What Is Restorative Dentistry?

Losing your teeth impacts more than just your smile. When your jaw loses a tooth, it can cause a host of other issues, including bone loss and higher rates of decay. This is why restorative dentistry is vital to oral health; it helps you protect your other teeth, improve your bite, and restore your smile. 

If you’ve lost or damaged one or more teeth, it’s important to get them repaired or replaced sooner rather than later. Dr. Margaret Culotta-Norton and Dr. Peter Grinc in Washington, DC, provides multiple restorative dentistry services to repair and rejuvenate smiles. She and her team can help give you the brilliant appearance you deserve.

What’s included in restorative dentistry? 

Restorative dentistry is an umbrella term that refers to tooth replacement and repair. This includes a number of different dental solutions, such as: 

• Implants, which replace missing teeth with newly implanted posts 
• Bonding, a process that repairs broken or cracked teeth with resin
• Dentures, which replace multiple missing teeth using a removable frame
• Bridges, or prosthetic teeth that are fitted in place using the surrounding teeth
• Crowns, which protect damaged or unsightly teeth from further damage

Depending on the damage done to your teeth, you might require one or more of these solutions. A restoration plan might include multiple dental procedures to help restore your smile and improve your dental health. 

How restorative dentistry can save your other teeth

Restorative dentistry can be used to correct cosmetic flaws with your smile, but the main objective is to provide you with a fully functional set of teeth. 

Many people with missing, damaged, or unsightly teeth avoid going to the dentist due to a fear of being judged. However, only a dentist can understand your situation and provide the help you need. The longer you go with missing teeth, the higher your risk of losing your remaining teeth. 

This is because the teeth surrounding the gap will begin to shift, and your jaw will begin to lose bone mass. This can lead to tooth sensitivity, tooth decay, changes to your face shape, and even further tooth loss. 

Dental implants can preserve bone mass in your jaw, providing stability to the surrounding teeth. Crowns and bonding can be used to reinforce and strengthen damaged teeth, protecting them from decaying and falling out later. Dentures and bridges can provide you with false teeth, so you can chew, speak, and smile with ease. 

Restorative dentistry can improve a number of things, including : 

• The appearance of your smile 
• The alignment and distribution of your bite 
• The stability of your surrounding teeth 
• The clarity of your speech 

Are you missing one or more teeth? Filling the gap can do wonders for your diet, speech, and self-confidence. To learn more about restorative dentistry, call Dr. Culotta-Norton or Dr. Grinc at 202-833-1111, or visit the contact page for more information.