Restorations
Restorative dentistry is the process of replace missing or damaged teeth. The goal is to bring back your natural smile and prevent future oral health issues.
Our goal is to fix your smile's overall appearance and oral hygiene. We are dedicated to learning the latest technology and procedures in these fields to ensure our patients get the best care and our treatment plans are in their best interest.
Our Restorative dental offerings include:
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Tooth Colored Fillings
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Inlays and Onlays
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Single Crowns
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Bridges
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Full and Partial Dentures
Tooth Colored Fillings
How Do I Know if I Need a Filling?
Only a dentist can detect whether you have a cavity that needs to be filled. During a checkup, our dentists will use a small mirror to examine the surfaces of each tooth.
Anything that looks abnormal will then be closely checked with special instruments. We may also X-ray your entire mouth or a section of it. The type of treatment chosen will depend on the extent of damage caused by decay.
What Types of Filling Materials Are Available?
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Composite resins are matched to be the same color as your teeth and therefore used where a natural appearance is desired.
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Porcelain fillings are called inlays or onlays and are produced to order in a lab and then bonded to the tooth. They can be matched to the color of the tooth and resist staining. A porcelain restoration generally covers most of the tooth.
If decay or a fracture has damaged a large portion of the tooth, a crown, or cap, may be recommended. Decay that has reached the nerve may be treated in two ways: through root canal therapy (in which nerve damaged nerve is removed) or through a procedure called pulp capping (which attempts to keep the nerve alive).
Minor cavities can be restored with white composite resin (tooth colored) filling material. This type of treatment is a good way of correcting a small problem before it becomes a bigger and more expensive problem.
What is a Filling?
A filling is a way to restore a tooth damaged by decay back to its normal function and shape. When our dentists treat a cavity with a filling, they first remove the decay, clean the affected area, and then fill the cleaned out cavity with a filling material.
Replacing Metal Dental Fillings
Do you have old amalgam (metal) dental fillings that are impacting the appearance of your smile or breaking down and coming out? You can choose to have them replaced by our dentists at Thousand Oaks Smile Design. Modern advances in cosmetic dentistry mean that you no longer need to suffer from unsightly and uncomfortable silver/mercury fillings. Whether your motives are cosmetic or out of health or comfort concerns, metal dental fillings can easily be removed and replaced with more esthetic tooth colored ones for a more comfortable and natural looking restoration.
For teeth that have large metal fillings, a dental crown may yield the best results. The dental crown will add stability to the tooth and conceal any discoloration that may have been caused as a result of the metal filling.
Dental Inlays & Onlays
Fillings and Crowns are not the only way to preserve a damaged tooth. If your tooth is too damaged for a filling, but not so far gone to require a crown, ask our dentists about dental inlays and onlays. They are the perfect middle ground between a filling and a crown.
What are Inlays and Onlays?
Think of inlays and onlays as premolded fillings. They protect your tooth after damage and cavities like a filling would but, they take it the extra mile. Using an impression of your teeth, inlays and onlays are molded in a lab to fit your tooth seamlessly. They are known for their durability and comfort; lasting up to thirty years. You might even forget that it isn’t your natural tooth.
Inlays
Inlays fit inside the top cusps or edges of the tooth. Because of the minimal material required, they are more similar to a filling than a crown. Unlike a normal filling, an inlay is premolded to fit perfectly to the top of your tooth.
Onlays
Onlays are required when the damage extends past the cusps of the tooth. It caps the top of the tooth but is not as encasing as a crown. Because onlays don’t extend to cover the entire tooth they are blended to the side of the tooth. It will be near impossible to tell that the onlay is not your original tooth.
Benefits of Inlays & Onlays
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Conserves your tooth’s original structure
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Made of strong, lasting materials
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Strengthens and protects your tooth
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Molded to fit the tooth perfectly
If you are having trouble with a filling and think an inlay or onlay might be the solution for you, give us a call at Thousand Oaks Smile Design. Our trained professionals will know exactly how to get you back to a pain free bite. Don’t hesitate to contact us, especially if you are experiencing tooth pain. It is best to get ahead of the problem before it gets worse.
Single Crowns
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped "cap" that is placed over a tooth to cover the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and improve its appearance.
The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.
Why Is a Dental Crown Needed?
A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:
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To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
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To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
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To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't a lot of tooth left
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To hold a dental bridge in place
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To cover misshapen or severely discolored teeth
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To cover a dental implant
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To make a cosmetic modification
Bridges
What are dental bridges?
Dental bridges are made to bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth.
A bridge is made up of two or more crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap and a false tooth/teeth in between. These false teeth are called pontics and can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants.
What Are the Benefits of Dental Bridges?
Bridges can:
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Restore your smile
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Restore the ability to properly chew and speak
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Maintain the shape of your face
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Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
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Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position
Full and Partial Dentures
What are Dental Dentures?
Dentures are removable appliances that can replace missing teeth and help restore your smile. If you’ve lost all of your natural teeth, whether from gum disease, tooth decay or injury, replacing missing teeth will benefit your appearance and your health.
What Are the Benefits of Dentures?
When you lose all of your teeth, facial muscles can sag, making you look older. Dentures can help fill out the appearance of your face and profile. With our advanced technology, they can be made to closely resemble your natural teeth so that your appearance does not change much. Dentures may even improve the look of your smile.
Dentures make it easier to eat and speak better than you could without teeth—things that people often take for granted.