If you're missing teeth due to trauma, decay, or another reason, then a dental restoration may help you to regain your smile and your self-confidence. Restoration dentistry covers several types of dental appliances including bridges, crowns, dentures, fillings, and implants.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Restorative Dentistry?
Whether you need a cavity filled or you need a damaged or missing tooth repaired or replaced, then dental restoration can help you. The most common types of restoration dentistry are:
- Bridges: A bridge is a set of artificial teeth that are permanently affixed to abutment teeth or implants, and they help to provide structural stability to your jawbone and your remaining teeth. When you're missing one or more teeth, the alignment of your jaw and teeth can suffer and your facial structure can become distorted, so it's important to promptly replace any missing teeth.
- Crowns: A crown is an artificial tooth that looks, feels, and functions like a natural tooth and it's used to cover an implant or when a tooth needs a very large filling.
- Dentures: Dentures are removable, artificial teeth that are usually made from acrylic resin and can be full dentures or partial dentures. Partial dentures are affixed by metal clasps onto natural teeth whereas full dentures are usually secured by adhesive. Although dentures will help to restore the functionality of your mouth, they're not very effective at maintaining the structural alignment of your teeth and jawbone.
- Fillings: Tooth fillings are used to restore functionality to a tooth that has been compromised by decay or damage, and are appropriate for small to medium cavities; large cavities may need a crown installed. The filling can be a silver amalgam, gold, or a composite resin.
- Implants: Dental implants are posts, usually titanium, that are permanently installed into the jawbone and covered with a crown that's anchored to an abutment. Implants help to restore structural stability to the jawbone and the remaining teeth. They're permanently installed and need no special maintenance.
Why Might I Need A Dental Restoration?
Your teeth are an integral part of your good overall health, so it's important to maintain good oral health in both your teeth and your gums. When teeth or gums are neglected, an infection can set in and travel throughout your body to your major organs. Several diseases such as cardiovascular disease and pulmonary issues have been linked to poor oral health, so it's imperative that you keep your teeth and gums in good repair. Trauma or decay can cause cracks or fractures in teeth and leave sharp edges as well as areas where decay can begin to form. Heredity is another factor that can precipitate the need for restorative dentistry. If your teeth are inherently weak, then restoration dentistry can help you maintain healthy teeth and gums through the use of fillings, bridges, and crowns. Sometimes, even though you have good oral hygiene habits, prescription medications can cause your teeth to deteriorate, so you need dental restoration. Chemotherapy drugs are particularly damaging to the teeth, so if you've needed any type of cancer treatment, then your teeth may have been adversely affected.
Will I Have A Temporary?
Depending on the type of restoration dentistry that you need, we may need to provide you with a temporary dental appliance that will enable you to use the tooth until your permanent prosthetic device is ready.
Who Does Dental Restoration In West Los Angeles?
If you need dental restoration and live in the western Los Angeles area, then call Arman Torbati DDS at 310-553-3428 before you call anyone else. Dr. Torbati has been practicing in the West Los Angeles area for more than 20 years and is considered to be one of the best prosthodontists in the area. His qualifications include being a graduate of both Harvard and USC and he's a clinical associate professor of dentistry at USC. We pride ourselves on our local reputation and we'll provide you with the best dental restoration treatment possible. If you need restorative dentistry, no matter the reason, call us first. You'll be glad you did. Call us today, we look forward to speaking with you.