Dental Repair Options
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Dental Fillings
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A dental filling repairs minimal tooth decay, tooth fractures, or damaged teeth surface. Dentists use filling materials such as composite, porcelain and silver amalgam to even out tooth surfaces, significantly improving and even eliminating tooth sensitivity due to enamel loss.
In the past the most common fillings were silver amalgams, but today white fillings are a safer and more attractive alternative. The tooth-colored composite fillings match the natural color of the patient's teeth for an even, natural smile.
Dental Crowns
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Also known as "caps," dental crowns protect damaged, cracked teeth, restoring their shapes, sizes, strength and functionality. The available dental crown options include gold, porcelain and porcelain fused to metal. You will decide together with your dentist the best choice for you, depending on the cost, aesthetics and the strength needed for the dental crown.
Tooth crowns usually last ten to fifteen years, but there is no full guarantee that they will protect your teeth and gums from all types of future damage, such as cavities. To prevent these from forming, you should floss and brush regularly.
Root Canal
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If the tooth decay is extensive and the risk for an infection is high, many dentists will recommend performing a root canal, also known as endodontic treatment. During this procedure, the dentist treats the inner tooth, specifically the "pulp tissue" area, popularly known as the "nerve." In reality, the pulp tissue contains -- apart from the nerve fibers -- arteries, veins, lymph vessels, and connective tissue.
Dental Bridges
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A dentist can also choose to use crowns to replace a missing tooth. The dental bridge consists of two crowns anchored to the teeth on either side of the gap, with a bridge section connecting them. This procedure helps you achieve a natural looking and realistic smile. Brushing and flossing are important, since you can't remove a dental bridge.
Dental Implants
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Dental implants are a restorative and cosmetic dentistry solution that replaces missing teeth and prevents bone loss and gum recession. The procedure requires embedding artificial roots made from titanium in the jaw and topping them with prosthetic teeth that look, feel, and perform like your own. They are a successful alternative to dental bridges and dentures.
Porcelain Veneers
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Porcelain dental veneers help correct stained, chipped, or crooked teeth. Ideal veneers candidates have healthy teeth and gums. The dentist places glass-like ceramic porcelain on the surface of teeth, giving you straight and natural-looking smile. The ceramic in the porcelain veneers is translucent and closely resembles natural tooth enamel, giving teeth their luster.
Dental Bonding
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Dental bonding can repair cracked, chipped, misaligned and discolored teeth, as well as replace silver amalgam fillings. It is a great and cost-effective alternative to more extensive cosmetic dentistry treatment.
The composite resin is flexible, expanding and contracting with the natural tooth to prevent cracks and tooth loss. It also matches the natural shade of your teeth.
Dental Inlays and Onlays
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Your dentist will use inlays and onlays to repair rear teeth that have a mild to moderate amount of decay. They can also be used to restore teeth that have minor cracks and fractures that do not require a dental crown. Inlays and onlays are porcelain, composite resin, and sometimes even gold. In treating dental decay, they help eliminate tooth sensitivity and eventual tooth loss. Unlike metal fillings, inlays and onlays will not expand or contract due to temperature changes caused by hot or cold foods, eliminating the risk of tooth fracture through changes in its size.
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