Cavities are caused by bacterial acid eating through the enamel that protects your teeth. Once there is a hole in the enamel the tooth continues to decay inside. Most of the time the patient does not know they have a cavity until it is quite large or gets to the nerve on the inside of the tooth. As long as a cavity doesn’t touch the nerve, the dentist can remove the decay and fill the hole with a composite resin filling, stopping the process and saving the tooth from needing a root canal or extraction.
A Crown is tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over an existing tooth to restore its shape, size, strength and appearance. A Crown is required when most of a tooth’s natural structure has been lost such as after multiple fillings, root canal treatment or large amounts of decay. A crown itself will not decay and will protect the tooth from damage during chewing. A crown is the best thing we can do to restore a heavily used up tooth.
A bridge is a solution for replacement of a missing tooth, and consist of a floating tooth that is bonded to the adjacent teeth. It is not removable and looks and functions similar to the natural tooth it replaced. One benefit of a bridge is that if the adjacent teeth are in bad shape it strengthens them just as a crown would.
Implants are the ideal solution for replacement of missing teeth. A Dental Implant is a threaded body of titanium that is inserted in place of the natural tooth’s root. A dental crown is then placed on the implant to simulate a real tooth.
From a patient’s perspective, Dental Implants look and feel just like natural teeth, and the procedure is often less traumatic than having a tooth extracted. Get in touch today to book a consultation appointment if you are considering a Dental Implant.