Even if you see a dentist frequently, oral health can deteriorate if you don’t implement oral care hygiene practices. Unfortunately, oral problems like tooth decay and cavities can easily affect the teeth and gums, leading to lost teeth and gingivitis. A Houston cosmetic and general dentist will restore your teeth after decay and help you achieve a bright smile. The dentist might recommend cosmetic procedures to treat impacted teeth and congenital issues. He may also recommend these common dental restorations to improve your teeth and oral health.
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Dental Fillings
Tooth decay can lead to pain as it exposes the tooth’s nerves, and you should consult a dentist when your teeth develop decay and cavities. The dentist will inspect the teeth physically and offer dental fillings and restorations dealing with cavities. The dental fillings are made of composite, which attaches to the surface of the teeth. However, the dentist starts by cleaning off the decayed enamel from the tooth surface, ensuring they expose the healthy enamel layer beneath. They will bond the dental composite fillings to the tooth and shape and polish it to look like the other teeth on the arch. You will receive the dental fillings within the first visit to the dentist’s office as it requires minimal preparation and is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure.
Dental Implants
Dental implants fix lost teeth and have the closest feel to natural teeth. They are made of porcelain clay, hard to stain, chip and break. Although the implantation process is invasive, it reduces bone loss and stimulates the jaw bone, thus preventing receding jaws. Moreover, they are long-lasting and thus less costly in the long run as you will not need to replace them frequently like debentures.
Dental Bridges
Lost teeth leave gaps in your arch, and you can fill these gaps with dental bridges. The bridges are dental crowns covering the gaps left by several teeth on the jaw. They connect healthy teeth to dental implants, thus brightening your smile. The dental bridges keep the teeth at their positions, preventing them from moving to fill the space left by the lost teeth. Moving teeth might become crooked leading to infections and oral problems.
Teeth Whitening
Although you might be tempted to whiten discolored teeth at home, it is better to seek professional care from a dentist’s office. Deepening the severity of the discoloration, the dentist will use chemicals with varying strengths to whiten the teeth. They will fill holding trays with the whitening chemical and attach them to the teeth carefully to avoid hurting the gums.
Veneers
Veneers are cosmetic porcelain shells attached to the fronts of the teeth to correct issues such as staining, crookedness, and chipped surfaces. The dentist will scrape enamel layers before fitting the wafer-thin porcelain to the teeth. The scraping of the enamel ensures the teeth don’t look bulky.
Although most people are hesitant to undergo cosmetic and corrective dental procedures, these procedures improve the health of the teeth and promote better oral health. Thus you should visit your dentist and ask if you are eligible for the dental procedures as they improve the appearance of discolored teeth, correct crooked teeth, and fill the space left by lost teeth. You can opt for teeth whitening, veneers, dental implants, bridges, and fillings to fix different dental issues.
