Holistic Restorative Dentistry in Loveland, CO
“Restorative dentistry” is the term dental is the used for fixing missing or broken teeth. Fillings, crowns (“caps”), bridges and implants are common restorative treatments. Our goal is to bring back your natural smile, restores your oral health, and prevent future issues.
Why Restorative Dental Procedures are Important
Several reasons include:
- Filling empty spaces in the mouth helps keep the teeth properly aligned, and less chance for shifting, causing issues with biting
- Replacing teeth makes it easier to maintain good oral care habits, and helps prevent plaque build-up and the problems that come along with plaque
- Missing, damaged, or broken teeth can affect your health, appearance and confidence
A dental crown (or cap) is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth — to cover the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and improve its appearance. A crown protects and strengthens tooth structure that cannot be restored with fillings or other types of restorations.
Although there are several types of crowns, porcelain (tooth colored crown) are the most popular, because they resemble your natural teeth. They are highly durable and will last many years, but like most dental restorations, they may eventually need to be replaced. Porcelain crowns are made to match the shape, size, and color or your teeth giving you a natural, long-lasting beautiful smile.”
A bridge is a dental treatment that is used to replace one or more missing teeth. They are designed to be cosmetically appealing and to restore proper occlusion. Like crowns, bridges are fully customizable and made of various materials, including porcelain and metals.
Dental bridges are a prosthesis (replacement part) that relies on support from the neighboring healthy teeth surrounding the gap left by a missing tooth or teeth. The healthy adjacent teeth, called abutments, provide support on either side.
A composite (tooth-colored) filling is used to repair a tooth that is affected by decay, cracks, fractures, etc. The decayed or affected portion of the tooth will be removed and then filled with a composite material that matches your tooth color. There are many types of filling materials available, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Composite fillings are the most widely used today. Because composite fillings are tooth colored, they can be closely matched to the color of existing teeth, they are conservative and are bonded directly to your own natural tooth structure.
Tooth-colored fillings are more aesthetically suited for use in front teeth or the more visible areas of the teeth. As with most dental restorations, composite fillings are not permanent and may someday have to be replaced. Yet they are very durable, and will last many years, giving you a long lasting, beautiful smile.
Dental Implants – Smile Again With Confidence
Dental implants are a revolutionary treatment for patients who wish to replace missing teeth. Implants provide a very real and cosmetic solution when a tooth is missing or is beyond saving. Instead of dentures, you can have teeth you won’t have to take out at night, can chew all foods with, and are absolutely natural looking.
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants act as artificial roots for teeth (made of titanium) that are surgically placed into the upper or lower jaw bone. The porcelain crowns attached to implants are very natural looking and often enhance or restore a patient’s smile.
Dental implants are very strong, stable, and durable and will last many years. On occasion, they will have to be tightened or replaced due to normal wear or oral habits such as smoking or teeth grinding that can shorten the longevity of a dental implant.
How Are Dental Implants Placed?
The process of having dental implants placed and restored requires a number of visits over several months.
Records are taken of the jaw and teeth to determine bone, gum tissue, and spacing available for an implant. While the area is numb, the implant will be surgically placed into the bone and allowed to heal and integrate itself onto the bone for three to six months. The next phase is to gather impressions and information to fabricate the “post” called an abutment and the restoration for the implant.
Two to three weeks later the lab fabricated abutment and restoration are carefully placed into the implant. You will receive care instructions when your treatment is completed. Good oral hygiene, eating habits, wearing a night guard if recommended, not smoking and regular dental visits will aid in the life of your new implant.
Dentures: Complete dentures, also known as conventional dentures, are given to those who have had all of their teeth removed. Conventional full dentures can be placed into the patient’s mouth once the gums have fully healed. Gums may need to heal after tooth extraction or any physical injury to the gums. Healing can take anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks.
Immediate dentures are different in that the patient does not have to go without teeth for a period of time. They are made in advance and can be placed into the patient’s mouth right away. As the mouth heals, partial adjustments may be required to the immediate dentures.
Partials: Partial dentures are used when the patient has lost only some teeth. They are replacement teeth attached to a naturally pink gum base. Because the teeth gaps may be in different locations, this removable denture is typically connected by a metal framework. Partial dentures are crucial because they help to fill in teeth gaps as well as prevent other teeth from shifting positions. The partial dentures will be customized for the patient’s mouth structure.
