. Below are procedures that fall under the category of restorative dentistry.
Cavity filling
Cavity filling is by far the most common restorative dental procedure. Besides treating a cavity, fillings are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth. There are several dental filling materials that your dentist may use. They include gold, silver amalgam, porcelain, and tooth-colored plastic or composite resin fillings. Before the procedure, your dentist numbs the area by injecting a local anesthetic around the tooth to be filled. Next, your oral health specialist uses a drill, laser, or air abrasion instrument to remove the damaged part of the tooth. Once all decay has been removed, the dentist cleans the cavity before filling the hole with composite material that matches your tooth color.
Root canal
During root canal treatment, an endodontist removes the soft center part of your tooth (pulp). You may need a root canal procedure if your pulp is injured, inflamed, or infected. Your pulp may be damaged due to multiple dental procedures on the same tooth, deep decay due to an untreated cavity, a crack in the tooth, or an injury to the tooth. You will receive numbing medication on your gum near the affected tooth before the dentist injects local anesthesia into your gums. Once the drug takes effect, the dentist will make a small incision on the affected tooth and remove the infected pulp. The dentist cleans out all the canals and may coat the area with a topical antibiotic to treat the infection and prevent reinfection. Finally, the dentist uses sealer paste and gutta-percha to fill and seal the tooth.
Dental implants
If you have a missing tooth or one that requires extraction due to severe decay, it can be replaced with a dental implant. A dental implant is an artificial root and tooth system; the root can be made of titanium or zirconia. It is surgically embedded in your jaw, and a crown is attached to the top to cover the implant. Placement of dental implants is a lengthy process – you require up to six months for the bone to fuse around the implant, offering stability.
Dental implants are an alternative for people whose lack of natural teeth inhibits them from getting bridgework. The implants are permanent; they become part of your mouth and eliminate the discomfort of removable dentures. The implant looks and functions like natural teeth, which is why they are considered the best tooth replacement option.
For further inquiries about restorative dentistry procedures, consult your dentist Dr. Dorian Cucereanu, DDS.
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