What is restorative dentistry?

A guide to restorative dental treatment

Here at Priors Hall Dental, we are proud to offer an extensive range of dental treatments for the whole family.

As well as general dental check-ups, emergency treatment, and hygienist appointments, we also offer restorative dentistry.

What is restorative dentistry?

Restorative dentistry broadly relates to the care of the teeth and their supporting structures in light of any damage.

It extends across the three specialities that are:

Endodontics – focusing on the dental pulp
Periodontics – focusing on gums, bones and the ligaments surrounding the teeth
Prosthodontics – focusing on dental prostheses, e.g. crowns

Restorative dentistry is at the point where these three treatment areas intersect when a patient needs care for certain dental conditions.

Depending on the patient and their particular issue, restorative dental treatments may also need input from other clinicians. This might be an orthodontist, paediatric dentist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

What is restorative dental treatment?

Any procedure that repairs or replaces a tooth is considered restorative dentistry. This type of dental treatment mainly aims to restore the function of the teeth rather than the appearance, but in some cases it addresses both issues.

This includes:

• filling and stabilising cavities
• root canal surgery
• dental implants

The benefits of restorative dentistry

Restorative treatments focus on dental health issues that, if not resolved, could lead to further problems.

If a tooth is lost this places strain on the remaining teeth. When this happens your bite can become misaligned, teeth may deteriorate more rapidly and your jawbone can also weaken.

Restorative treatment offers many benefits:

• restoring the function of the teeth to enable normal eating and speech
• minimising or eliminating any dental pain
• stopping deterioration to prevent the problem from getting worse
• stabilising teeth and bite
• preserving the health of the remaining teeth and supporting structure
• improving the appearance of your smile
• restoring the function of the teeth to enable normal eating and speech
• minimising or eliminating any dental pain
• stopping deterioration to prevent the problem from getting worse
• stabilising teeth and bite
• preserving the health of the remaining teeth and supporting structure
• improving the appearance of your smile

Restorative dental treatment at Priors Hall

We offer our patients the following restorative dentistry procedures:

Porcelain and Composite Veneers

Our skilled dentists can transform your smile with dental veneers. Veneers are a thin layer of tooth-coloured material – either porcelain or composite – that will cover the front of your tooth or teeth.

Opting for dental veneers will enhance and perfect your smile. They disguise issues such as:

• broken or chipped teeth
• discolouration
• gaps
• worn-down teeth
• misalignment
• misshapen teeth

Dental Fillings

When a tooth has decayed, it is essential to stop the damage from spreading further.

At your regular check-up appointment we look for signs of decay such as dark spots, cracks or fissures. If you require a filling, we remove all the decayed tissue and then rebuild your tooth. You can choose from a selection of materials. As a restorative dental treatment, fillings are a simple and effective solution to halt decay and restore oral health.

Crowns

We use crowns – sometimes known as ‘caps’ – to sit over a tooth and prevent it from further damage. A crown is used at the next stage on from a dental filling. It may be necessary when the dental tissue has decayed to such an extent that the tooth can’t hold a filling.

Crowns cover and protect damaged or weak teeth and hold fractured teeth together. They are often used as the final step in a root canal procedure, to seal and protect the tooth.

Dental Bridges

Our practice offers dental bridge treatment – an effective way to replace one or more missing teeth. A dental bridge consists of two or more crowns that are fitted to your teeth, on either side of the gap. The crowns operate as an anchor for a false tooth or teeth, to close this space.

A bridge will help to restabilise your bite if you have one or a few teeth missing. Replacing missing teeth will restore the function of your bite. This means that your remaining teeth won’t drift into the gap. A dental bridge will also improve the appearance of your smile.

Dentures

Dentures are suitable for people who otherwise wouldn’t have teeth in their upper or lower gums. Denture treatment will restore dental function and appearance for patients who have experienced significant tooth loss, where a bridge isn’t a viable option.

Experts in restorative dental treatment

We recommend that all our patients stay up-to-date with regular check-ups every six months. At your appointment we will keep track of your teeth and check to see if any changes have occurred since we last saw you.
If we do detect a change to your dental or oral health, we can discuss the optimum restorative dental procedure for you.
In addition to our restorative treatments, we provide highly effective teeth whitening treatments and composite bonding at our dental practice.

We also offer specialised child dentistry to ensure that your children’s teeth are healthy, clean and on track with what we’d expect at that age.

If you’d like to discuss any of our dental treatment options, call us today on 01536 214 144. One of our friendly team members will be happy to offer professional advice. We look forward to hearing from you.