Dental Restorations Hawthorne, CA

Why Dental Restorations Are Necessary

Patients may need to repair teeth after experiencing an accident. An accident can happen at any time. Whether it is a car wreck, sports injury, playing with the kids, or falling at work. In many cases, the teeth often sustain damage and will need treatment as soon as possible. Otherwise, the area can become infected along with being uncomfortable.

Restorations are also necessary after a tooth becomes infected. When a patient gets a cavity, or a root canal is necessary, we can restore it so that the tooth can continue to function without needing removal. This is far better for your overall oral health since keeping your natural teeth is the best option in the long run.

Hawthorne, California Dental Restorations

Types of Restorations

If you live in the Hawthorne area, schedule an appointment with our dental office to learn more about the type of restorations that are available to correct your tooth. At Christine Phan, DMD, we do not believe that there is a one-size-fits-all-solution, but offer customized treatment plans based on the needs of each individual patient. The restoration that works for your spouse is not necessarily the one that we will recommend for you.

Here are some of the common dental restorations that we offer:

Dental crowns.

When a tooth is missing a large portion of its enamel, a dental crown is the best type of restoration because it is a cap that completely surrounds the tooth. This way, you can bite down with full force and not worry about being uncomfortable or damaging the tooth further. This is most frequently used after a root canal or when the tooth is severely cracked or chipped. Fortunately, they now come in all-ceramic and ceramic-on-metal in addition to the traditional all-metal material. Patients getting crowns for restorations can have natural looking teeth after the fact.

Dental veneers.

If a tooth is only slightly damaged with a small chip or crack, a veneer can be used to restore it. A veneer is a thin shell that is placed on top of a natural tooth and frequently used for restorations of the front teeth. The process of placing a veneer is similar to that of a dental crown only with less tooth preparation. If you live in Hawthorne, schedule an appointment so that we can discuss both options with you.

Tooth-colored fillings.

At Christine Phan, DMD, we use tooth-colored fillings as a way to restore teeth that have had cavities. Once we remove the decayed area of the tooth, a filling is necessary to replace the missing enamel. Traditionally, this was done using silver amalgam but now we can complete dental restorations using materials that look natural so that when you smile, no one can tell that you had cavities.

Bondings.

Those that need minor restorations can often benefit from a simple bonding procedure. This is popular when restoring baby teeth. Children, for example, do not need a dental veneer on a tooth that is going to fall out in short order. With this in mind, we can keep a baby tooth in place and ensure that it is functioning properly by restoring it using a bonding procedure. We can use a tooth-colored material so that it looks completely natural.