What Is Restorative Dentistry

In a layman’s language, restorative dentistry is a procedure that aims to treat your teeth and the supporting structures. Restorative dentistry encapsulates endodontic, periodontics, and prosthodontics. The foundation of restorative dentistry is based on the interaction of these three techniques. In simpler words, restorative dentistry entails the integrated management of oral health problems and the restoration of the mouth to a more functional and aesthetic state. Restorative dentistry is a branch of dentistry that concentrates on replacing a damaged or missing tooth. The specialty of restorative dentistry is that the dentists primarily remove and repair cavities and provide treatment for diverse oral conditions. Restorative dentistry also focuses on oral issues via trauma or injuries. The main aims of restorative dentistry are –

• Repairing of damaged teeth with fillings and dental bonding
• Restoration of missing tooth parts and structures can be done with direct or indirect restorations such as inlays, Onlays, crowns, or fillings.
• Replacement of missing teeth can be performed with artificial restorations like implants, bridges, or dentures.

Now, let us focus on the various restorative dental materials:

• Metals
• Amalgam Alloys
• Polymers
• Ceramics
• Composites
• Glass Ionomers
• Denture Base Resins
• Noble and Base Metals

Types Of Restorative Dentistry

There are several types of restorative dentistry treatments, and the most popular ones are –

1. Dental crowns: They are tooth-colored resin or metal restorations that replace missing structures caused by dental decay, root canals, fractures, etc. Dental crowns can also be used as coverage caps.
2. Dentures: Dentures are either removable or fixed sets of a prosthetic set of teeth that replace missing teeth. Dentures are used when you lose your entire tooth or a few of them via dental decay, gum disease, and so forth. Depending on the condition, there are five types of dentures – fixed, partial, removable partial, implant-retained, and immediate dentures.
3. Dental Implants: It is a restorative process used after an extraction or tooth loss. Dental implants are used in cases of permanent damage to the teeth. Oral surgeons and periodontists perform dental implants.
4. Dental Bridges: They are full-coverage that engulf three or more teeth. It is essential to highlight that dental bridges are more affordable and less intrusive than implants.
5. Dental Bonding: In a layperson’s language, cosmetic dental bonding is a technique to improve the appearance of our teeth. It can be used to elevate and enhance the appearance of the teeth and correct imperfections such as teeth gaps, chipped teeth, broken or cracked teeth, and so forth. During cosmetic dental bonding, a tooth-colored resin material is applied to the surface of the teeth. 
6. Inlays and Onlays: They are partial tooth-colored or gold restorations that restore smaller imperfections of a damaged tooth. They are less invasive than crowns. 

Therefore, we can say that restorative dentistry is an all-encompassing term in dentistry that includes diverse processes to take care of teeth imperfections. The procedures range from highly invasive ones to others that require very little intervention.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!