Restorative dentistry is a branch of dentistry that focuses on restoring the function and health of your teeth, including treating tooth loss, damage, or decay. Thanks to restorative dentistry, you can eat your favorite foods, speak with confidence, have a beautiful smile, prevent further oral health conditions, and improve your overall well-being. Some restorative dentistry options include crowns, fillings, implants, dental bonding, and dentures. To determine whether you qualify for treatment and which options are best, your dentist will evaluate your tooth's condition and discuss your personal preferences.

What is Restorative Dentistry?

Restorative dentistry focuses on replacing or repairing teeth. Its goal is to improve chewing functionality and oral health. 

You might require undergoing a restorative dentistry procedure if you have any of the following:

  • Tooth decay or cavities
  • Missing teeth
  • Broken or damaged teeth

So, what is the difference between restorative and cosmetic dentistry?

Restorative dentistry aims to repair and restore teeth damaged by disease, injury, or decay. It improves the health and function of gums and teeth so you can smile, eat, and speak comfortably. On the other hand, cosmetic dentistry enhances your smile through elective procedures such as veneers, tooth reshaping, and tooth whitening.

Sometimes cosmetic and restorative dentistry overlap. For instance, you can use a dental crown to restore your damaged tooth and improve your smile. The primary distinction is that cosmetic dentistry improves aesthetics, while restorative dentistry is essential for maintaining or restoring oral health.

Benefits of Restorative Dentistry

Here is why you should consider restorative dentistry:

  • Improves chewing and speaking—Restorative dentistry focuses on the root cause of your dental issue. For instance, a dental crown restores the integrity of your tooth structure. When your teeth are strong, you can chew comfortably. On the other hand, implants and dentures replace missing teeth that could impede your speech clarity and pronunciation.
  • Relieves pain— Tooth decay or damage can lead to pain and tooth sensitivity. Restorative treatment options, such as crowns and root canal therapy, alleviate pain and prevent the infection from spreading further. Early treatment is essential; it prevents future complications and helps you save money in the long run.
  • Prevents bone loss— Having a missing tooth can lead to jawbone deterioration. Replacing your teeth with dental implants, for instance, can prevent bone deterioration by stimulating natural jawbone growth, thus preventing premature facial aging and sunken cheeks.
  • Improves aesthetics and self-esteem
  • Improves quality of life—The advantages of restorative dentistry result in a substantially improved quality of life. Most modern treatments are designed to ensure your convenience and comfort. For instance, when you speak, eat, or smile without feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed, your well-being improves.

Potential Risks

The most typical risk is discomfort or tooth sensitivity following your procedure.

It is rare to develop infections or allergic reactions to the materials the dentist has used.

Recovery Duration after Undergoing a Restorative Dental Procedure

The recovery period depends on factors such as the type of dental procedure and the number of teeth requiring treatment.

For instance, if the dentist performs tooth filing on one tooth, you can resume your everyday routine immediately. Nevertheless, a person who has undergone four dental implants might require days off to heal. Your medical health practitioner should advise you on the recovery timeline you expect in your situation. 

Post-Procedure Dental Care Guidelines

Proper attention and care to your post-procedure recovery can improve effectiveness, comfort, and outcomes. Adhere to the following guidelines to maintain your oral health and ensure excellent results.

Initial Sensation after Dentures

When you first start wearing dentures, they might feel loose and can move when chewing, allowing liquid or food to pass under them. The dentures can feel bulky, your tongue might feel crowded, and your mouth might feel irritated or sore. After a couple of weeks, the oral tissues will get accustomed to dentures, and these problems will decrease.

Eating Instructions

It is recommended to eat soft foods after the dental procedure. You can cut the food into tiny pieces and chew slowly on both sides of the mouth with the back teeth. After a couple of days, you can attempt eating harder foods until you can eat a regular diet.

Please avoid hard and sticky foods until you fully recover.

Drinking enough water and eating adequate food after your treatment can help your treatment site recover faster.

Speaking Guidelines

Some oral appliances can change how you pronounce some words. To overcome speech challenges, read aloud.

Bruising and Swelling

You might experience some bruising and swelling after your restorative treatment. To reduce the swelling, put an ice pack over the treatment site for 20 minutes on and off for about three (3 hours.

Avoid sleeping with ice on the face.

Practice Oral Hygiene

Use a soft-bristle toothbrush to brush your teeth. Place the toothbrush at a forty-five-degree angle towards your gums and gently brush back and forth. Next, brush your back and the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Repeat the process, overlapping your last tooth brushed, and proceed around the whole mouth.

You should brush your teeth twice a day. Brushing removes food debris and particles that, if left unaddressed, can lead to plaque and tartar buildup and, ultimately, tooth decay.

You should also floss your teeth once a day to remove food particles between your teeth. 

Different Types of Restorative Dentistry

Here are the various types of restorative dentistry:

Dental Fillings

Dentists use dental fillings to repair cavities or minor chips and fractures in the teeth, restoring normal tooth function while preventing further damage.

During the dental filling procedure, your dentist will:

  • Administer anaesthesia to numb your tooth
  • Remove or extract the decayed tissue from the tooth using specialized instruments
  • Fill the tooth hole using filling material
  • Harden the resin composite filling using the curing light
  • Polish and smooth rough edges, if any
  • Check your bite to ensure it feels normal

Dental Crowns

A crown is a tooth-like cap. Dental professionals use crowns to restore weak, broken, or damaged teeth.

A dental crown fits snugly over the entire tooth. For a proper fit, a dentist can remove a small amount of enamel before bonding the crown in place.

The crown is designed by a dental technician from different materials, including porcelain, resin, and metal.

Dental crowns can:

  • Strengthen your weak tooth
  • Restore a broken or decayed tooth
  • Safeguard and support your chipped or cracked tooth
  • Cover a severely discolored or stained tooth
  • Secure a dental bridge in place
  • Cover your dental implant
  • Cover your tooth after a root canal

Tooth Bonding

Tooth bonding is a treatment that involves applying a tooth-coloured material to your teeth. Regarding restorative dentistry, dentists use tooth bonding to do the following:

  • Repair your decayed teeth
  • Repair your cracked or chipped teeth
  • Protect the tooth's exposed root after the gums move back

Here is what happens during a dental bonding procedure

  • First, you and your dentist will choose the resin that suits the color of your natural teeth
  • The dentist will roughen your tooth's surface and apply a liquid to help the bonding material stick to your tooth.
  • Apply the composite resin material.
  • The dentist will use a curing light to harden the resin
  • Finally, the dentist will make adjustments and polish the tooth

Dental Implants

An implant surgery replaces your tooth roots with metal posts that appear and function like natural teeth. Implants replace gaps caused by missing or damaged teeth. Dentists can also perform the surgical procedure if the bridgework or dentures fit poorly. The implant surgery can also be considered if there is insufficient space for natural tooth roots to support dentures or build a replacement for bridges.

The implant type and your jawbone’s condition determine how your dentist will perform the implant surgery. The surgery can involve several procedures.

The main advantage of dental implants is that they provide secure support for your artificial teeth. The procedure requires the surrounding bone to heal completely, which can take months.

Dental Bridges

Bridges replace your missing teeth. They may replace a single tooth or several teeth in a row.

As its name suggests, this dental device bridges the gap in your smile. Your dentist can design custom bridges to match the natural shade of your teeth.

A bridge consists of these parts:

  • Abutments — Abutments support the dental bridge. The term can refer to any small connector used in implant-supported bridges.
  • Pontics — These are false or artificial teeth that can fill any gap formed by missing teeth

Based on your specific needs and bridge you receive, it may consist of one or several abutments and one or more pontics.

A dental bridge can last up to fifteen years. Some last longer with proper care and maintenance.

Root Canal 

Dentists use root canal treatment to repair and save a severely infected or damaged tooth rather than extracting it. Root canal treatment involves cleaning the canals at the root of your tooth.

Gone are the days when root canal therapy was painful. Thanks to advances in dental treatment and numbing medication, also called local anesthetics, you are more likely to experience little or no pain during a root canal.

You may need a root canal because your tooth contains a soft tissue called the pulp. The pulp extends from your crown (the visible part of your tooth) to the tip of your tooth’s root, situated in the jawbone. The pulp has nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels.

Once a crack or deep cavity forms in your tooth, bacteria can access the pulp, leading to inflammation or damage. If left unaddressed, bacteria and decaying matter could lead to severe infection or the formation of pus called an abscess. If this happens, it can result in your pulp’s death, bone loss, and tooth loss.

Signs that you might require root canal therapy can include swelling around your neck and face, tooth pain or toothache, gum inflammation, a hole in your tooth, and sensitivity to hot or cold food or beverages.

Denta Dentures

Dentures are removable oral appliances that replace missing teeth in the lower, upper, or both jaws. Dentists also use dentures to rectify issues caused by missing teeth, such as challenges speaking or eating.

There are different types of dentures, including the following:

  • Complete dentures— They replace an entire arch of your missing teeth.
  • Partial dentures are ideal if you have many missing teeth in the jaw.
  • Immediate dentures— You can wear an immediate denture immediately after tooth extraction. Sometimes, immediate dentures are temporary appliances; once your extraction site has healed, your dentist can replace them with your final dentures.
  • Implant-supported dentures—Unlike other types of dentures, these are not removable. They do not snap in and out, and only a physician can remove them.

After determining your eligibility for dentures, your dentist should tell you about the above denture options. The right option for you depends on different factors, including the following:

  • The number of missing teeth
  • The duration your teeth have been missing
  • Your jawbone volume and density
  • Your preferences
  • The relationship between your lower and upper jaws

Inlays and Onlays

Inlays and onlays are also called indirect fillings. They provide a durable, robust solution for tooth decay or dental damage. The restorative dentistry option offers function and aesthetic benefits.

The restoration is called an inlay when a dentist bonds the material within the center of your tooth. On the other hand, the restoration becomes an inlay when the degree of damage requires the inclusion of at least one tooth cusp or the covering of the entire biting surface. 

Find a Qualified Restorative Dentist Near Me

Restorative dentistry aims to restore the integrity, aesthetics, and function of your teeth that disease, trauma, or decay has compromised. Typical indicators include cavities, fractured teeth, worn-down enamel, and missing teeth.

At Northridge Advanced Dentistry, we integrate our experience and state-of-the-art technology to offer exceptional results for our patients. If you require restorative dental care, call our office at 818-701-3010 to schedule your consultation. Our friendly dentists can answer your questions, review your dental health to determine whether you qualify for the most effective treatment option, and assist you in improving your quality of life.