Restorative Dentistry

Our teeth are constantly under attack. Whether it is from cavity-causing bacteria colonizing to form plaque and acid or bad habits like bruxism (clenching and grinding teeth), our teeth certainly take some abuse. When teeth become permanently damaged, tooth loss can occur if professional treatment is not received. This is why restorative dentistry is a necessity. A restoration provides protection from cavity-causing bacteria, debris, and harmful compounds like acids. It will also restore the tooth to the correct shape and size. Common restorations include fillings, dental crowns, inlays, and onlays.

A filling is used to treat minor damage to teeth – normally small cavities or chips. Fillings protect a tooth from developing deeper and wider caries. It will also reinforce the structure of a tooth, which can prevent further breakage during oral function in the future. While many people associate fillings with unsightly metal dental work, it is important to know that most fillings today are made from a non-metal, tooth-colored material called composite resin. With composite resin as a restoration material, patients do not have to worry about noticable dental work affecting their appearance. Placing fillings is minimally invasive and typically just requires local anesthetics to maintain a person’s comfort.

Dental crowns are another common type of restoration. Crowns are used to protect badly damaged teeth. When a crown is needed, it is normally due to damage from untreated cavities, tooth wear, and broken teeth. Unlike a filling, which only protects a small amount of tooth structure – a crown is far more extensive. It covers the biting surfaces as well as all sides of a tooth. Some people refer to crowns as “caps” because these tooth-shaped restorations are used to cover all visible tooth structure.

Crowns can prevent a tooth from developing further damage. While metal crowns are still popular, especially for back teeth, these restorations can be made from natural looking materials. Porcelain crowns make for excellent, undetectable dental work.

A bridge is a prosthetic made from dental crowns. Bridges can replace one or more missing teeth. Each side of the bridge connects to natural teeth, and then connected crowns of the bridge replacing missing tooth structure above the gums. Bridges are beneficial for maintaining efficient oral function and for supporting neighboring biological teeth.

Dr. Link works closely with our oral surgeons to treatment plan and position placement of dental implants for our patients.  After placement, Dr. Link handles all aspects of the implant restoration whether it involves single crowns, bridges, implant retained dentures or partial dentures.  Implant retained dentistry can make your smile as close to a natural smile as possible.

We work with our oral surgeon and our outstanding lab to offer implant retained fixed dentures.  This means that you can have extractions, implant placement, and a screw retained denture typically in the same day. The fees for Revive A Smile are all inclusive—meaning what you need to achieve the result you want is what we will do to make it happen.