Restorative dentistry can be as simple as fillings, a couple fillings to multiple fillings. It also could be fixing broken teeth or cracked teeth with crowns or a bridge to replace a missing tooth or including implants. The most common things that I fix with restorative dentistry is typically cavities with fillings, cracked teeth with crowns, a missing tooth with a bridge, or with an implant.
At West County Dental, I do use a Solea laser. Typically, I use it just for fillings. I could use it though also for a gummy smile, so to help out with cosmetic, like a gummy appearance when you smile.
And those are the kind of the main things we use them for. It’s a CO2 laser, but allows me to take care of people’s fillings without having to numb them up. The laser does the work and it allows me to fix people in a very painless way.
Restorative dentistry here at West County Dental does help out with the way you eat, speak, and chew. If I get things back to its proper size and shape and function, then the mouth functions properly and yes, you do chew and function properly. When someone waits too long for a tooth that’s severely damaged, there’s a lot of things that can happen.
One is pain, two is tooth loss. So, it’s important to come in before it gets to that point. So, we kind of help someone work through those problems.
When someone has multiple dental issues, we bring them in for a complete exam. And in that exam, we check all systems on the head and neck and then we basically diagnose their needs specific to them and have them back for review findings to sit down and go through each area together. So, with restorative dentistry, the technology is increased to the point where it makes fixing people a lot easier.
All the way from nitrous gas to a 3D technology with CTs, the CEREC machine that makes crowns, Solea laser which helps me fix cavities without having to numb people. Those technologies that allow me to do a lot more same-day dentistry in a very efficient way. With restorative treatments, what has changed now for people because people always ask what’s going to be like afterwards? Well, now I’m able to do same-day procedures and either with sedation or with nitrous gas or the CEREC or my Solea laser, I can fix things all in one visit and go home very comfortable because it’s still numb.
That recovery is really same day or maybe just a little discomfort. Other than that, it’s pretty simple. Restorative dentistry encompasses a whole arena of solutions.
It could be anything from a simple filling with a tooth colored filling material we call composite or we could do a same-day crown with our CEREC machine that makes crowns while you’re here and they get glued on in one visit. 3D imaging is an ability to check for root canals or cracked teeth or wisdom teeth that allows me to diagnose things very efficiently same day. The Solea laser, like I said earlier, I can fix cavities with.
The 3D also helps out with implants to diagnose and treat and fix people that have missing teeth.
