The human jaw can exert on average up to 70kg of force. That kind of pressure, expecially when biting on something firm can lead to breakages, cracks and chips. Quite often, teeth that are compromised by poor dental hygeine, decay, age, and damaging habits like grinding, biting nails and chewing pens can weaken and damage dental tissue. Accidents happen. Sometimes even the healthiest, strongest teeth can suffer incidence of trauma, especially during sporting activities, or biting down on something unexpectedly hard.
Not only do damaged teeth cause pain, discomfort and effect functionality, it also effects the appearance of teeth, and may impact the confidence of a person. These are situations where restorative dentistry is utilised, and there are a variety of treatments to restore a particular type of tooth damage,
What Treatments are Available?
- Veneers are thin, individual shell-like caps that are bonded to the front surfaces of each tooth. They are a popular restoration, often the choice for those wanting a whiter, straighter and balanced smile. Veneers have the lustre and characteristics of natural teeth, and can be made in a laboratory from porcelain, or using special composite resin.
- Bonding is another name for resin or composite dental material. It is applied directly to the teeth like a putty, crafted into the desired shape, and is then hardened or ‘cured’ using a special curing light, then finished off by shaping and polishing the restoration.
- Crowns are used to restore the entire surround of the part tooth that is visible from the gumline, leaving a ‘post’ of the original tooth underneath for the crown to sit on, with the root reamaining intact.
- Inlays and Onlays are made of various materials, and are used to restore particular sections of a tooth.
- Tooth Coloured Fillings are used to fill the part of the tooth that has been damaged by decay. They can also replace old, unnattractive metal fillings.
