Q: Why Do Teeth Sometimes Need To Be Removed?
Q: What Are Inlays And Onlays?
Q: How Can You Repair Damaged Teeth?
Q: Do I Need Dentures To Replace Just One Missing Tooth?
Q: What Are Bone Grafts?
Your smile is incredibly important. It’s not just a matter of having teeth healthy enough to eat. Your smile can brighten up a room and help you ...
In most cases, Dr. Cornell and the team at our Tulsa, OK dental office can save a damaged tooth. But there are times when a tooth is too damaged to be saved. In these cases, we would need to extract the tooth so that you can avoid living in pain and protect your remaining teeth. With local anesthesia and Dr. Cornell’s experience, tooth extractions at our office are routine.
If one of your teeth has a cavity, we can usually repair the damage with a tooth-colored composite filling. But fillings can sometimes put pressure on the surrounding enamel. In these cases, Dr. Cornell can use an inlay or onlay to repair the damage. These are tooth-colored like our fillings, and they can seal up damaged areas of your tooth without any extra pressure. Inlays fit in between the cusps of your tooth, while onlays can rest on the top and side.
Sometimes, a filling or inlay/onlay isn’t going to work. A cavity might be so big that neither treatment can safely fill in or cover the damage, or that the tooth is in danger of fracturing due to an accident. In these cases, a dental crown is usually the safer and more effective option. These are tight-fitting caps that go over the visible part of the damaged tooth. Both our e.max and porcelain crowns are shaped and colored to look just like a healthy tooth. Even better, they protect the damaged area and keep the tooth together.
Dentures definitely have their place, but they are normally used when you need multiple teeth replaced. If you just have a single tooth that fell out or had to be extracted, there are two better options. A dental bridge is a replacement tooth secured in the empty space by a pair of dental crowns. It’s not invasive, but it will have to be replaced sooner or later due to normal wear and tear. A dental implant uses a surgically implanted titanium root that not only lasts much longer but also helps keep your jawbone healthy. We can even use a bridge supported by an implanted root.
Your jawbone needs to stay strong and healthy to support the roots of your teeth. But when you’ve lost a tooth, the bone tissue around where the root should be starts to deteriorate. To correct this, Dr. Cornell can perform a bone graft where he takes healthy bone tissue and surgically places it in the weak area.
With our restorative dentistry treatments, we can fix damaged teeth, replace ones that have come out, and even keep your jawbone healthy. Call us or email us today to schedule your next appointment.
