Composite Restorations

White or tooth colored bonded fillings:

Due to great advances in dental materials and techniques, esthetically and health conscious people can have a natural looking smile void of any dark unattractive fillings.  Teeth are restored with a mercury-free tooth-colored resin material that is durable and minimizes the amount of tooth that needs to be prepared, eliminating needless weakening of the tooth.  As such, these restorations account for the most common cosmetic or esthetic treatments in dentistry.

Ceramic Restorations

Crowns, bridges and inlays:

Full coverage crowns and bridges, inlays and onlays
A crown is a full coverage restoration that protects the portion of the tooth above the gum line often in its entirety.  For example, a crown is indicated when more than 50% of the natural tooth structure is compromised by a filling or decay, or has fractured.  As well, a crown is indicated to protect a tooth that has undergone root canal therapy, as such a tooth becomes increasingly brittle and is prone to fracturing.  A crown can also serve to cover misshaped, misaligned, and/or discolored teeth.  The type of crown indicated depends on the dental situation.

A bridge is 2 or more crowns on either side of a space (that was or should have been previously occupied by a natural tooth) which are linked together by one or more false teeth as a single unit.  Crowns and bridges are also used to restore implants.

Crowns and bridges are cemented into place permanently and are not removable.

Removable Restorations

Complete and partial dentures:

A partial denture is a removable appliance used to replace multiple missing teeth while still maintaining some natural teeth.  Partial dentures are often used in situations as an alternative option to bridges and implant therapy, or when such treatments are not indicated.  A partial denture helps in preserving the remaining natural dentition, prevents movement of these remaining teeth from their proper position, and supports the facial structure and the occlusion/bite.

A partial denture consists of a structure made entirely of acrylic, or of acrylic on a metal framework.  Partial dentures are usually kept in place with the aid of metallic or acrylic clasps (arm-like structures) that hug one or more of the remaining natural teeth, keeping the prosthesis stable.

Complete dentures are the least ideal of tooth replacement treatments.  Yet, following a period of adjustment and adaptation, a complete denture can be an effective treatment modality to tooth loss.

Partial and complete dentures must be removed, brushed, cleaned, and kept in a container of water overnight.

Reevaluation of both partial and complete dentures is required regularly seeing that bone and gingival/gum tissues will remodel, shift and change with time.  Therefore, periodic relining of these prostheses may be indicated.  As well, fabrication of a new removable prosthesis may be indicated every 5 years or so.