Best Restorative Dentistry in Granite Bay, CA
During your first dental examination with x-rays, you will be given the opportunity to discuss your dental health and goals. What is important to you, is priority for us. You will be presented with options to meet your dental goals. We offer many different services. But, you will be invited to join the decision-making process of what dental treatment will work best for you. In partnership with YOUR dentist, you will have a healthy smile and know you were a part of the process. Leaving the dental office feeling confident and informed of your dental plan is our goal.
Tooth bonding is the application of a tooth-colored resin material using a high intensity curing light. Typically used in cosmetic dentistry, for cosmetic purposes, tooth bonding literally bonds the materials to the tooth. Applications for tooth bonding include;
- To fill the spaces between teeth
- To make teeth look longer
- To change the shape of a tooth
- To change the color of a tooth
- As an alternative to amalgam dental fillings or to protect a tooth with exposed gum or nerve
- To repair decayed teeth
- To repair chipped or cracked teeth
Tooth bonding, also called dental bonding is a procedure that takes very little time to prepare. Typically, unless the bonding is used on exposed nerves or to fill a decayed tooth, dental bonding does not require the use of anesthetics, making it a fast and comfortable procedure.
Direct Bonding
The process where a dentist uses tooth-colored composites to fill cavities, repair chips or cracks, close gaps and build up worn down teeth. These materials may also be directly applied and sculpted to the surface of teeth in order to maximize the enhancement of a smile.
Adhesive Bonding
Caring for bonded teeth is the same as caring for natural teeth. Brushing twice a day, flossing, and routine check-ups, as directed by your dentist, will help to maintain the bonded teeth and make them last a long time. One thing to avoid with bonded teeth is biting hard objects such as fingernails, ice, or hard types of food.
Dental bonding is a good choice that can solve a number of dental health problems. It is typically the most common and least expensive cosmetic dentistry procedure. Overall dental bonding is a relatively short procedure and requires little to no removal of tooth enamel. It is also relatively pain free and seldom requires the use of anesthetics, making for a short and comfortable dental appointment.
Dental bridges may be used to replace missing teeth, help maintain the shape of your face, and alleviate stress on your bite. A bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth, looks great, and literally bridges the gap where one or more teeth may have been. Dental bridges are made up of two or more crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap — two or more anchoring teeth and a false tooth or teeth in between. Bridges can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials, and is bonded onto surrounding teeth for support.
The success of any dental bridge depends two things. First is home care or maintaining proper oral hygiene. Second is the foundation it is built on— the other teeth, gums, or bone to which it is attached. Therefore, it’s very important to keep your existing teeth, gums, and jaw healthy and strong.
Do I Need a Dental Crown?
A dental crown can provide great aesthetic improvement for damaged and discolored teeth. While a veneer will cover a specific part of a damaged tooth, a crown will cover the entire tooth. The purpose is to restore a tooth that has been broken, damaged, or stained to its original look.
Do I Have Any Options?
There are several options available when it comes to crowns:
- Metal crowns – This is a common option with the advantages of strength and durability. However, it carries the disadvantage of a metallic look that many patients find undesirable. This option is most commonly used on baby teeth that will eventually be lost and on adult teeth that are not readily visible when the patient smiles and speaks.
- Porcelain-metal crown – This is a good option for teeth that are more readily visible. It combines the advantage of strong metal with the advantage of natural-looking porcelain on the outside of the metal.
- Porcelain crown – This is a popular choice for patients who would like the natural, enamel look of natural teeth. A tooth covered with a porcelain crown will appear real and healthy. It is highly unlikely that anyone will even know you are wearing a crown. You will feel confident to smile, laugh, and speak without hesitation.
- Gold crown – A gold crown requires the least amount of tooth surface to be removed and is also gentle on the mouth. Like silver crowns, the aesthetics of the gold crown will quickly stand out. It is often used on hidden teeth.
A denture is a removable dental appliance replacement for missing teeth and surrounding tissue. They are made to closely resemble your natural teeth and may even enhance your smile.
There are two types of dentures – complete and partial dentures. Complete dentures are used when all of the teeth are missing, while partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain. A Partial denture not only fills in the spaces created by missing teeth, it prevents other teeth from shifting.
A Complete denture may be either “conventional” or “immediate.” A conventional type is made after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has healed, usually taking 4 to 6 weeks. During this time the patient will go without teeth. Immediate dentures are made in advance and immediately placed after the teeth are removed, thus preventing the patient from having to be without teeth during the healing process. Once the tissues shrink and heal, adjustments will have to be made.
Dentures are very durable appliances and will last many years, but may have to be remade, repaired, or readjusted due to normal wear.
Reasons for dentures
- Complete Denture – Loss of all teeth in an arch
- Partial Denture – Loss of several teeth in an arch
- Enhancing smile and facial tissues
- Improving chewing, speech, and digestion
What does getting dentures involve?
- The process of getting dentures requires several appointments, usually over several weeks. Highly accurate impressions (molds) and measurements are taken and used to create your custom denture. Several “try-in” appointments may be necessary to ensure proper shape, color, and fit. At the final appointment, your dentist will precisely adjust and place the completed denture, ensuring a natural and comfortable fit.
- It is normal to experience increased saliva flow, some soreness, and possible speech and chewing difficulty, however this will subside as your muscles and tissues get used to the new dentures.
The process of having dental implants placed and restored requires a number of visits over several months.
Records are taken of the jaw and teeth to determine bone, gum tissue, and spacing available for an implant. While the area is numb, the implant will be surgically placed into the bone and allowed to heal and integrate itself onto the bone for three to six months. The next phase is to gather impressions and information to fabricate the “post” called an abutment and the restoration for the implant.
Two to three weeks later, the lab fabricated abutment and restoration are carefully placed into the implant. You will receive care instructions when your treatment is completed. Good oral hygiene, eating habits, wearing a night guard if recommended, not smoking and regular dental visits will aid in the life of your new implant.
If you are missing teeth, it is crucial to replace them. Without all your teeth, chewing and eating can destabilize your bite and cause you discomfort. When teeth are missing, your mouth can shift and even cause your face to look older. Implants are a great way to replace your missing teeth, and if properly maintained, can last a lifetime!
An implant is a new tooth made of metal and porcelain that looks just like your natural tooth. It’s composed of two main parts: one part is the titanium implant body that takes the place of the missing root, and the second part is the tooth-colored crown that is cemented on top of the implant. With implant treatment, you can smile confidently knowing no one will ever suspect you have a replacement tooth.
In addition to tooth replacement, implants may be used to anchor dentures, especially lower dentures that tend to shift when you talk or chew. For patients with removable partial dentures, implants can replace missing teeth so you have a more natural-looking smile.
Advances in Bonding Technology
Silver fillings have been the “go to” option for cracked and chipped teeth over the decades. The main downside for silver fillings has always been the fact that silver fillings can crack easily. Dental technology has advanced in many areas, and one of those areas has been bonding technology. This has produced new materials and fillings that are far superior. The advanced bonding technology causes fillings to form a far superior bond with natural teeth. In addition to the superior bonding, it is now simpler for dentists to repair old fillings that are cracked.
Weakness in Silver Fillings
Researchers have always spotted noticeable weaknesses in silver fillings:
- Silver fillings almost always crack eventually. This is due to the constant expanding and contracting of silver during temperature changes.
- Silver fillings seem to wear down on the edge. In time, this will weaken them until they break.
- When the silver filling finally breaks, the tooth is exposed and susceptible to additional cavities.
- Silver fillings are composed partially of mercury (as much as 50%). If a silver filling corrodes and leaks, there is the strong likelihood of staining in the teeth and gums that surround the filling.
Advantages in Composite Fillings
- Advanced technology has produced composite fillings that are stronger and more visually appealing.
- Dentists now have better options for stronger fillings for current dental needs. They also have the opportunity to provide effective repair for earlier silver fillings that may be causing difficulty. If you have had silver fillings done in the past, Dr. Zanzi can reduce the possibility of future dental problems by replacing that old fillings with modern composite fillings.
Many times, we hear from new patients that when they left other dental offices, they had more questions than answers. As a valued patient, every question and concern you have is important and each will be answered to your satisfaction.
Partial crowns, often referred to as onlay’s, are a type of dental restoration or porcelain filling that covers one or more cusps of your tooth. Onlay’s are also made of porcelain by a lab and take two appointments to complete. An inlay is like a dental filling, but the restoration is made of porcelain by a lab and is placed within the cusps on a tooth’s chewing surface. These restorations are much more conservative than crowns and can be imperceptible from your natural tooth. However, the use of onlays and inlays are limited to very specific situations and are not as common as a dental crown.
What is Dental Inlay?
An inlay is a lab fabricated porcelain filling that fits into the grooves of a tooth and do not extend over the cusps of tooth. The patient is numbed using a local anesthetic and the dentist drills the tooth to remove and clean out the decay in the tooth. This is one of the restorative methods used to repair a tooth after it sustains harm from injury or decay that does not affect the cusps of the tooth. The dentist takes an impression and sends it to a laboratory where the inlay is made.
Inlays are manufactured from porcelain or composite resin material matching the color of the tooth and provide almost invisible dental restoration while repairing the chewing surface. Dental inlays are generally more durable than regular fillings made from composite or amalgam.
What is Dental Onlay?
Onlays also fit inside the tooth but extend onto the chewing surface of a back tooth to replace one or more cusps. In the past, onlays were made only of gold, but like inlays, more and more patients request a tooth-colored onlay. Making the onlay of ceramic/porcelain allows the restoration to be bonded to the tooth.
This bonding process may actually improve the strength of the tooth and help seal the onlay to the tooth. Sometimes It is difficult to determine when inlays or onlays can be used instead of crowns or caps. But, you are in great hands as our dentists will review all your options with you to determine the best dental plan.