General Dentistry
Dental fillings are some of the most common treatments used in general dentistry.
If left to itself, tooth decay can destroy a whole tooth. Generally, a dentist will fill the tooth when 50 percent of it has been destroyed. Traditionally, silver-mercury amalgam fillings were used for this purpose, but this practice is rapidly declining. This is because silver-mercury amalgams are made from metal, and any kind of metal will expand and contract when exposed to extremes of heat or cold. This in turn puts a strain on the tooth that carries the filling, and the tooth can either crack from this strain, or become infected by bacteria that enter under the filling.
It is becoming more and more of a general consensus throughout all dental specialties that there are much better materials for filling teeth. Composite materials made from certain types of resin, for example, can now be custom-made to mimic the teeth, or they can be made to whiten the teeth.ort and strength. Whereas a filling will weaken a tooth over a period of time by as much as 50 percent, a composite filling made from resin or porcelain can actually strengthen a tooth up to 75 percent.
There are also a number of treatments that can now replace the old silver-mercury amalgams previously used in general dentistry.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns act like caps over teeth. This is why they are sometimes called caps. Crowning a cracked tooth keeps it from fracturing completely, because it actually creates an entirely new surface area for an entirely new surface area for the tooth. Crowns in the past were sometimes made of gold. Gold is soft and clashes with the color of natural teeth. Cosmetic Dentists these days use exclusively porcelain dental crowns. This is because porcelain is very hard and nonporous, and also because porcelain mimics the translucence of natural tooth enamel.
Porcelain crowns are formed in a mold of the individual teeth of the patient, and frequently look better than the original teeth when they are installed.
Cosmetic Dental Inlays and Onlays
Like dental crowns, inlays are made from porcelain. However, they do not cover the entire tooth surface, but instead fit over the cusp (tip) of the tooth. Dentists use porcelain that is colored to mimic the existing color of teeth so the inlays will go unnoticed. To give the best possible fit, the dentist creates a temporary inlay, and then takes an impression which is used to cast the permanent, porcelain inlay. The dentist bonds it to the tooth and polishes it to create a cosmetic, natural, and healthy-looking appearance.
Onlays resemble inlays, but they are used for more substantial reconstructions. Often onlays are used to repair the damaged portion of a tooth in lieu of capping the tooth with a crown.
Root canals
General dentistry practices have long relied upon the root canal as the best strategy for saving a tooth that is badly infected and whose root is dying. In the inner pulp of a tooth, all the blood vessel canals and nerves connect to the root. If this area becomes infected, the root and surrounding tissue begins to die, General dentists long ago realized that removing diseased pulp and thorough disinfection of the pulp chamber and the canals that connect it to the bloodstream and nervous system.
Even the tooth is technically dead, its normal chewing function and cosmetic appearance can be saved through this procedure. This practice is used in both cosmetic and general dentistry in order to avoid tooth extraction.
Although general dentistry abound throughout Houston and all of Texas, why not get these procedures done here at the Cosmetic Dentistry Center in the Medical Center? Not only will you get fantastic medical care, but a more attractive smile at the end of the day.
Even better, the sophisticated technology we use for many otherwise very painful general dentistry procedures (such as periodontal treatments) makes treatment here much more relaxed and painless.
If left to itself, tooth decay can destroy a whole tooth. Generally, a dentist will fill the tooth when 50 percent of it has been destroyed. Traditionally, silver-mercury amalgam fillings were used for this purpose, but this practice is rapidly declining. This is because silver-mercury amalgams are made from metal, and any kind of metal will expand and contract when exposed to extremes of heat or cold. This in turn puts a strain on the tooth that carries the filling, and the tooth can either crack from this strain, or become infected by bacteria that enter under the filling.
It is becoming more and more of a general consensus throughout all dental specialties that there are much better materials for filling teeth. Composite materials made from certain types of resin, for example, can now be custom-made to mimic the teeth, or they can be made to whiten the teeth.ort and strength. Whereas a filling will weaken a tooth over a period of time by as much as 50 percent, a composite filling made from resin or porcelain can actually strengthen a tooth up to 75 percent.
There are also a number of treatments that can now replace the old silver-mercury amalgams previously used in general dentistry.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns act like caps over teeth. This is why they are sometimes called caps. Crowning a cracked tooth keeps it from fracturing completely, because it actually creates an entirely new surface area for an entirely new surface area for the tooth. Crowns in the past were sometimes made of gold. Gold is soft and clashes with the color of natural teeth. Cosmetic Dentists these days use exclusively porcelain dental crowns. This is because porcelain is very hard and nonporous, and also because porcelain mimics the translucence of natural tooth enamel.
Porcelain crowns are formed in a mold of the individual teeth of the patient, and frequently look better than the original teeth when they are installed.
Cosmetic Dental Inlays and Onlays
Like dental crowns, inlays are made from porcelain. However, they do not cover the entire tooth surface, but instead fit over the cusp (tip) of the tooth. Dentists use porcelain that is colored to mimic the existing color of teeth so the inlays will go unnoticed. To give the best possible fit, the dentist creates a temporary inlay, and then takes an impression which is used to cast the permanent, porcelain inlay. The dentist bonds it to the tooth and polishes it to create a cosmetic, natural, and healthy-looking appearance.
Onlays resemble inlays, but they are used for more substantial reconstructions. Often onlays are used to repair the damaged portion of a tooth in lieu of capping the tooth with a crown.
Root canals
General dentistry practices have long relied upon the root canal as the best strategy for saving a tooth that is badly infected and whose root is dying. In the inner pulp of a tooth, all the blood vessel canals and nerves connect to the root. If this area becomes infected, the root and surrounding tissue begins to die, General dentists long ago realized that removing diseased pulp and thorough disinfection of the pulp chamber and the canals that connect it to the bloodstream and nervous system.
Even the tooth is technically dead, its normal chewing function and cosmetic appearance can be saved through this procedure. This practice is used in both cosmetic and general dentistry in order to avoid tooth extraction.
Although general dentistry abound throughout Houston and all of Texas, why not get these procedures done here at the Cosmetic Dentistry Center in the Medical Center? Not only will you get fantastic medical care, but a more attractive smile at the end of the day.
Even better, the sophisticated technology we use for many otherwise very painful general dentistry procedures (such as periodontal treatments) makes treatment here much more relaxed and painless.
Labels: cosmetic dentistry, dental crowns, dental inlays, dental onlays, general dentistry, periodontal surgery, periodontal treatment, root canals
posted by Dental Expert at
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