Bring Back Your Confident Smile through Restorative Dentistry

May 12, 2022

Smile is one of the most attractive things about Homo sapiens. Primatologists say that the origin of smile can be traced back to a whopping 30 million years.
Smile shows that you're happy and content with what you have. Unfortunately, sometimes our smiles fade over time. This can be due to problems with lack of care, disease, age, or dental work, or accidents. If this is the case for you, there are ways to bring back your confident smile through restorative dentistry.
Restorative dentistry is special dental care that helps restore teeth and their surrounding structures. This type of care is generally used to correct problems with teeth, such as tooth decay, tooth fractures, and missing teeth. The procedure can greatly help improve the appearance of your smile.
Restorative dentists in San Diego use various techniques to rebuild teeth and restore the smile. These techniques include filling cavities, restoring teeth with tooth-colored material, and installing crowns and bridges.
This blog post will give you a decent idea about restorative dentistry's common procedures and facets. Let's get started.

1) Cavity Fillings

The purpose of cavity fillings is to restore the function and integrity of a tooth that has been damaged by decay. The first step is to remove all the decay from the tooth, and then the dentist will clean and shape the tooth. This is to ensure that the filling fits snugly. A filling can be made from various materials, including gold, silver, porcelain, or composite resin. The dentist will select the material that is most likely to last the longest in that particular situation.
Various cavity fillings are available, and each has its benefits and drawbacks.

Amalgam:

• Amalgam fillings are made of metals, including mercury. They are durable and long-lasting.

Composite:

• Composite fillings are made of plastic (acrylic resin) and glass and are less durable than amalgam fillings but look more natural.

Ionomer:

• Ionomer fillings are also made of silicon-glass powder, but they contain fluoride to help protect the teeth from decay.

Ceramic:

• Porcelain is a ceramic that is very strong and looks natural. Porcelain fillings are often used because they are very durable and can last for many years. Also, they do not cause allergic reactions for the most part. The downside is that they match gold fillings in terms of price.

2) Root Canal Therapy

It is a procedure used to treat infection and inflammation in a tooth's pulp. The pulp is the soft, inner tissue of a tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves. If the pulp gets infected or inflamed, it can cause pain and cause swelling. Root canal therapy removes the infected or inflamed pulp from the tooth and replaces it with a filling material.
This procedure is typically performed using local anesthesia and can be completed in two or three visits. It is a safe and effective treatment that can save teeth from being extracted by restoring full function.

Aftercare Tips for Root Canal Treatment:

• Rinse your mouth with saltwater multiple times a day to flush out any debris or bacteria. • Avoid chewing on the side of the mouth where the root canal was performed for a few days after the treatment. • If you face any discomfort, take the over-the-counter pain medication directed by your dentist.

A diagram showing the different types of dental treatments

3) Crowns

Dental crowns are custom-made caps, usually made of porcelain, that fit over teeth. They protect your teeth that are damaged by decay, infection, or a fracture.
Some pros of opting for a dental crown include improving the look of a tooth and protecting a tooth from further damage. The cons include that crowns can be expensive (at least 3-5 times the cost of fillings). Also, it can take time to get used to wearing them.

4) Dentures

These are removable appliances that are used to replace missing teeth. They can be made of plastic, metal, or both. Dentures have many advantages over missing teeth, including improved appearance, speech, and chewing ability. Remember that foods such as candy, popcorn, and chewing gum do not go well with dentures.
Dentures are also less expensive and easier to care for than implants. The downside with this appliance is that it may not be very stable and can slip or fall out if not properly fitted.

5) Dental Implants

These are posts that are surgically placed into the jawbone. Implants act as anchors for replacement teeth and are an excellent alternative to dentures and bridgework. They hold several advantages over other methods of replacing missing teeth:
• They are more stable than dentures, and they don't slip or move around like bridges. • They look and feel more like natural teeth than other replacement options. • They are extremely durable and can last for many years.
There are many different metals used in dental implants. The most common is titanium. This metal is very strong and bio-compatible, meaning they are not harmful to your body. Titanium dental implants also have a low failure rate. Other metals used in dental implants include gold, platinum, and stainless steel.
Each metal has its own set of advantages and drawbacks. For example, gold is very strong but also very expensive. Consult with your San Diego dentist to choose one that best suits your needs.

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