Restorative Dentistry Treatment Options

Restorative dentistry is a specialty of dentistry that focuses on restoring the health of a patient’s mouth. The term is used to refer to different treatment options that are used to replace missing teeth, fix damaged ones and sustain the existing ones. It is why there are more than two dental treatments involved in restorative treatment of teeth.

What Treatments Are Performed?

As mentioned in this text, the treatments vary a lot depending on the condition presented. Patients come to the dentist with all sorts of dental problems requiring treatment. For some, the best treatment involves multiple procedures to achieve a smile transformation. Some of the treatments for restorative procedures include:

• Replacement of missing teeth – Losing a tooth or more does not only affect how you look. Equally, other functions of the mouth are limited because of the loss of teeth. For one, chewing can become problematic, more so for hard foods. The other dental problems attached to losing teeth include irregular shifting of teeth, as well as gum problems. For tooth replacements, several treatments can be offered, including the use of dental crowns and bridges as will be highlighted below.
• Treating gum infection – the gum tissue can also suffer damage in the course of doing life. The foods we eat alp g with the dental practices can affect how the healthy the gum tissue is. Most people do not appreciate the role of the gum tissue in the mouth until there is a problem. Gum disease has happened to so many individuals, with some experiencing severe symptoms than others. The disease of the gums often results from an infection that attacks the soft tissues. The infection develops mostly due to plaque buildup, follow g poor oral hygiene. Even then, some other risk factors can increase the chances of gum disease, including tobacco usage, alcohol consumption, or genetics.
• Removing infection on teeth – other than gum infection, teeth too can suffer and infection. For the teeth, it is called dental decay. It starts as a cavity in a tooth, then follows through as decay. The decay process worsens with time, as the cavities provide an entry point for the bacteria into the internal parts of the tooth. This leads to toothaches, heightened sensitivity, abscesses buildup, and further infection. One way of riding infection off of a tooth is through root canal therapy. However, this can only be done on a tooth that is still strong enough to withstand such a dental procedure. Other treatments include tooth extraction to completely remove the tooth that is infected.
• Restoring receded gums – sometimes the gum tissue can start receding away from the teeth. The result is an exposed tooth that cannot be stable especially through chewing activities. When the roots of teeth are exposed, patients experience wobbly teeth, as well as heightened tooth sensitivity. Gum grafting is a procedure that is performed to restore the gum tissue and reinforce the strength of teeth.

Appliances Used in Restorative Dentistry

Based on the diverse treatments offered in this arm of dentistry, it is clear that several different appliances are used in the process. The appliances vary in their usage, with some more versatile than others. They include the following:

• Dental fillings – used to fix tooth decays. When the infection is removed from a tooth through professional cleaning, the next step involves sealing the cavities. This prevents further entry of bacteria and food residues in the future. Different types of dental fillings can be used, based on your needs, preferences as well as budget.
• Dental crowns – used for many dental treatments. The crowns can be used as alternatives for dental fillings, more so where the natural structure of the tooth has been severely damaged. They can also be used in tooth replacement, alongside other treatments like dental bridges.
• Dental bridges – they bridge the gaps caused by losing teeth. Whether you have a single tooth or more missing, dental bridges can be worked to bridge the existing gap. However, they cannot be used alone. They require tooth crowns to cover to offer anchorage on the adjacent teeth. In other cases, they get reinforcement from dental implants.
• Dental implants – they feature titanium posts inserted in the jawbone of patients to replace missing teeth. They are more or less a permanent solution to losing teeth.
• Dentures – dentures are replacements for multiple missing teeth. They can restore a set of teeth in either arc of the mouth. Some people require complete dentures because they lack all teeth while others need partial ones.