Restorative Dentistry
It’s hard to smile sometimes if your teeth are chipped, cracked, missing, discolored, or otherwise showing signs of hard wear and tear.
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our teeth don’t last like we hope they would. Luckily, you don’t have to suffer with a broken smile just because your teeth haven’t been able to keep up with you. Restorative dentistry is a whole mouth approach that improves both appearance and function at the same time.
Dr. Bridget Lervick can help you, using a variety of tools, to rebuild your smile to one that makes you want to, well, smile.
Tooth-Colored Fillings
Our office is happy to offer tooth-colored fillings. Gone are the days when having a cavity was a double discomfort—first, the discomfort of having the cavity filled, followed by the discomfort of having dark metal fillings confront you in the mirror.
Modern tooth-colored fillings are able to provide an aesthetically pleasing repair for cavities without the potential danger of mercury in your mouth present with older metal amalgam fillings.
Inlays & Onlays
A dental inlay is a tooth repair that can leave the biting surface of your tooth stronger than it was before. A custom made piece, usually porcelain, is bonded to your tooth to fill a chip or defect caused by tooth decay. A smaller defect, inside the cup of the tooth, is repaired with an inlay. It’s a bigger fix than a simple filling, but a smaller fix than an onlay or a full crown.
If more of your tooth surface needs repair, an onlay is used. An onlay is usually porcelain, like an inlay. Like an inlay, it is also custom made for your tooth.
An onlay, however, covers all or most of the biting area of your tooth. That’s why it’s sometimes called a partial crown.
The great news about dental inlays and onlays is that they are generally less expensive than a crown, and they are usually stronger than a metal amalgam or a composite filling. And, they are made to match your tooth, so they are a cosmetically pleasing fix in addition to being a functional fix. They also let you keep the healthy portion of your natural teeth!
Dental Crowns
Sometimes, a tooth needs quite a bit of repair. The tooth may be cracked, or it may have too much decay to tolerate a filling. Still, it may be possible to save your tooth.
A crown is a cap that covers the entire visible tooth surface, allowing a tooth that is in rough shape to be saved by increasing its strength and fixing its appearance.
Crowns are custom made just for your tooth and are permanently cemented into place.
With your custom-made crown in place, you can smile again with confidence, knowing that the beauty and function of your smile are intact.
Dental Bridges
If you have a missing tooth, you don’t have to suffer from the discomfort or embarrassment caused by a hole in your smile. A bridge may be the best solution for repairing a small gap caused by a missing tooth or two.
A bridge is a set of crowns fused together to bridge the opening in your smile. The bridge is cemented to the teeth on either side of the gap. If the teeth on either side of the missing tooth are worn and require fillings, a bridge may be an excellent solution, since crowns will be cemented to those teeth.
Of course, if you have healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth, we may recommend a different smile restoration, since the crowns would require us to remove healthy tooth surface. A visit to our office will let us recommend the solution that will best preserve the health and restore the beauty of your teeth.
Dentures & Partials
No one wants to think about a life without teeth. We don’t want you to face a life without teeth either. If you have only a few teeth remaining or have no teeth that are savable, we can fit you with dentures.
Dentures replace most or all of your teeth to rebuild your smile. In addition to the considerable cosmetic benefits, dentures make it easier to eat and to speak and can keep your facial muscles from sagging.
Dentures can be attached to a few remaining teeth or to dental implants to provide a secure, comfortable fit. They also can be made to look like your original smile.
Imagine seeing yourself in the mirror as you remember yourself looking with all your teeth. Call our office so we can help you fulfill that vision.
Root Canals
We know that root canals have earned a bad rap over the years, but we want you to know that today, root canals are a fairly routine and painless procedure. It is actually the pain of an infected tooth left untreated that is much worse than the root canal itself. Today, a root canal is usually no more uncomfortable than having a cavity filled.
If you are experiencing tooth pain and sensitivity, and we find you have an infection within the tooth root, you may need a root canal.
Never fear, you’re in great hands with our team. Dr. Lervick, with the help of our fabulous assistants, will first make sure you are thoroughly numb with local anesthetic, and then go into the tooth and remove the infection. She will then carefully sterilize and fill the chamber to prevent further infection. The process is completed by placing a crown in order to protect and restore the tooth back to health. See, that wasn’t so bad.
Dental Implant Restoration
If you are embarrassed by a single missing tooth and want to avoid damaging any of the healthy teeth you still have, a dental implant may be the best restorative solution for you. If your dentures rock and slip, you also may benefit from dental implants.
Dental implants are titanium posts that are permanently affixed to your jaw. Cosmetic restorations can be attached to the post, allowing a return to full function.
Better yet, an implant replaces the root of the tooth, preventing jawbone loss and allowing bone regrowth while the bone grows around the newly set implant.
We can match the look and color of your other teeth with your dental implant replacement crown to give you a beautiful cosmetic result. Dental implants are also long-lasting restorations, so you may be able to avoid frequent revisions.
If you have questions about restorative dentistry or would like to schedule a consultation with your Edina restorative dentist, give us a call today or schedule an appointment online! We look forward to smiling with you.
