Returning to Health and beauty
Restoring chipped, broken or decayed teeth
We all know the saying “prevention is better than a cure”, but our modern lifestyles and habits can sometimes affect our best intentions. Fortunately, restorative dentistry is the cure for fixing chipped, broken, worn teeth or to fill and prevent further decay. (remove caries)
Our approach is always conservative when carrying out any treatment – we aim to keep as much of your natural tooth as possible whilst maintaining the function and appearance of your teeth.
Discreetly treating decay
Cosmetic Fillings
Sugar, acid and poor oral hygiene can cause the tooth surface to weaken and decay (diseased tissue) begins to form. We encourage patients to have decay addressed early to prevent pain and at worse, the decay affecting the nerve supply to the tooth resulting in a root canal treatment being necessary.
Once we have made you comfortable, the decay will be removed as conservatively as possible, preserving as much of your natural tooth as possible. We use high quality materials matching the shade to your natural tooth which is bonded layer by layer to replace the missing tooth tissue. The new filling will then be delicately shaped to match the contours of your natural tooth and finally, polished.
More than a filling
Onlays
Onlays are considered appropriate when there is not enough of your natural tooth structure remaining to bond a filling to, or if the tooth is susceptible to fracturing following a root canal treatment. An onlay covers a portion of your tooth, preserving as much healthy tooth tissue as possible. This type of restoration is fabricated by a dental technician and is usually carried out over two appointments – one to make adjustments and take moulds of your teeth and the second to fit your new Onlay.
We use advanced shade taking techniques to match your Onlay as closely as possible to your natural tooth and ensure it blends with the rest of your dentition.
Keeping your natural tooth root
Crowns
Crowns cover the entire surface of a tooth, above the gum line. Crowns can be required for a number of reasons – to protect a tooth in the long term, if it is susceptible to fracturing or where other restorations are not suitable due to the size.
If a substantial portion of the tooth has been lost due to breakage or extensive decay, then it may be necessary to build up the foundation for the new crown to be supported, this is called a “core”. Once the core is in place the process of designing and fabricating a crown are similar to that of an onlay.