Dental Restoration 101

At-home teeth bleaching is a great option for those on a budget. Unfortunately, results cannot be seen after a single application. It can take from weeks to months before the final results can be achieved. This means that the dental patient must have the time and patience. He or she must also be capable of performing and adhering to the instructions. On the other hand, the results of professional teeth whitening are seen immediately after the procedure but are quite more expensive than at-home products. Professional whitening may be accomplished in one to three appointments.

Source: Associated Content

Like any other cosmetic procedure, cosmetic dental treatments also have limited life span yet may have long-term consequences. Teeth that have been bleached do not stay white forever. You may have to come back to your dentist for future treatments but the decision to do so is your prerogative. Good thing that this procedure does not involve structural changes so it becomes optional. On the other hand, having veneers or dental crowns also means regular veneering or dental crown replacement when the originals break or deteriorate. This also applies to dental bonding. It is best to always ask your dentist about long term maintenance.

Image from Smilebuilderz

Tooth bonding can be used for cosmetic purposes. A veneering of dental bonding can enhance the appearance of a tooth that is partly stained or discolored. Bonding can also used to close teeth gaps and to reshape and re-align teeth that have little imperfection such as chipping and misalignment.

Another use of tooth bonding is for creating composite fillings. The restorative used in tooth bonding, or the dental composite, is also the material used for making natural tooth-colored fillings. This is a good alternative to silver fillings because the former is less noticeable.

Source: My New Smile

Image from Animated Teeth

Dental crowns and Porcelain Veneers are both types of dental restorations. Dental crowns are very strong and are often utilized in rebuilding teeth that are badly broken and decayed due to significant tooth abuse. The downside of this is that it requires tooth reduction and when a crown has been made for a tooth, that particular tooth will always require a dental crown. Porcelain Veneers

Source: Animated Teeth here

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Yep, apparently the debate on the safety of dental amalgam is still ongoing. This time, it is The European Commission that has launched a consultation process which will run until February 22, 2008 that will focus on two scientific opinions regarding dental amalgam and its alternatives.

Presenting the two views:

Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) made a preliminary report attempting to answer the question, �Are dental amalgam and alternative dental restoration materials safe for patients and users?� The results of the study were released on November 29, 2007. The conclusion is that amalgam is an effective restorative material and is deemed quite safe to be considered as the material of choice for some restorations. Incidences of adverse effects of amalgam and its materials are low and readily managed. Amalgam does not pose a risk to health apart from allergic reactions.

The Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) also made a preliminary report released on November 29, 2007. This study however focuses more on the environmental risks and indirect health effects of mercury in dental amalgam. The committee concludes that certain environmental risks exist in the involvement of the use of amalgam. Most of these are related to indirect exposure of humans to methylmercury. Although said risks are lower than tolerable limits, and therefore making them a low risk for more serious health effects, the issue of safety is still a matter of debate. Existing information is too limited to assess the environmental risks and indirect health effects. After all, Methylmercury is the most toxic type of mercury. Further study is still needed on this as available information on toxic effects of alternatives is still very limited to hold a proper comparative assessment.

Source: Cybermed

There are different materials used in dental restoration, which are the following:

1. Amalgam
Amalgam is one of the strongest materials used in dental restoration, which is basically a mix of several metals, among them silver, tin, mercury, and copper. There has been some controversy over the safety of amalgam, but it is only purely speculation and has not been supported by any kind of scientific background.

2. Porcelain
This is a more expensive material, which is chosen because of it’s similar hue to the teeth. However, under certain circumstances, it may break.

3. Composite resin
Made out of acrylic plastic material combined with glass or quartz fillers, composite resin is relatively sturdy, but it’s greatest weakness is its propensity to discolor faster.

4. Gold and base metal alloys.
These are very sturdy, but the downside is a metallic sheen that might serve as an aesthetic deterrent to patients.

Many materials we now use and take fore granted in our everyday lives can be found inside your mouth where dentists use them to restore your smile. From composite materials, high strength ceramics, plastics, veneers and varnishes, they are all result of research into space age materials needed for outer space. Lighter yet stronger than steel and even natural bone(the strongest bone in the human body), they adorn our mouths quietly as we smile our way through the day.
Adhesives that bond indefinitely with the use of UV light, drills and diagnostic machines that offer safer and faster results in no time. Dental restoration used to take a lot of visits but with high-tech imaging machines, they can be documented and explained in detail without the guesswork. Powerful computers process digital x-rays allowing them to be stored for review anytime lessening the exposure to x-rays.

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歯茎の後退は、歯周病によくある症状です。 長引く痛み、腫れ、赤味、歯痛、歯がしみる、臭い息は、要注意の兆しです。臨床研究によれば、放っておくと、歯の脱落だけでなく、心臓麻痺、脳梗塞、糖尿病、呼吸疾病、未熟児の原因を招きかねません。 歯茎の後退には2つの原因が挙げられます。まず、剛毛の歯ブラシでの乱暴な磨き方です。 柔らかい毛の歯ブラシをお勧めします。 歯茎は敏感な軟組織で、乱暴に磨くと、簡単に損傷を起こします。 これは通常原因の一つで、完全には影響を及ぼしませんが、別の原因に、人間の作り出す、一般的な22のバクテリアがあります。 これは、止める事は出来ませんが、管理する事は出来る自然発生事項です。唾液は、バクテリアに対する我々の体の自然な防御体です。なぜなら、唾液には、相当量の酸素と、バクテリアの発生の管理を助ける、特定酵素が含まれているからです。

Having a complete set of teeth is truly something to proud of but this doesn’t mean your teeth are sparkling white. Many factors can influence the overall look and appearance of teeth such as color, alignment and even the overall bite that can be influenced by disease or trauma. A sudden blow to your jaw can knock a tooth loose or several of them in more extreme cases along with certain diseases young in life that can leave your pearly whites not as white as you would want them to be.
Badly decayed teeth can be fixed with a root canal and depending on the stability of the offending tooth, either be pulled out and replaced by implants or repaired with a jacket or crown. Discolored teeth can be made white by applying veneers that are ceramic compounds stuck onto the teeth that can be made to look whiter that your original teeth. Bleaching is said to be more of a continuing process if one wants to maintain the whiteness of their teeth so veneers and sealants do a better job. One simply has to get in touch with a dental restoration specialist(a fancy name for a cosmetic dentist) so you can get the full picture on how to bring the smile back to those pearly whites you so need everyday.

Image Source: macadamdental.com

Dental restoration or dental filling is a material used to bring back the use, soundness and form of lost tooth structures. Dental caries or external injury often lead to the structural loss of a tooth. It could also be deliberately lost in tooth preparation to enhance the aesthetics of the restorative material to be used. Dental restoration also means putting back the missing tooth structure that is supported by dental implants. Dental restoration maybe made out of different materials depending on the type of restoration. Dental amalgam, glass ionomer cement and composite resins are used for direct restoration and acrylic, porcelain, zirconia, gold and other metals for indirect restoration.