Restorative Dental Care: White Filling, Crown, Veneer, Bridge, Infiltration (no-drill cavity filling)
When your tooth structure is compromised due to a cavity or a dental trauma, there are multiple options to restore the teeth depending on how much tooth structure is being replaced and what procedure has been done to the tooth.
White Fillings
Composite resins, or tooth-colored fillings, provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small- to mid-size fillings that need to withstand moderate pressure from the constant stress of chewing. They can be used on either front or back teeth. It generally takes longer to place a composite filling than it does for a metal filling. That’s because composite fillings require the tooth be kept clean and dry while the cavity is being filled.
Onlay/Inlay
When you need a large fillings, onlay/inlay can be an options. You can consider onlay/inlay as a lab-made large filling that cemented into the cavity space. Lab made filling has no shrinkage and is bonded to the tooth, you will less likely get a tooth sensitivity after large fillings and also get the ideal shape of the tooth.
Crown/Bridge
A crown can help strengthen a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t enough tooth remaining to hold the filling. Crowns can also be used to attach bridges, protect a weak tooth from breaking or restore one that’s already broken. A crown is a good way to cover teeth that are discolored or badly shaped. It’s also used to cover a dental implant.
Sometimes called a fixed partial denture, a bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth and literally “bridges” the gap where one or more teeth used to be. Bridges can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials and are attached to surrounding teeth for support. Unlike a removable bridge, which you can take out and clean, a fixed bridge can only be removed by a dentist.
No-Drill Cavity Filling (Infiltration)
When the cavity is small enough, it can be treated with a method call infiltration without drilling. Ask us for details.
SDF (Silver Diamine Fluoride)
SDF is a non-invasive option for cavity treatment. It’s topical applications (multiple applications needed) of liquid SDF. It’s been used for a very long time in Japan and Australia but recently started to being used actively in the United States. No anesthesia needed but it turns the cavity to black color, therefore it is primarily used for baby teeth or for patient with the limited access of dental care.
Please call us if you have any questions regarding our restorative services: 818-688-7646