As a kid, I remember hiding my mouth when I lost one of my front teeth. In fact, for a long time, I didn’t trust my elders when they said that I will get a new tooth soon. I remembered those days for a long time, even after I got my wisdom teeth. Nobody wants to go back to those days of gaps between the teeth and, yet, adults too have to go through them at times.

Loss of teeth can happen at any time and it need not only be because of poor dental hygiene; an injury can cause you to lose a tooth. And then there are those chipped teeth marring your smile. Cavities can damage your teeth so much that you start hiding your mouth like I did when I was a kid. The truth is that tooth damage does happen, but it should not deter you from smiling. Your dentist has a solution to all these problems.

The solution to a missing tooth, chipped teeth or damaged teeth lie in the various restorative dental treatments at your dentist’s office. Let’s look at how your teeth can be restored.

Dental bridges are replacements for lost teeth. A bridge helps fill in the gap created by a missing tooth. Then there are dental crowns. Crowns restore those teeth that have been severely affected by cavities or badly broken or damaged. The crown essentially restores the shape of the teeth by filling in the gaps. The shape and structure of adjacent teeth help design the perfect crowns. A crown is typically made of porcelain.

Dental fillings are yet another way to restore your teeth. The process involves filling in the cavities created in the teeth due to decay. Fillings are made of a variety of different materials like composite materials, metals, alloys and porcelain.

Then there are inlays and onlays. An inlay is used to restore a cracked or broken tooth when filling does not suffice. Inlays are used for a tooth that is not too damaged to require crowns. An inlay is typically applied to the chewing area of the tooth. An onlay covers more than one tooth. Onlays are spread over the chewing surface of multiple teeth.

So, you see, you don’t need to hide your mouth if you have managed to damage your teeth. Just walk in to your dental clinic and you will soon come out smiling.

Happy smiling!

Tags: bridges, Crowns, dental treatments, Dentist, Fillings, inlays, onlays, restorative dental treatments