Our Lake in the Hills dentist and team work hard to keep patients’ smiles healthy, but even the most effective preventive dentistry plans are not always able to protect smiles 100% of the time. That’s where smile restoration comes in. Whether patients suffer from decay or other dental damage, our team will assess the concern and offer the most conservative treatment that repairs smiles while preserving the maximum amount of natural dental structure. If you experience dental decay, toothache, or other damage, don’t hesitate to contact us to find out more or schedule an appointment.
CROWNS & BRIDGES
Dental crowns are possibly the most commonly recommended restorative treatment. These restorations fit over the top of teeth protecting damaged teeth and preserving healthy dental structure. We use dental crowns in a variety of treatments including:
- Restoring severely damaged teeth in order to preserve underlying structure
- Concealing malformed or cosmetically flawed teeth
- To protect teeth that have undergone root canal therapy
- To restore a single missing tooth connected to a dental implant post
- Two dental crowns connected to one or more replacement teeth support a fixed bridge tooth replacement
Regardless of the reason we recommend a dental crown restoration, the process is the same. Patients should plan to visit our office at least two times. During the initial visit, we remove a small amount of surface enamel in preparation for the crown, capture bite impression that are used by the dental lab to craft the crown, and place a temporary restoration to protect the prepared tooth. Once we receive the custom crown from our lab, patients return to exchange their temporary for the final crown.
Learn More About Crown & Bridge
ROOT CANAL THERAPY
The words root canal can strike fear in the heart of even our bravest patients, but they shouldn’t. The pain associated with root canal therapy is actually caused by the infection that precedes the procedure. Root canals are necessary when tooth decay or trauma accesses the inner, pulp, layer of teeth. The nerve system of teeth is housed within the pulp, and when decay or damage accesses the nerve, the result is a severe toothache. Root canal therapy is a simple procedure that removes the infected tissue, restores the damaged tooth, and in most cases, root canals relieve the toothache pain almost immediately.
WISDOM TOOTH EXTRACTION
One of our priorities is always to help patients preserve their natural teeth, but in some cases, extraction is the best option to ensure patients’ oral health. The most frequently extracted teeth are the third molars, wisdom teeth, which are the last to erupt into patients’ smiles. These teeth may cause a number of oral health concerns as there is often not enough space in the smile to accommodate this third set of molars. As the wisdom teeth develop, we monitor their position and any effect they have on the overall alignment of the bite. If we determine extraction is the best course of action to maintain oral health and proper bite alignment, we’re happy to perform these procedures in the comfort of our Lake in the Hills dental practice.
DENTURES & PARTIALS
Patients with more extensive tooth loss may consider restoring their smile with a traditional partial or full denture. Partial dentures fill the gaps in patients’ smiles like a puzzle piece. They consist of a number of replacement teeth set into a gum colored base held in place with metal clasps. Full dentures are composed of an arch of replacement teeth set into a more substantial gum colored base. Dentures are crafted to fit snugly against patients’ gums and jawbone creating suction that holds them firmly in place.
TOOTH-COLORED FILLINGS
In the past, silver-colored amalgam fillings were the standard in care for repairing minor decay or damage to smiles. However, this material presents a number of oral health concerns. In addition to their noticeable appearance within smiles, amalgam expands and contracts possibly leading to further decay or damage as bacteria has access to the tooth. Tooth-colored composite resin fillings offer a cosmetically superior alternative that also provides a stronger bond with the tooth and reduced risk of future decay.
CEREC® ONE-VISIT RESTORATIONS
In the past, patients who needed a ceramic restoration like a crown or bridge, would have to visit our office two times and receive a temporary restoration that would later be exchanged for the higher quality custom solution. CEREC® one-visit restorations allow our team to design, craft, and place custom crowns, inlays, onlays, and other restorations in just one appointment.
