Rejuvenate Your Smile
When dental trauma or poor dental care leads to damaged or missing teeth, simple tasks like eating, speaking, and socializing can become difficult or awkward. However, if left untreated, these issues can escalate into more serious problems such as TMJ issues, periodontal disease, and bone loss. If you’re looking to restore your smile, Dr. Shlafer offers a range of restorative treatments that can do exactly that.
Whether you’re teeth or damaged or you’re missing one tooth, multiple teeth, or a full arch, we’ll find the right treatment solution to meet your needs. If your smile doesn’t function quite like it used to, a restorative dental procedure may be the ideal solution for you. Dr. Shlafer will work with you to create the most effective solution to restore your smile to a functional and beautiful condition.
Read on to learn more about our restorative dentistry solutions.
What is Restorative Dentistry?
The goal of restorative dentistry is to restore the loss of function in your smile. If your teeth become damaged due to decay, they’re not able to do their part in protecting you from problematic bacteria. What’s worse is that an infected tooth can make it easier for harmful bacteria to enter your bloodstream if not properly treated.
If you’re missing teeth, it can alter your natural bite which can lead to issues with your surrounding joints and teeth. Additionally, missing teeth leave your mouth vulnerable to tooth decay, periodontal disease, tooth loss, and even bone loss. Restorative dental procedures are used to restore missing teeth or reinforce the strength of your natural teeth.
At the office of Roman Shlafer, we understand that no two patients are the same, which is why we tailor your restorative treatment plan to your unique needs.
Our Restorative Dentistry Options
Tooth-Colored Fillings
You no longer need to rely on unattractive metal fillings to restore your teeth after cavities thanks to tooth-colored fillings. Cavities, or small holes in your teeth, are caused by the buildup of a type of sticky bacteria called plaque. If left untreated, cavities can become more severe and cause a host of problems. The earlier you treat them, the less painful they’ll be.
Our dentist uses customizable, durable porcelain for this procedure. This material isn’t affected by temperature and is customized to blend flawlessly with your teeth. They’re also safer and more effective at protecting your teeth from future decay than traditional silver (amalgam) fillings.
Inlays and Onlays
When tooth damage is too excessive for a filling but not excessive enough for a dental crown, Dr. Shlafer may instead use an inlay or an onlay. Inlays and onlays represent a comfortable middle ground when the damage is too excessive for a filling but not severe enough for a dental crown. Inlays and onlays are customized to fit your cavity perfectly and blend in with your smile. After they’re bonded in place, they provide strong and lasting support for your tooth.
Dental Crowns
Our expert Farmington dentist may recommend a dental crown if your tooth has sustained significant damage. A dental crown is a cap that fits snugly over your tooth to restore its natural appearance and function. Crowns are made from durable, stain-resistant porcelain to ensure long-lasting and satisfying results.
For patients who are short on time, we feature convenient CEREC® technology that allows us to design and place your crown in just one visit. Dental crowns can also be used for cosmetic purposes to make your smile more uniform, and are often used in conjunction with dental bridges and implants to restore missing teeth.
Dental Bridges
If you’re missing between one and four teeth, Dr. Shlafter may recommend using a dental bridge to restore the integrity of your smile. Dental bridges are made of prosthetic teeth, known as pontics, used to fill the gaps in your smile without the need for invasive surgery. These restorations never have to be removed, as they rely on your surrounding natural teeth as anchors to support them. Because they also work in tandem with our customized crowns, they’re natural-looking, durable, and high-functioning.
Dentures
Dentures have been a trusted tooth replacement throughout the history of restorative dentistry. That’s because they look natural, fit comfortably over your teeth, and can be easily removed for your convenience. Our expert dentist offers both partial and full dentures, so we can restore a full or partial arch of teeth. We can also anchor your dentures to your gums with multiple dental implants, creating a more stable restoration that won’t slide out of place.
Dental Implants
If you’re looking for the longest-lasting, most effective method of restoring missing teeth, look no further than dental implants. Dental implants are a permanent, natural-looking solution for patients missing any number of teeth.
Unlike other restoration options, dental implants are the only solution that prevents jawbone deterioration and actively helps to regrow the jawbone. Because they’re surgically implanted into the jaw, they look and function just like natural teeth from root to crown so you never have to worry about removing them. Based on your unique situation, Dr. Shlafer may recommend a implants as a singular tooth replacement or in tandem with another restoration method if you’re missing a full or partial arch of teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Inlays repair the surface of your tooth while onlays repair larger areas.
Inlays can be used when there is decay within the cusps of your teeth or to reduce the damage to the tooth surface. However, onlays are sometimes referred to as a “partial crown” because they treat larger areas. They’re used on the biting surface of the tooth and can extend to the cusps across your teeth. Onlays can also be an alternative to dental crowns because they preserve more of the enamel in the process of placement.
Crowns are used to cover an existing tooth, while bridges fill in the spaces between teeth following tooth loss. Similar to inlays and onlays, the difference between the two lies in how much area of the tooth is being covered.
Bridges consist of one or more dental crowns and use the surrounding teeth to “bridge the gap” created by missing teeth. A crown can be placed on surrounding intact teeth and attaches to the bridge. If you have a small number of missing teeth and aren’t suffering from tooth decay, it can be a faster restoration than implants.
Restorative dentistry includes treatments designed to restore the health and function of your smile following disease or tooth loss. In this field, the goal is to restore your smile to full health and functionality. This can include the use of dental fillings, bridges, or dentures.
However, general (preventative) dentistry includes procedures and treatments that protect your mouth from disease and maintain the health of your smile, while cosmetic dentistry includes procedures that improve the appearance of your smile.
