Seeing a General Dentist to Repair an Injured Tooth

Your general dentist knows how important it is to keep teeth healthy and intact. Any impact on the facial area, especially near the mouth, can injure a tooth. Pain is a common indication of a dental injury. Coming in for a dental treatment is crucial to saving your tooth. If you want to know how your general dentist can help repair your injured tooth, here are the details.

Resin-retained bridge

A general dentist needs to extract the tooth if its injury is too severe. This leaves a gap or two in the upper or lower arch. Some patients do not want to have a fixed bridge, denture, or dental implants. Another alternative would be a resin-retained bridge. This restoration is ideal for missing front teeth. This type of bridge attaches to the neighboring natural teeth on each side.

Dental bonding

An injured tooth may have a portion chipped off. This exposes the tooth to food particles, temperature changes, and bacteria. The general dentist can help right away by applying composite resin to the tooth. Shaping the resin material follows. Then, the dentist hardens the resin with a curing light and polishes it. That way, the tooth looks and feels like the neighboring natural teeth.

Removable partial denture

This is an option for patients who have one or two missing teeth in different areas of the arch. The general dentist provides this restoration to patients who want to regain the normal function and look of the missing natural teeth. A removable partial denture helps the patient well when it comes to chewing and smiling. Over time, these restorations become uncomfortable and loose. The patient would have to see the dentist for another teeth-replacement option.

Dental implants

The general dentist will suggest this option if the patient wants to have the gold standard in teeth replacements. This option involves dental surgery. The dentist will drill implant holes into the patient’s jawbone. Then, the dentist will place the titanium rods in them and close the gum tissue with sutures. After osseointegration, the placement of the abutments and dental crowns follow. This will complete the dental implant procedure.

Veneers

Most patients want immediate dental restorations for their injured teeth. That is what they will get with porcelain veneers. The general dentist will roughen the surfaces of the damaged teeth. This will make the thin, porcelain shells stick better to the teeth. Then, the dentist will bond the porcelain shells to the patient’s teeth, concealing any imperfection.

Fixed bridge

This option can fill the empty gap left when the dentist extracts a tooth with severe injury. A fixed bridge is for those who do not want to have dental implants for all the lost teeth in a row. The patient may have up to five missing teeth on one side of the arch. For this option, the dentist will place dental implants on the two opposite sides of the bridge. These implants will support the middle teeth.