Restorative Dentistry | |
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Restorative Dentistry |
from $135 to $210
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What is Restorative Dentistry?
Restorative dentistry refers to dental work that restores the function and appearance of infected, damaged, cracked, chipped, broken, or missing teeth. Maintaining the structural integrity and function of your teeth is important for your health. Diseases such as heart disease are more common in people with untreated dental issues. In addition, having a healthy smile is always a great thing! Read on to see what kinds of restorative dentistry we offer.
What Types of Restorative Dentistry Do We Offer?
We provide many services for restoring tooth function, such as filling cavities, performing root canals, performing extractions, placing bridges, and even making partial or full dentures. The treatment we recommend will be based on your medical history, your overall oral health, and the treatment that will best preserve the function and appearance of your teeth.
A filling is the simplest treatment. It entails numbing your gum area around the tooth with a local sedative, drilling your tooth to remove the infected portion, and then filling the area in with a resin composite to seal up the cavity and prevent further reinfection. Fillings can last 5-7 years or longer with proper care. If they crack, break or chip, they can often be redone.
A root canal may be indicated when a cavity spreads to the root canal (which runs through the center of each of your teeth) and pulp of your tooth. If the cavity is this deep, a root canal may be the only way to save the tooth. This entails numbing the nerves leading into the infected tooth, deadening the blood vessels and nerves that feed the tooth, and cleaning out the root canal and pulp entirely.
Fine files are used to file down the insides of the tooth along the canal and ensure that all infected material has been removed. Afterward, a filling will be placed inside the root area of the tooth. After the tooth and gums have healed, a filling or crown will be placed over the tooth to provide many more years of proper function. Though a filling may be done right away, a crown will have to be fabricated and then placed over the tooth on a later visit. A crown, with proper care, will last you for years to come and prevent your tooth from getting infected again.
Veneers are a protective layer that keep your teeth looking good. They may be made out of a built up composite or fabricated out of porcelain that will then be bonded to your tooth. Many people choose to get them over all of their teeth, but we can help you regardless of whether you just need a couple over potential problem teeth, or want to go all the way. Full veneer crowns cover the entire surface of your teeth, while there are also laminate veneers that offer less protection but will improve the look of your teeth.
How Long Do the Dental Restoration Procedures Take?
There’s no precise time for each of the procedures above. A single filling can take a half an hour, while a root canal can take up to an hour or more. While the root canal itself is quick and relatively painless, it may take a week or longer for a crown to be fabricated for your tooth. Fabricating a set of partial or full dentures can take a couple of weeks, as well time to ensure that they fit properly. Finally, after receiving implants, you can expect the healing of your jaw and integration of the artificial root to take months. After that, an abutment will be placed on the post, and an artificial tooth will be affixed to that. In each of these procedures, daily oral hygiene will be a big contributor to how long the treatment benefits you.
How Much Does Dental Restoration Cost?
The cost of dental procedures varies widely and depends on how much time the procedure will take, what sort of fabrication, if any, will be necessary to restore your teeth (do you just need a filling, or do you need a crown, bridge, or implants fabricated?), and whether your insurance will cover any or most of the procedure. Fillings, root canals and extractions are often considered restorative care. However, keep in mind that most insurance companies consider veneers and dental implants to be cosmetic or elective treatments. We offer payment plans and accept most insurances. You should be ready and willing to get whatever the best treatment available is, because your teeth are meant to last a lifetime. Call us today to schedule an exam and get your teeth on the track to long-term health.