I am very thankful that I have been fortunate enough to find this Dentist Office. The entire staff are very pleasant and genuinely care about a good outcome regardless of your situation. You could not ask for better. Dr. Parker is great…😀 …
Nothing lasts forever, and unfortunately, that includes dental work you’ve had done in the past. Whether you’ve had a filling used to repair damage caused by a cavity or a dental implant to replace a lost tooth, you can expect many years from these dental restorations. But sooner or later, they will likely have to be replaced.
Call our Decatur, AL dental office today at 256-274-8680 and schedule your next appoint. Dr. Betts has the experience needed to tell when a dental restoration is starting to fail. Then he can offer treatments to fix things so your smile stays healthy and strong.
What Are Dental Restorations?
You put your teeth through a lot of pressure and work every day. All that food you eat needs to be mashed, crushed, and torn small enough to swallow. And because eating is so vital to your everyday life, a small problem with your teeth can be a huge problem for you.
That’s where dental restorations come in. Restorative dentistry includes any treatment that repairs and restores your teeth to how they should be. Common dental restorations include:
- Fillings to repair cavities.
- Dental crowns for chipped or damaged teeth.
- Dental bridges for replacing a lost tooth without surgery.
- Dental implants for a long-lasting replacement tooth,
- Root canals to remove infections and stop toothaches.
By calling our Decatur dentist today, you can get these dental restorations and more to fix problems with your smile. This way, your teeth will be strong and healthy so you can keep eating like you should.
How Your Dental Works Starts To Fail
These all work great, but again, they cannot last forever. That’s because of all that pressure and work from chewing each day puts stress on that dental work. And that’s not including any accidents that might come along, like getting hit in the mouth or having a car accident.
Here are three of the most common problems with older dental restorations and how our Decatur dentist can help.
A FILLING CAME OUT
Cavities are holes in your enamel. They’re caused by harmful bacteria that everyone has in their mouth. They produce an acid that burns a hole in the tooth. Traditionally, a dental filling is used to correct this damage. Dr. Betts will first remove any damaged enamel still there. Then the filling will be bonded to your healthy enamel surrounding the hole.
But like any adhesive, this bond can eventually weaken. This means your filling can come out unexpectedly. When this happens, you need to call Dr. Betts at 256-274-8680 to schedule an emergency appointment. Chances are, Dr. Betts will be able to put in a new cavity. If there’s a problem, you can also get a dental crown to seal up the damaged tooth.
A DENTAL CROWN CAME OFF
When you have a big cavity or damage like chips or cracks, you need to worry about two things. First, the damage weakens your enamel and makes it more likely to get damaged again. Second, bacteria can slip through damage and infect the inside of your tooth. That’s where dental crowns come in.
These caps are shaped and colored to look natural in your smile. They cover the tooth, sealing up any damaged areas. Dental crowns also hold a tooth snugly together so it doesn’t crack. However, the same bond used with fillings can also give way with your dental crown.
If your dental crown comes off, call our Decatur, AL dental office. Dr. Betts can give you a new dental crown to replace the old, failing one so you can have many more years with a healthy smile.
A DENTAL IMPLANT IS LOOSE OR DAMAGED
Dental implants are amazing ways to replace lost teeth. They include an artificial root and a natural-looking but durable replacement tooth. However, durable is not the same as perfect. Over time, your replacement tooth can get stained or damaged. It can even get loose.
Thankfully, you can call Dr. Betts when this happens. He has the training and skill needed to gently replace the tooth and put in a new one. This way, you don’t have to remove the artificial root but you can still get a better replacement tooth connected to it.
Call us TODAY at 256-274-8680 or use our online form to make your next appointment with our Decatur dentist. Most (if not all) dental restorations will need to be fixed when they get too old. By calling us, you can get those dental restorations replaced.