Author of the article: Goldstein Maria Anatolyevna
Doctor-expert
Specialization: Dentist-therapist
Total work experience: since 2008
Reading time: 7-8 minutes
- Direct restoration
If the aesthetic properties of teeth are lost, a person experiences certain discomfort. The quality of life deteriorates if uneven or unsightly teeth prevent you from smiling broadly or if the enamel is too yellow, chips and cracks lead to complexes. Modern dentistry allows us to solve these problems by offering various types and methods of restoration, which is an alternative to full prosthetics.
What is dental restoration?
The word “restoration” usually refers to a whole range of aesthetic dentistry procedures, the task of which is to restore or correct the shape and color of teeth. The main indication for aesthetic restoration of the front teeth is gaps between the teeth, small chips and microcracks of the enamel, as well as changes in the shape of the teeth as a result of unscrupulous treatment of pulpitis and other diseases in the past. The most common type of procedure is direct dental restoration with composite materials, in particular tooth augmentation. With its help, chipped front teeth and gaps between teeth in the smile area are quite effectively eliminated.
Indirect dental restoration involves veneering, prosthetics using dental inlays, ceramic crowns and half-crowns. But in general, when it comes to restoration, it still means the correction of teeth with composite materials.
Causes of crown damage
Destruction of the tooth wall can occur for various reasons. Here are the most common ones:
- jaw injury due to a direct blow or fall,
- dental diseases – caries, pulpitis.
Additional risk factors are:
- eating very solid foods - crackers, nuts,
- temperature fluctuations - alternating cold and hot food,
- formation of soft bacterial plaque and pigmented tartar,
- abuse of sweets and other foods high in carbohydrates.
Dental restoration methods
The direct method is the application of a light-curing composite material. The doctor forms a layer, illuminates it with a UV lamp, and so on until he completely restores the shape of the tooth. A rich palette allows you to choose the shade of the composite to match the natural tone of your teeth. Finally, sanding is carried out. The restoration will last up to 5-7 years.
The indirect method is the use of veneers or crowns for chewing teeth. They are made in a dental laboratory from ceramic masses and metal or zirconium frames. Service life – 10-15 years.
Indications for the procedure
The main indications for restoration include the following:
- Correction of aesthetic defects. It is an improvement in the appearance of teeth damaged by caries or having defects in hard tissues. As part of this, dentists offer: Correction of enamel color. Moreover, restoration allows you to even out the color of not only a living tooth (using veneers on the vestibular surface), but also a dead tooth (using an indirect restoration method with the production of composite veneers or crowns).
- Correction of tooth shape and size. The main advantage of modern dentistry in solving this problem is the ability to obtain results in one visit to the clinic, especially if the issue concerns a minor diastema or other purely aesthetic defects. If the case is complex or advanced, experts offer alternative correction methods, for example, using inlays or crowns.
- Correction of the position of the tooth(s) in the row. The use of composite materials can provide immediate results when a single “movement” of individual teeth is required. If the problem is not purely aesthetic, then planned orthodontic treatment will be required.
In general, aesthetic restoration of teeth is an opportunity to correct minor cracks and chips, even out unsatisfactory enamel color, correct slight curvatures of the dentition (arising, for example, as a result of periodontitis), and get rid of the consequences of interdental, cervical and deep caries.
Composite dental restoration
Even the most ordinary filling should be beautiful. Therefore, direct composite dental restoration in dentistry is increasingly becoming an alternative to conventional filling and is actively used as the final stage in the treatment of caries. This technique should be carried out in specially equipped dental offices by specialists with certain qualifications, and using highly aesthetic light-curing composite materials. All this increases not only the quality of dental treatment, but also its cost (prices for dental restoration in Moscow can vary from 1,500 rubles to 50,000 rubles per tooth). But how can an ordinary patient understand how dental restoration with a composite material differs from a traditional filling, and is it worth overpaying for it?
The main difference between composite dental restoration and conventional filling is the final result. The restored tooth becomes identical in color to its natural counterpart. Its natural shape is restored taking into account all anatomical features. If the composite restoration of the anterior teeth is carried out efficiently, the patient will not be able to detect the presence of a filling by touch with his tongue and will not experience the sensation of something foreign in the oral cavity when closing the jaws. The latter aspect is of paramount importance for the normal function of the temporomandibular joint, which is important for the health of not only the oral cavity, but the entire body as a whole.
Photos before and after restoration of anterior teeth with composites
Treatment of adentia in children
It is important for parents to understand that treatment of children who experience pathological tooth loss must be carried out without fail. For example, if a child lacks primary teeth in the anterior and lateral segments, the row may not form correctly during adolescence.
Children's adentia is characterized by:
- delay in changing permanent teeth;
- asymmetrical teething;
- unilateral preservation of primary teeth;
- non-loss of a baby tooth and its fusion with a depression in the jaw bone.
If at least one of these signs is detected, the child should definitely be shown to an orthodontist.
The choice of orthopedic design depends on the type of pathology and the condition of the small patient’s oral cavity. Children most often have fixed bridges installed - cantilever or sliding. To fix the structure, crowns are installed. Children respond well to prosthetics and adapt well to new designs.
Bridges can also be installed in young patients, but such designs are more suitable during the period of late mixed and permanent dentition. The most successful designs are considered to be sliding bridges. The only drawback of such a system is the formation of a gap when the structure moves apart and food gets into it.
Bridges are sometimes installed for preventive purposes to preserve space in the dentition.
During the period of early mixed and temporary dentition, removable plate dentures are used, which do not retard the growth of the jaw bones.
Artistic restoration of teeth
Unlike simple restoration, artistic, or cosmetic, direct dental restoration in dentistry solves exclusively aesthetic problems. Irregular shape, insufficient length or size of a tooth can be corrected using this technique. Dental chips and various defects resulting from trauma are also problems that can be solved by artistic dental restoration. In addition, with the help of restorative bleaching, you can correct teeth whose unaesthetic color cannot be changed using standard techniques. Gaps between teeth are also the most common problems that can be solved by artistic restoration of the front teeth.
The technology described is an exclusive, high-cost service that is not offered in all dental clinics in Moscow. For such delicate work, the dentist requires not just skill, but real talent. He must have the technique of layering various materials to achieve a transparent effect. Artistic dental restoration is partly an alternative to indirect dental restoration, which is carried out using inlays, crowns and restoration with veneers or the installation of lumineers, but only for certain indications.
When should you see a doctor?
You need to see a dentist if:
- a defect has appeared on the crown - a small crack, chip or darkened area,
- yellowish bacterial plaque has accumulated or tartar has formed,
- a previously installed filling has become loose or fallen out,
- The gums have become looser, bleeding has appeared when brushing teeth or while eating.
The sooner the patient seeks help from a specialist, the easier the treatment will be. The doctor will determine the method of restoring the damaged tooth wall based on the results of a comprehensive diagnosis, which includes examination, radiography, and, if indicated, CT.
Why do you need to restore your teeth?
Edentia is not only discomfort, but also early aging. The absence of teeth leads to changes in facial features, sunken cheeks, and the appearance of deep wrinkles. The person looks older, his appearance becomes sickly. In addition to visible imbalances in proportions and a deterioration in the quality of life, when there are no teeth at all, health problems
:
- The diet is reduced, the body does not receive the required amount of vitamins and minerals. The immune system suffers, metabolic processes are disrupted, and cells do not receive enough nutrients.
- Gastrointestinal diseases are provoked. Food is chopped poorly, making digestion difficult. Sometimes patients switch to eating pureed food or pureed food - this method also contributes to the appearance of dysfunction of the stomach and intestines.
- The absence of teeth in the jaws leads to improper distribution of the load on the gums and bone. Tissues atrophy and become thinner.
The bite also changes, diction is impaired - speech is slurred, most sounds are distorted. The absence of teeth affects the emotional state, lowers self-esteem, and the circle of friends narrows. Researchers have also established a direct connection with the presence of teeth and the state of intelligence and activity of older people.
Prosthetics of the lower jaw on implants
The structure of the lower jaw is different - the bone mass is denser and thicker, the installation of a lower prosthesis in the absence of teeth, and the implantation of implants have other features.
“All on 4” protocols, as mentioned earlier, in most cases allow for complete restoration of teeth. The healing process is faster - the vast majority of patients forget about the presence of artificial teeth after three months. This is possible due to the increased density and sufficient height of the bone. The method is recommended for lack of volume (short length, thickness), atypical location of the mandibular canal.
Example #4 - All on 4 implantation with lower jaw prosthetics
Our patient is 82 (!) years old
. For the last 10 (!) years I have been trying to carry out treatment - restoration of the dentition with the help of implants. But, unfortunately for him, it was not successful - the implants were lost for a number of reasons - they did not take root, they became inflamed. But we must give our patient his due - he did not lose hope. A man of very progressive thinking, he understood that the problem was not in his body, but that something else was happening that was preventing him from becoming the happy owner of a high-quality denture on implants.
The result of “All on 4” prosthetics is presented in the photo below:
More details about this interesting clinical case can be found HERE.
Which is the best method to choose?
There is an alternative to dental prosthetics using implants, and for those who, due to contraindications or other reasons, cannot undergo implantation, this is a real salvation. And in each individual case, a method is selected based on specific conditions, the nature of the clinical picture, the requirements and capabilities of the patient.
But still, when choosing, it is necessary to take into account that implantation today is essentially the only method that provides complete restoration of the functionality of the dental system, including stopping bone atrophy. Perhaps a full-fledged alternative to dental implantation will appear in the near future, but for now it does not exist - all methods of prosthetics without implantation have disadvantages and do not ensure the transfer of chewing load to the bone, which causes degradation of the jawbone, gradual displacement and destruction of the remaining teeth.
