Fillings
When teeth have cavities or are broken, in some cases they can be restored with a simple filling. Fillings have limitations and in order to be successful a certain amount of strong tooth is needed to support the filling. There are two types of filling materials. One type is a tooth colored resin material that bonds to the tooth. The other type is a mercury filling that is silver in color. Many dentists today will not use or recommend the mercury based fillings. You should discuss this with your dentist before the filling is placed in your tooth.
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Whitening
Whitening is a relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive method of improving your smile. In many cases whitening alone will give you the smile of your dreams. Many methods are available but the bleach dispensed by the dentist in custom trays has been shown to be the most effective method with no damage to your teeth.
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Veneers
Veneers are thin tooth colored coverings bonded on the front teeth. They are usually used to improve the appearance of ones' smile. They can rearrange or reshape the teeth, improve the color, and fill in gaps.
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Bonding
Bonding is the process of restoring teeth with tooth colored material. It can be used on both the front and back teeth. Bonding can be utilized to restore cavities, replace old mercury fillings, reshape the teeth or change the color of teeth. There is no mercury in this type of restoration.
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Crowns
Crowns are utilized when a restoration stronger than a filling is needed. Crowns are like a thimble that fit over the tooth to bold it together. They actually add strength to the restored tooth.
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Caps
A cap is a term used to describe crowns on front teeth. They can be used for restoring teeth or for cosmetic improvements.
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Root Canals
Root Canals are simply very deep fillings. The inner most layer of the tooth is called the pulp. When the pulp dies either from a cavity or trauma to the tooth it can become infected. The canal housing the pulp is cleaned out and filled with a special filling material. After the root canal is completed the tooth is dead and usually it needs to be restored with a strong filling material and a crown.
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Bridges
A bridge is one method of replacing missing teeth. Crowns are prepared on the natural teeth adjacent to the missing teeth and false teeth (pontics) is fused to the crown. The whole unit of crowns and replacement teeth (pontics) is the bridge. It is cemented onto the natural teeth. The bridge is not removable, it stays fixed to the teeth. In the past, this was the highest standard of care for replacing missing teeth and in some cases it still is. Implants can also be considered for tooth replacement.
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Dentures
Dentures are a method of restoring missing teeth. A complete denture can be made to replace all of the teeth or a partial denture can be made to replace a few teeth. They can be made after the teeth have been removed or placed the same day the teeth are extracted. This is called an immediate denture.
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Implants
Dental implants are the most conservative method of replacing missing teeth. They have the highest success rate with the lowest rate of recurrent problems. Implants can be used to replace one or all of the teeth. They can be used in conjunction with a denture resulting in a more natural appearance and tighter fit. The future of dentistry is here today with implants.
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