There is more than one way to fix a tooth. If you are the lucky owner of perfectly healthy teeth, you may never need any of these procedures. However, if you are like most Lafayette residents, you will need to restore a tooth eventually. Today Boulder County Smiles looks at six restoration procedures that are used routinely to repair a damaged tooth:
1. Dental Bonding
Bonding, officially called direct composite veneers, is used to correct chips, cracks, and stains, and make teeth longer. It is also sometimes used to fill cavities. A skilled cosmetic dentist applies the pliable composite resin and molds it to the exact shape necessary. The resin is then hardened with a special curing light.
2. A Porcelain Veneer
Porcelain veneers are wafer-thin covers that can hide a chip or crack or correct the alignment of a tooth that is slightly crooked.
3. A Filling (Inlay or Onlay)
A traditional filling is shaped and molded after it is applied to the tooth. Because inlays and onlays are fabricated in a dental lab, they are generally called indirect fillings. Inlays are applied to just the center of the biting surface of a tooth (not to a cusp or point) and are often smaller than onlays. An onlay restores one or more cusps of a tooth. If you have old silver amalgam fillings, you can replace them with white fillings.
4. A Dental Crown
A dental crown replaces the entire visible portion of the tooth, restoring appearance, strength, and function. Crowns are used for teeth that have had a root canal, teeth with extreme decay, the replacement tooth in a dental bridge, and the visible portion of an implant. Crowns can be made of all metal (such as gold), porcelain-fused-to-metal, all ceramic, or all resin.
5. Dental Implants
A permanent dental implant is often a perfect restoration for a tooth that has been extracted. It restores the entire tooth—both root and crown. Most dental implant recipients report that the implant is indistinguishable from a natural tooth. Dental implants are used in a variety of applications such as anchoring dentures and dental bridges.
Contact Boulder County Smiles:
720-899-3987
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026