Tooth-Colored Fillings Are Ideal For All Ages

We use tooth-colored fillings to restore our patients teeth and highly recommend them.  Many of our patients don’t understand why a filling is necessary in the first place so we get a lot of questions about it.  Contrary to popular belief, this is not an optional dental treatment but necessary for restoring the appearance and, more importantly, the functionality of a tooth.

When you eat throughout the day, sugar and bacteria are placed on your teeth and gums.  When you brush and floss, most of it is removed.  However, bacteria will often remain in the mouth, trapped in harder to reach places.  The bacteria can then create acid which will start to attack your teeth.  As it does, the tooth starts to decay or die.  How large of an area that experiences tooth decay will depend on how long you go in between teeth cleanings.  By having your teeth cleaned twice a year, we can catch and treat it right away.

In order to treat a cavity, the decayed portion of the tooth is removed.  This will leave a small or large indent or hole in your tooth.  You cannot live like that because you would experience discomfort and irritation every time that you bit down.  Instead, the tooth must be restored.  In order to do so, we will use tooth-colored fillings.  In this situation, once the decayed portion is removed the tooth needs to be cleaned. Once done, a tooth-colored ceramic material will be applied to your tooth and shaped into place.  A dental light will then be used to cause the material to harden.  Once done, you will have a durable filling that makes it possible to use your tooth like normal again.

In our dental office, we prefer to use tooth-colored fillings because of how natural they look.  The results are just as effective as traditional amalgam but when you smile, no one will see a mouth full of metal.  In fact, these fillings blend in so well that it is nearly impossible to tell which tooth ever had a cavity to begin with.  Most of our patients even forget which of their teeth were worked on.  This speaks volumes when you compare it to a smile of someone who has had a lot of amalgam fillings.

If you have a mouth full of metal currently, we can help by removing your old fillings and giving you new ones.  This procedure needs to be completed anyway since fillings are not meant to last forever.  Replacing them early simply helps to accomplish a cosmetic or appearance goal while addressing a future health need. Remember, that fillings are an essential part of restoring the tooth structure and keeping your natural teeth in place.  If you go too long without dental care, the original space that you had the filling in may expand, creating the need for a larger filling. Regular dental checkups can prevent this from happening or at least identifying if it has so that you can receive an updated filling to protect your tooth.

Oral Surgery May Be Necessary As Part of Your Orthodontics Procedure

We perform oral surgery for patients with a variety of oral health concerns.  What many people don’t realize is that when getting an orthodontics treatment, surgery is often part of the overall process. This is because when straightening your teeth, there are multiple aspects that must be addressed.  In our office, we can help you to straighten your teeth with a smile makeover or work with your orthodontist to address any challenges that they are unable to correct.

In order to understand why, it helps to understand what must be addressed when using orthodontics to straighten your teeth.  First, your teeth must be moved into position.  If you have teeth that came in crooked, there are gaps in between them, or they are behind each other, braces or aligners can typically be used to move them into position.  Before doing so, however, there must be enough room in the mouth for all of your teeth and, at times, the palate must be expanded using an oral appliance.

As a provider of oral surgery, we often work with orthodontics offices when a tooth is simply not responding to braces or aligners.  There are times, were certain teeth simply aren’t moving into position and in this situation, the only choice is to leave the tooth intact or replace it with a dental implant.  An implant functions like a natural tooth and by securing a titanium post into the jawbone, it will behave like one as well.  In fact, the body will think that the post is a natural root due to the process of osseointegration.  While we typically don’t recommend replacing your teeth for no reason, if you have undergone years of orthodontics, leaving one crooked tooth can be beyond frustrating. If this happens to you, we can finish the process by replacing the tooth with a straight and beautiful one. 

The second aspect of straightening your teeth is correcting your jaw.  If you have a misaligned jaw, it will negative influence your smile and even your facial appearance.  For example, if you have a severe overbite, underbite, or crossbite, it won’t matter how straight your teeth are, your entire appearance will still suffer.  This makes aligning your bite critical.  This can often be done by an orthodontist using oral appliances.  This is a non-invasive method and by using things like rubber bands strung from an upper to lower bracket, the jaw can start to move into position.  However, if the jaw is too far misaligned, it may not respond to oral appliances, creating the need for oral surgery.

Correcting your jaw is more important than simply improving your appearance. A misaligned jaw, can place undue pressure onto your teeth and cause damage, irritation, and even headaches.  For this reason, many people will seek to correct their jaw and oral health issues, regardless of whether or not they like their smile.  As an oral surgeon, we can examine your mouth and provide a recommendation for the steps you should take to correct your smile.