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Four Ways Restorative Dentistry Could Help You

Mar 01, 2017
Four Ways Restorative Dentistry Could Help You
An adult human with a full set of teeth has 32 teeth. If your wisdom teeth are removed, you would still have 28 teeth remaining. Keep that in mind as we share a few statistics with you.

An adult human with a full set of teeth has 32 teeth. If your wisdom teeth are removed, you would still have 28 teeth remaining.

Keep that in mind as we share a few statistics with you.

▪︎ 91 percent of adults 20 to 64 years old have had at least one cavity.

▪︎ An estimated 1 in 5 adults 65 or older has an untreated cavity.

▪︎ Less than half of adults 20 to 64 have at least 28 teeth.

▪︎ 18.6 percent of adults 65 are considered edentulous (without teeth).

These figures are from the National Center for Health Statistics. We are sharing them with you because it’s more than likely that you will need restorative dentistry at some point in your life.

If and when that day comes, we want you to know that our dentist office in Reading, MA, can help. Restorative dentistry is a big part of what we do at First Dental Associates.

Today, we want to discuss four services that could help with everything from your smallest to your biggest dental restorative needs.

You can call [phone] or you contact us online if you have questions or if you would like to make an appointment.

➤ Dental fillings

Let’s start small and work our way up.

From a practical standpoint, this is a better approach for you, too. If you can address a problem early, you just might avoid needing a bigger (and more expensive) treatment later.

A dental filling’s primary use is to restore the function and the shape of teeth that have been damaged by tooth decay. That decay is what causes cavities.

In the past, many dental fillings were made of gold or amalgam (a blend of mercury and other metals like silver, tin, and copper). If you come to First Dental Associates today, however, you can get a tooth-colored filling.

These fillings function similar to metal fillings. They fill the hole created by the tooth decay and the protect against additional decay.

The difference is that the composite resin matches the color of your teeth. This means your filling is more likely to blend in with your smile.

This resin also can be used in a process called tooth bonding or dental bonding. This a way to repair teeth that have small chips or cracks.

➤ Dental crowns

The next step up our ladder of restorative dentistry is the dental crown. Modern crowns are made with materials that are strong enough to restore the full function of a tooth while still looking natural when they are placed in your mouth.

We offer three types of all-ceramic crowns at our dentist office in Reading, MA. If you have questions about the differences between our zirconia, e.max, and Lava dental crown, just call 781-202-5612.

Dental crowns can be used to fix tooth decay, too. This is only done when a cavity is too large to be fixed with a dental filling.

That’s only the start of what dental crowns can do, however. Dental crowns can be used to repair broken teeth, strengthen cracked teeth, and cap infected teeth (at the end of a root canal treatment).

And if you are missing a tooth, a dental crown can be combined with a dental implant to replace it. (More on dental implants in a moment.)

➤ Dental bridges

If dental crowns were considered the building blocks of restorative dentistry, then dental bridges are what you make with crowns.

Dental bridges are formed by fusing two or more dental crowns together.

Bridges are used to replace one or more missing teeth. A traditional bridge is bonded to the teeth on each side of the missing tooth or teeth. This provides stability and fills in the gap in your smile.

And since dental bridges are made of dental crowns, they also look and function much like natural teeth.

You can also get an implant-supported bridge, which leads us to our final service for today …

➤ Dental implants

Dental implants replace the roots of missing teeth. The number of implants you receive can vary depending on the number of teeth you are missing and how those implants are placed.

A single implant can support a dental crown or a small dental bridge. Multiple implants can be used to secure larger dental bridges and even full sets of dentures.

Whether you receive one or a mouthful of dental implants, you can trust that they will hold your teeth replacements in place.

Making Your Appointment

In a perfect world, none of our patients would ever need our restorative services. In the real world, the team at First Dental Associates is ready to help you rebuild your smile.

Just call [phone] or contact us online to schedule your appointment.