BONDING (COMPOSITE RESTORATIONS) ON FRONT TEETH
This procedure is usually for smaller cavities at or near the gumline or very small chips or “knicks” in the biting edge of front teeth. These restorations tend to discolor over time and need to be replaced.

PORCELAIN VENEERS ON FRONT TEETH
This procedure is for larger cavities or fractures on front teeth that cover a larger surface area that a composite restoration would not support. These are often done if a person has had multiple composite restorations on a tooth in the past or has multiple jagged teeth. This is also an option for those with malposed (crooked) teeth who do not wish to go through the time and inconvenience of orthodontics. These restorations do not discolor over time.

COMPOSITE RESTORATIONS ON BACK TEETH
This procedure is reserved for smaller cavities that are contained to one surface of molar or premolar teeth. This is because they do not possess the strength to resist the forces that are brought to bear on the edges (cusps) of back teeth. These restorations tend to discolor over time and need to be replaced.

INLAYS, ONLAYS, AND CROWNS
These are restorations that are in porcelain or gold or porcelain over gold. These restorations are placed usually to replace a large, old amalgam restoration that is breaking down and leaking around the edges and worse, causing cracks to propagate through the tooth. These restorations are much more durable which is necessary in order to withstand the forces when covering a cusp. Inlays and onlays can be thought of as a porcelain or gold puzzle piece to replace what was missing in the tooth due to decay, old amalgams, or fracture. Crowns cover the entire surface of the tooth and are appropriate when a significant amount of tooth structure is missing or is fractured. A crown acts as the ring that holds the staves of a barrel together. A crown has a thin coping of gold with porcelain overlaid to form the shape and look of the tooth.

CEREC RESTORATIONS
This is relatively new technology that utilizes an optical impression (picture) of the tooth rather than the traditional impression made with a tray full of brightly colored rubbery goop. This picture of the prepared tooth is then fed into a computer and the computer generates a three-dimensional model of a restoration to make the tooth whole again. The computer then wirelessly sends this information to a milling unit which proceeds to mill the restoration out of a block of color matched porcelain. The beauty of this technology is that it s all done in one visit, start to finish. You no longer have to wear a “temporary for two weeks or waste your valuable time on multiple appointments.

THE PROBLEM OF MISSING TEETH
Traditional dental thinking went something like this; you lose a tooth, you get a fixed bridge that cuts down the teeth on either side of the space (which may be perfectly good virgin teeth) and fit a three tooth bridge to solve the problem if you lost enough teeth you might be fitted with a combination metal and pink acrylic device that replaced the teeth called a removable partial denture. If you were unfortunate enough to have lost all of your teeth you got a set of full dentures. Current thinking is that as soon as you lose a tooth you replace it with a dental implant thus sparing the teeth on either side of the space. If you already have a fixed bridge that spans an ever longer distance (and is dependent on the tooth at each end of it or, once again you get an even longer bridge or a removable partial denture). You now get to replace the failing bridge with a series of dental implants so that if one fails the whole bridge doesn’t fail. The idea is to make smaller, more independent segments of a larger problem. Implants are not for everyone. If you are smoker it dramatically reduces your chances of success with implants.

EXTRACTIONS
There are times when it is necessary to remove a tooth (teeth). This could be due to severe decay, severe bone loss, extreme crowding (especially wisdom teeth) or trauma. This is never an eagerly anticipated event but it doesn’t have to be traumatic. Tooth extractions are accomplished in a way that puts the patients comfort and well being as the highest priority. There is always a plan for replacement prior to the extraction (except in the case of wisdom teeth).