Tooth restorations are recommended for patients suffering from cracked teeth, cavities, missing teeth, or any condition where part of the tooth structure is missing.
Sometimes tooth structures are missing because of a trauma, and other times it is a natural process caused by decay. Dental restorations are dedicated to restoring the function and aesthetic aspects of a damaged tooth.
When dealing with a cracked or missing tooth, it can be easy to put dental treatments on the backburner. When going to the dentist gives you anxiety, it’s especially easy to try and avoid treatments. At the same time, it’s important to face your dental conditions early on to avoid more advanced stages of dental damage.
What Happens When You Ignore Tooth Decay
Ignoring tooth decay leads to more tooth decay. Even though teeth are the strongest bone in the human body, they are still susceptible to damage. Most of the time, this damage comes in the form of a cavity.
Unfortunately, enamel doesn’t repair itself. Fortunately, cavities can easily be repaired with a simple filling. When cavities are treated immediately, you can preserve your tooth’s structure, and prevent decay from spreading. We recommend a tooth-colored filling, so you can also keep your tooth’s natural appearance.
On the other side of things, when you ignore a cavity, it can quickly snowball into a more serious condition. When decay makes its way through the enamel and reaches the center of the tooth to the dentin layer, it can cause intense pain – especially when biting down on food or eating hot, cold, and sweet foods.
As the decay progresses through your teeth, it will cause more frequent pain. If you still continue to avoid treatment, the decay and bacteria will eventually make its way to the pulp of your teeth.
The pulp is the area of your teeth containing nerves and blood vessels, making it incredibly painful, when it becomes infected. Sometimes this infected tooth can turn into an abscessed tooth, which is an incredibly painful experience, causing fever, a swollen jaw, and other unpleasurable symptoms. At this point, you will most likely need a root canal and in more severe cases, you will need your tooth extracted.
Restorative Treatments for Root Canals and Damaged Teeth
The restorative dental treatment you need will depend on how badly your tooth is damaged. The most common restorative treatment is a dental crown. There are multiple types of dental crowns, but the most aesthetically pleasing is a porcelain crown.
Porcelain crowns are color matched to your other teeth and fit over your damaged tooth, typically after root canal therapy, to restore the shape and function of the decayed tooth.
For patients dealing with chipped front teeth, the most efficient restoration is a porcelain veneer. Porcelain veneers are placed on the front of your teeth, serving as the original tooth’s enamel. Porcelain veneers are perfect solutions for chipped teeth, as well as gaps and stains.
Another common dental restoration is dental implants, which are used to restore missing teeth. Dental implants are one of the greatest innovations in restorative dentistry. They restore the aesthetics and the dental health of your smile. Dental implants are placed directly in the jawbone, which stops your teeth from shifting, and stimulates your jawbone, serving as a strong anchor for your remaining teeth.
Have you procrastinated on your restorative dentistry? Call PGA Dentistry today at , and restore the function and beauty of your smile.