Effective Restorative Dentistry in Danville
Fully Restore Your Beautiful Smile
Restorative dentistry ranges from filling a cavity to fitting for dentures. The goal of restorative dentistry is to bring the entire mouth back to health and harmony.
Even the smiles of the most careful patients can experience damage and deterioration. Missing teeth pose a threat to the overall function and health of your mouth. Teeth can be lost for a variety of reasons, including gum disease, root canal infection, extensive decay and injury or trauma. For decayed, injured, or otherwise unhealthy teeth, our restorative dentistry team is here to help.
Restorative dentistry involves stopping and treating decay, infection and damage to teeth. Danville Dental Associates offers composite resin tooth colored fillings, as well as the traditional silver amalgam fillings. Both amalgam and composite fillings last a long time, but usually require replacement at some point.
Tooth-Colored Fillings
Dental fillings are used in a number of situations. Most commonly, dental fillings are used to fill cavities, but they can also be useful for cosmetic purposes such as repairing small cracks and chips, rebuilding worn edges, filling small gaps between teeth, and correcting minor discoloration.
Dental fillings strengthen a tooth that has been damaged by decay, wear or fracture. If tooth decay is not repaired at its early stages, it will worsen and additional or alternative dental treatments may be necessary.
Composite resin (or white) fillings are made to mimic the color of your natural teeth. They are preferable in the front or visible areas of the smile because the composite material is virtually indistinguishable from your existing teeth.
Amalgam, or silver fillings, are durable and usually outlast composite fillings. They are generally used for the back teeth because they can last through the force of chewing and are not visible. Silver fillings are generally less expensive than composite fillings.
Wisdom Teeth Removal
Late to erupt in the smile line, third molars are often extracted due to a lack of space to accommodate these additional teeth. Commonly referred to as wisdom teeth due to their eruption late in life, between the ages of 17 and 25, this additional set of teeth is often unable to fully erupt, will emerge at odd angles, or lead surrounding teeth to shift out of proper alignment. In order to avoid these concerns, we often recommend patients have wisdom teeth extracted.
Sedation Dentistry
There are a variety of circumstances that may necessitate a need for dental sedation. Some of the reasons we recommend sedation include:
- Severe dental phobia or anxiety
- Sensitive teeth gums or gag reflex
- Need to complete numerous or complex procedures in fewer appointments
- To keep children or those with cognitive or physical impairments comfortable and relaxed
We offer both nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation. Nitrous oxide is commonly referred to as laughing gas, and it is one of the most popular forms of sedation. The gas is inhaled through a nasal mask during procedures. Fast acting, we’re able to quickly adjust the patient’s level of sedation to ensure complete comfort. Following the procedure, the effects of nitrous oxide wear away quickly, so patients are able to return to their regular activities right away. Oral conscious sedation is administered in pill form about an hour prior to treatment. That means patients are already relaxed before they reach our office. Due to the long lasting effects of oral conscious sedation, patients will need to have a friend or family member drive them to and from our office.
Tooth Extractions
In addition to wisdom teeth, we may need to recommend tooth extraction in a number of other situations. We’ll do our utmost to preserve healthy tooth structures, but if severe decay or damage has occurred, the remaining parts of the tooth may not provide adequate support for a restoration. In these cases and others, we recommend extraction to preserve overall health.
Dental Crowns & Fixed Bridges
Dental crowns are custom crafted, advanced dental restorations that fit over the top of damaged or decayed teeth. Two dental crowns can be attached to healthy teeth on either side of one or more lost teeth to support a replacement tooth or teeth. This tooth replacement prosthetic is referred to as a fixed bridge.
Dentures & Partials
Partial and full dentures are used to repair smiles following extensive tooth loss. Both tooth replacement prosthetics are crafted using a gum colored base to support numerous replacement teeth. Partials fill gaps in patients’ smiles, and are held in place with clasps attached to remaining teeth. Full dentures replace an entire row of teeth, and the restoration is held in place through suction between the base and gum line.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canals have a reputation for being painful, but they actually allow us to repair damage and decay that causes severe toothache and dental sensitivity. By removing the damaged inner pulp layer of teeth and refilling the tooth with a similar substance, we’re able to relieve pain and renew dental function.