Overview Of Restorative Dentistry: Aims And Procedures

Posted on: 24 May 2022

Dental procedures come in different forms. A common form of dental care is restorative dentistry. Below is an overview of this form of dental care.

Aims

Restorative dentistry has multiple specific aims. Below are some of the major aims.

Saving Teeth

Although reasonable tooth replacements exist, the natural tooth is still the best. Restorative dentistry aims to save damaged or diseased teeth and avoid the need for artificial tooth replacement. For example, restorative dentistry can help you save a cracked tooth.

Preserve Tooth Strength

You may need to strengthen a tooth after saving it. Weak teeth are susceptible to further damage and disease. Weak teeth can also be sensitive and difficult to eat with. Restorative dentistry can help you strengthen weak teeth, such as loose teeth.

Restore Missing Parts of Teeth

Dental accidents and diseases can make you lose parts of your teeth. For example, you might lose part of the enamel due to cavities or part of the crown due to an accident. Restorative dentistry can help you build up those missing parts so your teeth can be complete again.

Replacing Teeth

Although restorative dentistry aims to save natural teeth, it does not always work. For example, dental trauma can knock your tooth out. Therefore, restorative dentistry can also help you get artificial teeth, which are just as strong as natural teeth.

Treatments

Dentists use multiple techniques or treatments to restore teeth. Below are some of these treatments.

  • Dental filling. This treatment involves using tooth-colored materials to fill holes or gaps in teeth, such as those due to dental cavities.
  • Dental crowns. Crowns are cup-shaped materials that dentists use to cover the tooth's visible part (the part above the gum line).
  • Dental bonding. In this case, the dentist sticks and hardens tooth-colored resin to damaged tooth parts. For example, you can use dental bonding to restore a tooth after an accident breaks off its cusp.
  • Dental implants. Implants are artificial materials that the dentist inserts into the jawbone to replace a missing tooth root. The implant acts as a base for a restorative artificial tooth.

The above are just a few examples of restorative dentistry techniques. Your dentist will analyze your dental issue and prescribe the best treatment. The dentist may advise you to get multiple treatments, depending on your dental condition.

As you can see, dentists have different ways of preserving teeth. Contact your dentist for more information.

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