Sometimes, life happens.
No matter how hard we try to keep our smile shining bright, sometimes things happen. That’s life, right? Accidents happen, resulting in cracked or broken teeth. These can quickly become more than just a nuisance. Over time, cracked or damaged teeth can cause pain, bite issues, or even become the resting place for a nasty oral infection. Not to mention, it can harm self-confidence. Thankfully, there is a solution!
What is restorative dentistry?
Restorative dentistry typically replaces, or repairs broken, cracked, or damaged teeth. It’s not the same as cosmetic dentistry though. Cosmetic dentistry tends to focus on the cosmetic effect on the patient’s smile, looks aren’t the point of restorative dentistry. Instead, the goal of this is to improve day-to-day life and function.
More Common Than You Think
Restorative dentistry is much more common than you might think. Because the repairs can go completely unnoticed, you likely won’t know if your peers had a tooth repaired unless they tell you.
As technology continues to improve, most dentists prefer to use preventative measures to avoid major issues in the future. But life happens to all of us, and sometimes our teeth need that little extra help. This mixed with life’s general wear and tear makes it more common the older someone gets.
Typical Treatments
There are many different kinds of restorative dentistry options that you and your dental provider can choose from. Bridges can be used to fill in gaps in the teeth, restoring the smile. If there are teeth that have been badly damaged or cracked, a crown might be the best option to help prevent further damage to the tooth and gums. If multiple teeth were lost, dentures can fill in the gaps and keep everything in working order.
If you think one of these options might be the best choice for you, be sure to get with your dentist and discuss a treatment plan. They can help go over all the minute differences between each one and make a treatment plan that will fit perfectly with you and your lifestyle.
Benefits of Restorative Dentistry
Sometimes, things happen that can affect our smile, even when we’ve done everything we can to maintain it. Our self-confidence often takes a big hit from this, making it harder to truly smile. It can even harm our ability to eat, and therefore digest food properly. Restorative dentistry helps with these problems and more, returning your smile to the best that it can be.
Reasons Why Restorative Dentistry Might be Needed
Having broken or damaged teeth doesn’t just hurt, it can also impair your overall health. It can impede your digestive system, making it much harder, or even impossible, to chew your food properly and break it down for proper digestion. As you can imagine, this can cause all kinds of problems over time if the initial problem isn’t addressed.
If the damage to your teeth is bad enough to affect how your jaw and tongue move, it can even negatively affect your regular speech patterns. If the damage is left unrepaired, it leaves the tooth susceptible to infection as well, which can spread into your jaw over time. And, let’s not forget, all of this can drastically harm your self-confidence.
Restorative dentistry is a common practice and there are many reasons it might be beneficial. It can be used to restore your previous smile after an earlier root canal or prevent tooth decay from traveling farther into the tooth. If you’ve had issues with gum disease in the past, restorative dentistry can bring back the function of your teeth you once had. If you were in an accident and ended up with a chipped or cracked tooth, a crown can be used to keep an infection from setting in and causing many more problems.
Take Care of Yourself
Giving your mouth the restoration it needs doesn’t just help the overall function, it also can significantly improve how you feel about yourself. It can help prevent further infections or solve past problems. If restorative dentistry sounds like a good fit for you, be sure to reach out to your dentist to see what they recommend.
Always remember to maintain your regular oral hygiene routine to help prevent cavities and gum disease that could easily lead to bigger problems in the future. Brush and floss those pearly whites twice a day for the full two minutes, and visit your dentist for a cleaning every six months.
Whether you need to discuss restorative dentistry options, or are in need to book that regular dental cleaning, remember, requesting an appointment is only a few clicks away!
