Restorative Dentistry

Restorative treatment has many applications particularly in broken or damaged teeth. Modern dental prosthetics are used to fully restore anatomical form and function of the affected teeth. Prosthetic teeth can be made to undetectably and seamlessly blend in and give you a brilliant, confident smile. 

Veneers

Dental veneers are very thin layers of porcelain fitted on the front surface of the teeth to improve the smile. They can be used to correct the stains, chips, cracks, and gaps. In some occasions veneers can be used to correct misaligned or crooked teeth.

Crowns

A dental crown is a restoration made of porcelain, alloys of metals, or gold, which fits over the remaining part of the tooth for protection and to shape the tooth naturally. A crown can also be used to strengthen the root-filled teeth, to hold a denture firmly in place, or even for cosmetic purposes to improve the tooth appearance.

Bridges

Dental bridges are false teeth used to replace one or more missing teeth. The bridges significantly improve your smile, appearance, and tooth function. They also help prevent the movement of neighbouring teeth, which can cause undesirable gaps and alter your bite.

Dentures

Dentures are removable replacements for missing teeth, which not only improve the appearance by providing sufficient support for cheeks and lips, but also function like your own natural teeth. The denture can be complete or partial. A complete denture is used when no teeth remain; while a partial denture is used to fill the spaces created by the missing teeth and may attach to the natural teeth using metal or plastic clasps.

There are a wide variety of materials available for dentures at Nelson Dental Clinic. Therefore, you will have many options including the latest Valplast cosmetic dentures in a large number of colours, to best match your teeth and interest.

Oral Surgery

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth develop after all other teeth therefore if there isn’t enough space for them to grow, they become impacted, causing pain and swelling. If your wisdom teeth are causing problems, you may consider having them removed. This will require an x-ray so that your dentist can see its position and make a judgment on how easy or difficult the extraction will be.

Extractions

A tooth can be removed for several reasons. Some of the most common reasons include:

  • A broken tooth that cannot be repaired
  •  Tooth decay - if a tooth is rotten, its nerves and blood vessels can die, leading to a painful abscess
  • Severe gum disease (periodontal disease) - when bacteria builds up on your teeth and damages the bone that holds them in place, the teeth may become loose
  • Crowded teeth - if you have a small jaw or lost your milk (baby) teeth early, your teeth may be crooked and you may need to have one or more removed so that the rest can be straightened

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Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment (also called endodontics) is needed when the blood or nerve supply of the tooth (known as pulp) is infected through decay or injury. You may not feel any pain in the early stages of the infection. In some cases, your tooth could darken in colour, which means that the nerve of the tooth has died (or is dying). This would need root canal treatment. If the tooth is left untreated an abscess may form; as the abscess expands, the tooth rises slightly out of its socket making it feel tender when you bite down.

The common restorations recommended by your dentist will vary according to your dental condition, and may comprise of any of the following:

  1. A dental post – Posts are placed in teeth that have large portions of their tooth structure missing. To increase the stability of the tooth, dentists will have to increase the amount of tooth that extends up to the centre of the dental crown. This can be accomplished by using a dental post which will serve as the anchor for the filling material used to increase the height of the internal core of the tooth.
  2. A dental crown – Used to restore or repair a broken tooth and improve its appearance. Crowns are made of porcelain or metal and serve as excellent seals for tooth by preventing the contamination by bacteria or other debris in the mouth.

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Repeating root canal treatment

Generally, the positive outcomes of a root canal treatment last a lifetime; however, if infection does return the treatment can be repeated. Tooth extraction is the only other alternative where you can have the tooth with the infected pulp removed. However, it is always better to retain your natural teeth than have them removed.