What is restorative dentistry?
Protecting your child’s oral health as they grow is absolutely essential for their overall well-being. And even if you take care of their mouth, they may end up with a cavity or damage a tooth while playing with friends or participating in sports.
That’s where restorative dentistry from Dentistry For Children can help. Our pediatric dentists are experts in restoring little smiles. From cavities to infected teeth, oral injuries and more, we provide your child with the care they need to get back to their routine, eliminate pain, and prevent future complications. Contact us now to schedule an appointment.
What Is Restorative Dentistry?
As the name suggests, restorative dentistry is focused on restoring the health, appearance, and function of teeth that have been damaged by dental injuries or chronic oral health issues. This can include fillings for tooth decay, dental crowns to treat damaged teeth, and a lot of other procedures.
Restorative dentistry is particularly important for kids, who are highly susceptible to cavities. About 43% of kids between the ages of 2-19 have at least one cavity, and many kids get multiple cavities as they grow. If left untreated, cavities in baby teeth can lead to infected teeth and even tooth loss.
Proper at-home oral hygiene, a healthy diet, and routine six-month dental visits can reduce the risk of cavities. But if a cavity does occur in one of your child’s teeth, you need to get help right away with a composite filling or a stainless steel crown.
Composite Fillings
Composite fillings are made of a blend of tooth-colored dental resin and special crushed glass particles. The resin looks just like the tooth, while the glass particles add strength and durability to the composite material.
Our dentists exclusively use composite fillings for kids at Dentistry For Children. Composite fillings look and feel completely natural, are very durable and strong, and usually require the removal of less enamel compared to metal amalgam crowns.
They also do not contain any mercury, which is a necessary ingredient in metal fillings. While studies have shown that metal fillings are safe, many parents prefer to avoid mercury entirely by choosing composite fillings instead.
Stainless Steel Crowns
Crowns are hollow shells that are built to look and feel just like real teeth. They fit over damaged teeth to cover them up and protect them from further damage and deterioration, and are often used to treat decayed teeth, infected teeth, and teeth that have been chipped, cracked, or broken due to dental trauma.
Stainless steel crowns are ideal for treating baby teeth. This is because they are much cheaper than custom-made porcelain crowns. Because the baby teeth are meant to fall out eventually, this makes stainless crowns a better choice.
In addition, stainless steel crowns provide extremely robust protection for damaged or decayed teeth. And since they’re pre-fitted rather than custom-made, your child can typically be treated in just one appointment. In contrast, custom crowns take at least two appointments.
Finally, stainless steel crowns usually require only minimal tooth preparation. They can usually be placed with even less preparation than a filling. This means less drilling, less anxiety, and less discomfort for your child.