Functional Restorative Dentistry in Port Orchard, WA
“Restorative dentistry” is the term dental is the used for fixing missing or broken teeth. Fillings, crowns (“caps”), bridges and implants are common restorative treatments. Our goal is to bring back your natural smile, restores your oral health, and prevent future issues.
Why Restorative Dental Procedures are Important.
Several reasons include:
- Filling empty spaces in the mouth helps keep the teeth properly aligned, and less chance for shifting, causing issues with biting
- Replacing teeth makes it easier to maintain good oral care habits, and helps prevent plaque build-up and the problems that come along with plaque
- Missing, damaged, or broken teeth can affect your health, appearance and confidence
Your teeth may become damaged due to injury, or may simply need to be repaired as you age. Our dentist provides restorative dentistry to help you regain a healthy, fully functional, and beautiful smile if your teeth have been lost or have become damaged. Each treatment is custom-designed to meet your unique needs so that you can enjoy a healthy smile for years to come.
While composite fillings will cover just a portion of the tooth, porcelain crowns (also known as caps) are meant to encompass the entire visible portion of the tooth. By doing this, the crown acts as the new outer surface of the tooth. Crowns are typically used in cases where the teeth are damaged or decayed to an extent where fillings won’t be able to be used as a form of repair. Crowns can be used as protective shells around damaged teeth, with an ability to both enhance appearance and strengthen the tooth as well.
Meanwhile, dental bridges are appliances used to help fill in the gap created by a missing tooth or teeth. Gaps in your smile can be hazardous to your oral health, as it can result in the teeth shifting or changes in your bite that can be painful. Bridges can help solve this by using the surrounding teeth as anchors to hold a false tooth, called a pontic, in the space where the gap is.
How dental crowns are done
The first steps of getting you a new porcelain crown involve taking impressions of and reshaping the tooth. Typically a portion of the tooth will need to be removed or shaved down for the crown to fit properly. Our dentists will take an impression of the tooth and send it off to our dental lab to create the permanent crown. A temporary crown will be set to protect your teeth in between visits.
Upon your return to our Port Orchard dental office, we will have received the permanent crown from the lab. Before cementing it in place, we will make sure the crown fits comfortably and matches the natural color of your teeth.
How dental bridges are done
A minimum of two visits to Port Orchard Dental Care Center are typically required to successfully place a dental bridge. At the first appointment, Our dentists will file down the surrounding “anchor” teeth so that porcelain crowns can fit over them. After this, an impression will be taken to send to the lab for creation of the permanent bridge and crowns. You will be fitted with a temporary bridge to protect your teeth in-between visits.
Upon your return, we will remove the temporary bridge and place the final appliance received from the lab. We will adjust it for fit, but several visits may be needed to get the bite and fit just right.
We have a menu of options for missing teeth to help restore your young and beautiful smile. Along with traditional dentures, our permanent dentures provide a solution you will never have to take out. Enjoy the foods you want, and smile with confidence again!
What are dentures?
A denture is a removable dental appliance replacement for missing teeth and surrounding tissue. They are made to closely resemble your natural teeth and may even enhance your smile.
Dentures can be made as complete or partial dentures. Complete dentures are used when all of the teeth are missing, while partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain. A Partial denture not only fills in the spaces created by missing teeth, but also prevents other teeth from shifting.
What is the treatment?
We have option type for dentures, the conventional which is made after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has healed usually taking 4 to 6 weeks, and immediate dentures which are made in advance and immediately placed after the teeth are removed.
Dentures are very durable appliances and will last many years, but may have to be remade, repaired, or readjusted due to normal wear.
Reasons for dentures:
- Complete Denture – Loss of all teeth in an arch.
- Partial Denture – Loss of several teeth in an arch.
- Enhancing smile and facial tissues.
- Improving chewing, speech, and digestion.
What does getting dentures involve?
The process of getting dentures requires several appointments, usually over several weeks. Highly accurate impressions (molds) and measurements are taken and used to create your custom denture. Several “try-in” appointments may be necessary to ensure proper shape, color, and fit. At the final appointment, your dentist will precisely adjust and place the completed denture, ensuring a natural and comfortable fit.
It is normal to experience increased saliva flow, some soreness, and possible speech and chewing difficulty, however this will subside as your muscles and tissues get used to the new dentures.
You will be given care instructions for your new dentures. Proper cleaning of your new dental appliance, good oral hygiene, and regular dental visits will aid in the life of your new dentures.
Dental implants are quickly becoming the most popular method for replacing missing teeth. In this procedure, titanium support posts are surgically implanted and fused to your jawbone, and act as an anchor and root for naturally looking false teeth placed above. Dental implants are not only used for individual tooth replacement but can be used for multiple teeth or as an alternative to dentures.
Advantages of dental implants
- Implants are extremely natural-looking
- Fusion of the implants into your jaw make them very stable and comfortable compared to traditional dentures
- They last a lifetime
For more information dental implants or to see if you are a candidate for this amazing, natural-looking and feeling replacement for teeth, call Port Orchard Dental Care Center today.
Dental inlays and onlays are considered a more conservative approach to cosmetic restoration than full crowns. They are used to repair teeth in the back of the mouth that have suffered mild or moderate damage from cracks or decay, yet do no warrant a full crown. Inlays refer to procedures where the bonding material is limited to the center of the tooth, while onlays refer to procedures where the bonding material can extend to one or more cusps of the tooth.
How it’s done
Typically, two visits are required for the placements of inlays and onlays. In the first visit, our dentists will take an impression of your tooth, which will be sent to a lab to create the permanent inlay or onlay. Before you leave, you will be fitted with a temporary inlay or onlay to keep the tooth protected between visits. During your second visit, we will remove the temporary protective material and fit your tooth with the permanent inlay or onlay received from the lab.
In order to treat a cavity, our dentists must first remove the decayed portion of the tooth, and then fill it with another substance. This process as a whole is called “placing a filling.” While there are multiple material options for filling a cavity, the most common one that we use in-office is called “composite resin.”
Composite fillings are also known as tooth colored fillings, because the can closely resemble the color and texture of a natural tooth. Composite provides great support for small to medium sized fillings, especially ones in the front of the mouth or in highly visible areas.
When can a composite filling be used for?
- Decayed tooth (i.e. cavity)
- Chipped or broken teeth
- Decreasing the gap between teeth
How it’s done
After your Port Orchard dentist numbs the area where the filling is to be placed, she will remove any decayed portions of the tooth. A substance will then be applied to the tooth to help create a stronger bond with the filling and will be cured with a special light. Once this is finished, the composite resin will be applied in thin layers to slowly form the complete filling. Once this has hardened, the filling with be smoothened and polished to match your bite comfortably.