Why is Restorative Dental Care So Important?

What exactly is restorative dental care, and why is it important to my oral health? In this post, our Okotoks dentists explain the different types of restorative dental services and how they help restore your smile.

What is restorative dental care?

Put simply, restorative dental care refers to treatments that restore the structure, integrity, and/or function of a damaged tooth or teeth. This damage can range from decay to injury (chipping and other external trauma, for example). The goal of restorative dental treatment is to bring the tooth or teeth back to their normal function.

It can be challenging to predict how long restorative dental treatment will take. This is due to the fact that a variety of factors, including the degree of tooth damage, the difficulty of the procedure, and the patient's level of comfort during the procedure, can affect how a procedure turns out.

Why is restorative dental care important?

Simply put, severely decayed teeth can harm your appearance, self-esteem, and even general health (not just your oral health). Plaque buildup can be avoided by replacing and/or repairing decayed teeth, which promotes the maintenance of good oral health. Furthermore, maintaining proper tooth alignment requires filling in any open or damaged spaces in empty areas of the mouth. Additionally, replacing missing teeth can significantly reduce the strain on healthy teeth when chewing. Chewing will be easier and there will be less plaque buildup on the natural teeth as there are more teeth present.

What happens during treatment?

Before treatment even begins, it's likely your dentist will diagnose your condition using a variety of means, including x-rays and a thorough examination of your mouth. 

However, each person will receive care differently. If there isn't too much damage and the procedure is minimally invasive, the treatment may occasionally only need one dental visit. Other times, treatment will probably need more visits if the damage is much more severe and necessitates a more involved procedure. Again, depending on the patient, it might be necessary to consult with a prosthodontist, endodontist, or maxillofacial surgeon.

During the procedure, your dentist might use different types of anesthesia so that you don't feel any pain. They might also use anesthesia to calm your anxiety or fears.

Most dental restoration procedures are classified as either direct or indirect. Direct procedures usually involve repairs done inside the mouth. Indirect procedures are done outside the mouth and then attached to the tooth or the tooth structure. Your dentist will determine what procedure is best for you.

Direct Restoration

Fillings is another term for this common procedure. With direct restoration, your dentist typically fills a prepared tooth cavity with a moldable material. The structure of the tooth will be restored as this substance hardens. Silver amalgam, composite fillings, and glass ionomer fillings are frequently used materials for fillings.

Indirect Restoration

Construction for indirect restorations takes place outside the mouth. Indirect restorations typically require a lot more work, but the outcomes are frequently more reliable and durable. Additionally, it can improve your teeth's overall appearance. Veneers, crowns, bridges, implants, and inlays and onlays are a few typical examples of indirect restorations.

To learn more about restorative procedures and how they can help restore your smile, contact our Okotoks dentists today!