The Essentials for a Healthy Smile
There are plenty of reasons you may need to restore your smile. At Bay Area Family Dentistry, we are here to help you achieve your goals no matter how big or small. Sometimes it may be a small chip on the front tooth, other times it may be missing teeth or severe decay. Our main goal is to maintain a healthy mouth, but we want to make it look great and give you confidence at the same time! Call us today to schedule an appointment and see how we can restore your smile for you!
RESTORATIVE DENTISTRY LEAGUE CITY
Tooth-Colored Fillings
Tooth-colored fillings are an excellent option for tooth restorations where appropriate. They are the most conservative restoration option for teeth with decay, chips, small cracks, and other minor damage. They are also a much more aesthetic option compared to the previous “metal” fillings. The composite resin used to restore the teeth comes in a wide spectrum of shades so Dr. Williams can match it closely to your tooth shade to provide a very naturally looking restoration. While the aesthetic value is the most coveted reason patients prefer composite restoration compared to amalgam, they also can be more conservative and less sensitive to changes in temperature.
Crowns, Inlays and Onlays
A tooth that has broken or is severely worn down or decayed will require special care to restore both appearance and function. A direct restoration such as a filling may not provide the structural integrity the tooth needs to hold up against the forces we can apply to our teeth when chewing, biting, grinding or clenching. In these cases, a full coverage crown (or cap) or perhaps an inlay or onlay would be recommended. Custom crowns take two visits to design and place. During your first crown visit, the tooth will be prepared to allow placement of a crown over the tooth. Then a dental impression or digital scan will capture the details for a skilled ceramist at a trusted lab to make you a custom crown and fit you with a temporary crown. When your crown is complete, we will remove the temporary crown and permanently place the new crown to your tooth.
Implants
When you are missing one or more teeth, dental implants are the closest available option for replacement that looks and functions like a natural tooth. The reason this is possible and different from options like bridges or dentures is the implant is replacing a replica of the entire tooth structure. The implant process has multiple phases that can take several months, but it’s time well spent because with the proper aftercare and maintenance, implants can last a lifetime.
As mentioned, dental implants can replace individual teeth, but they can also be used to anchor a custom fit full or partial denture to increase the retention and stability of the prothesis and prevent discomfort or embarrassing slippage.
Schedule a consultation today to determine if you may be a good candidate for dental implants.
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are an option when you are missing one tooth or maybe two smaller teeth next to each other. A dental bridge is a prosthetic unit of teeth that attaches on one or both sides of a missing space to teeth prepared with dental crowns. The bridge is permanently affixed to the neighboring abutment teeth. Essentially, the fixed bridge consists of three basic parts — the false tooth or teeth (known as the pontic) and two abutment crowns on each side.
The design and style of the bridge we recommend will be dependent on several factors such as the size of the space to replace, the location and the health of the adjacent teeth. With proper care, a dental bridge can last 8 - 10 years or longer.
Dentures
Dentures have been around for centuries to replace several missing teeth or even full arches. Though dentures were not always the most esthetically pleasing, today’s dentures look much more natural and can completely transform a smile.
Dentures can replace some or all of your teeth. They can also be attached to or supported by dental implants for an improved fit. Call us today to set up an appointment to help get you on your way to a full smile!
