What Are Dental Restorations?
In the past, young children would need to have their teeth extracted due to bacteria build-up, cracked teeth, or teeth that were just too difficult to fix.
However, dental restoration procedures have come a long way. With modern dentistry, children can now have their teeth fixed and restored for a better smile. With dental restorations at All Kids Dental in Suffolk, VA, you can keep your child in good orthodontic health for their future.
Dental restorations describe procedures in which dental prosthetics are used to replace missing tooth structure. Three common types of dental restoration procedures for children are: dental fillings, dental crowns, and space-maintainers.
These restorations are a means of treating tooth decay (cavities), damage, or disease in order to maintain the integrity of the teeth and prevent further dental problems. Restoration preserves and protects the tooth structure, so the function is maintained, and esthetics are restored.
These restorations are usually made from porcelain, metal, or a resin-composite material. Porcelain and tooth-colored resin-composite restorations are most popular, due to their natural appearance and ability to mimic natural tooth structure. While metal restorations are more durable, they can’t be made to match the gingival shape.
Dental restorations are a cost-effective way to avoid more serious, more painful issues, such as a root canal.
What Are Dental Fillings?
When decay erodes the tooth enamel and creates a small hole, or cavity, in the tooth, a dentist can intervene and take preventative measures before the decay worsens and becomes more serious.
A dental filling is used when a patient has one or more cavities, and a dentist removes the decayed tooth material and fills the space with a filling material to protect it.
Common dental filling materials are gold, porcelain, silver mixed with other metals, or tooth-colored fillings. All Kids Dental in Suffolk, VA, is proud to offer tooth-colored fillings, so your child won’t need to feel self-conscious when they smile.
Treating baby teeth with cavities is important, as healthy baby teeth are placeholders for your child’s permanent teeth.
What Are Dental Crowns?
If a tooth gets damaged from serious decay, a dentist may recommend a dental crown. A crown is a type of dental cap that completely covers a tooth when traditional fillings would not create adequate protection.
When it comes to damaged or decayed baby teeth, crowns are the best choice. Extracting baby teeth due to tooth decay is not a good option, as it might create misalignment, tipping, or blockage, and even crowding concerns when your child’s permanent teeth come in.
A dental crown is a much better, safer choice that considers the long-term of your child’s orthodontic health and wellness. A crown restoration ensures that your child aids in the healthy development of your child’s jawbone and muscles.
What Are Space Maintainers?
Space maintainers are used in pediatric dentistry to address the early loss of baby teeth, and prevent more serious issues as your child gets older, such as overlapping, overcrowding, or crooked teeth; misaligned bites; or speech impediments.
A stainless steel band is placed over a healthy adjacent tooth, and a loop fits over the empty space. This loop serves as a placeholder to “save” the spot where there previously was a baby tooth. This guards surrounding teeth from crowding into the space that was left by the missing tooth.
This space maintainer then stays in place until removed by a dentist when a permanent tooth grows in its place, or when the adjacent tooth starts getting loose.
If you want to learn more about fillings, crowns, and space maintainers, and how these procedures might benefit your child’s dental health, call our pediatric dental experts at All Kids Dental in Suffolk, VA today!
