Restorative Dentistry

Even patients who are extremely diligent with their oral healthcare can experience tooth decay and other dental issues.

Lincoln Crossings Dental Care - Restorative Dentistry

Restorative Dentistry

Even patients who are extremely diligent with their oral healthcare can experience tooth decay and other dental issues.

What is Restorative Dental Care?

Tooth decay degrades a tooth’s structure and integrity by eating away the healthy enamel and dentin. Severe decay can reach all the way down to the tooth root, causing serious pain and infection. Restorative dental care works to eliminate the decayed, infected tissues and build your teeth back to their original structure and strength. The goal of restorative dentistry is to save your natural teeth whenever possible.

Types of Restorative Treatments

Restorative treatments range in complexity based on how compromised the tooth’s structure is. Some of the most common procedures are:
  • Fillings – When you have a small to medium-sized cavity in a tooth, a simple filling can keep the decay from spreading and reinforce the tooth. Fillings are usually tooth-colored composite that blends in seamlessly with the surrounding enamel. A filling is the most common restorative dental treatment.
  • Dental Crowns – When decay is left untreated and allowed to spread throughout the tooth, a filling will not be enough to restore the tooth’s function. A dental crown, however, can do just that. A crown covers what is left of the healthy tooth to rebuild the structure and keep the tooth strong enough to withstand daily use.
  • Root Canal Therapy – Severe tooth decay that has reached deep inside the tooth’s structure can cause infection that needs to be treated and eliminated. A root canal is the last-ditch effort to save a tooth and prevent extraction.

Benefits of Restorative Dentistry

It is always in your best interest to keep your teeth, not just because you want to keep your smile as natural as possible, but also because losing a tooth or several teeth can have further repercussions on your oral health. Additionally, it is more time and cost effective to restore a tooth than to replace one. Restorative dentistry helps keep your smile strong and healthy.