Restorative Dentistry

Fillings

A dental restorative material is inserted into a tooth to replace missing tooth substance. Fillings can be made from various materials, such as amalgam and composite, gold and porcelain. Amalgam is silver, made from silver, tin, copper alloy mixed with mercury, while composite is white, a liquid mixture that hardens instantly under a special light, made from resin matrix with filler particles of glass or set resin.

Inalys/onlays

Inlays and onlays are indirect fillings to restore cavities within your teeth, inlays and onlays consist of a solid substance, such as gold or porcelain and are cemented into place. Inlays and onlays are virtually the same, but onlays extend to replace a cusp.

Crowns

A crown is a tooth shaped cover made from porcelain or gold which fits over the existing structure of your natural tooth to protect and restore the tooth’s function.

A crown can be used:

• After root canal treatment to help strengthen the tooth
• To protect fractured, cracked or worn teeth
• Improve the shade, shape or alignment of teeth
• To strengthen a tooth that has been weakened by decay
  If a tooth has been extensively decayed, chipped or cracked, and cannot be restored to its proper shape, function and appearance another way, the dentist may recommend placement of a crown. Crowns are most often made in a laboratory by a skilled dental technician, and the process is very detailed.

Bridges

A bridge is an option used to replace one or more missing teeth. A bridge can be used as an alternative option to dental implants or a denture to replace missing teeth. There are many different materials and designs which can be used for bridges, these options can be discussed with your dentist.

Dental bridges are held in place in the mouth by slipping them over, and cementing them to, specially prepared “abutment” teeth, adjacent to the missing teeth. A bridge is cemented (i.e. glued) onto the abutment teeth, and is not intended to be removed by the patient. Dental bridges can be made from a variety of metals, porcelain, ceramic, tooth coloured resin, or combinations of these materials. They can be made to look and function very much like natural teeth.