Dental Restoration 101

Dental amalgam has been used for over 150 years for the treatment of dental cavities and is
still used, in particular in large cavities due to its excellent mechanical properties and
durability. Dental amalgam is a combination of alloy particles and mercury that contains
about 50% of mercury in the elemental form.

Overall, the use of alternative materials such as composite resins, glass ionomer cements,
ceramics, and gold alloys, is increasing, either due to their aesthetic properties or alleged
health concerns related to the use of dental amalgam.

Whereas the toxicity of mercury has been extensively researched, relatively little is known
about the safety of alternative materials, possibly because some alternatives are relatively new
materials.

Cleft lip and/or palate (sometimes they ensue together, reason for the “and/or”), is a birth defect that is evident in 1 out of every 600 births. There are basically three types of cleft palates:

1. Incomplete cleft palate – wherein the hard palates of the inside of the mouth are separated;
2. Unilateral complete lip and palate – wherein the said separation reaches the nasal cavity (comes out of one nostril);
3. Bilateral complete lip and palate – wherein it is synonymous to number 2, but this time, the separation creates a “fork-like” division inside the mouth (comes out of the two nostrils).

Cleft palate is treated with the use of either a “palatal obturator”, a retainer-like apparatus (but no front wires) inserted in the person’s palate that will serve as a cover to the gap, or through surgery.

Photo taken from http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu

Glass ionomers are used in areas not subject to heavy chewing pressure since they have quite a low resistance to fracture. This material is best applicable in small non-load bearing fillings i.e. areas between the teeth and the roots of the teeth. Dentists remove less of the tooth structure when preparing the tooth for a glass ionomer and therefore needs only smaller filling compared to that of an amalgam.

Glass ionomers can be described as translucent tooth-colored materials. It is a mixture of acrylic acid and fine glass powders. These materials are able to release small amounts of fluoride to lessen the possibility of tooth decay in high-risk patients. Although there have been reports of patients succumbing to allergic reactions when in contact with glass ionomers, these incidences are quite few and glass ionomers can be considered as safe for the majority of dental patients.

Source: Mainstreet Dental

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.

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.

by Andrea Mella

There are four major types of teeth: chisel-shaped incisors for slicing food, sharp canines for splitting food, diamond-shaped premolars with pits and fissures for crushing food, and rectangular molars which also pound food. In the role of placement of teeth, the upper and lower teeth are the identical. The two middle teeth are mid incisors flanked on either section by lateral incisors, after that canines, first and second premolars, and primary, next and third molars on the farthest of both sides. Apart from chewing food, teeth have three other purpose. First, they help out in the articulation and verbalization of sounds. Second, milk teeth are placeholders for lasting teeth and make sure that there is room for them to break out. Lastly, teeth aid in upholding the look and facial contour.

by Andrea Mella

Media news on foreign made dental crowns revealed in laboratory tests that they be full of lead at 200 parts per million. This shocked the American Dental Association, which then on the alert the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The ADA carried out tests on overseas and nearby made dental crowns. The CDC has said that the quantity of lead is “extremely unlikely” to be unsafe. Domestic dental laboratories may subcontract production in a foreign country, in which circumstances it has to bring in crowns, bridges, and other dental devices. As a safety measure and for your own composure, discover from your dentist where the crowns originate from and what they are made of.

by Andrea Mella

Cone beam volumetric tomography or CBVT is immediate growing to be the standard in 3D imaging. CBVT supports medication for embed placement, craniofacial surgical procedure and TMJD. It comes together stereophotography and imaging software applications to design dental treatment. It is noticeably more accurate than CT scans and has 200 times not as much of radiation, making it much safer. The spread out which is a basis by metal in amalgams or metal crown is also curtailed, and head posture is not as significant issue in scanning as in CT scans. Superiority control is exacting and time and again, diseases that were not at first part of the treatment are perceived

by Andrea Mella

Enamel erosion is the closure of the surface enamel as a result of a physicochemical process in relation to acids. Whereas there is a available copy on erosion of the lingual surface of dentition, there has been fewer up to date curiosity in labial erosion. The writing on enamel erosion and abrasion regard as its relationship to such causes as dietary, regurgitative and industrial erosion, intake of acidic foods and drinks and present dental hygiene. In the past, the deficiency of labial enamel on anterior teeth, predominantly next to the cemento-enamel junction, is possible to be a sign of the use of a coarse tooth powder or an sour and erosive dental stain.