Are you unhappy with your smile? Do you feel like your teeth could be straighter? If you have answered yes to both of these questions and are based in Richmond it may be time to visit Sheen Dental in Richmond.
Sheen Dental in Richmond offers high quality treatments due to advanced developments in dental technology. Dedicated to providing quality dentistry for over 100 years, we offer treatments in restorative, cosmetic and preventive dentistry.
What do we mean by preventive dentistry?
This refers to the focus on trying to preserve your natural teeth for as long as possible. Many dental practices offer preventive dental treatments which, when recommended, work to prevent the need for major dental treatment and improve your oral health, which will hopefully mean keeping your teeth for life. An example of this is a ‘scale and polish’ which is usually carried out by a hygienist.
What is restorative dentistry?
Restorative dentistry refers to management of problems that are associated with oral health and restoring the mouth to a functional state. Some examples of restorative dental treatments include bridges, inlays and onlays, dentures and denture stabilisation and crowns.
So if you are suffering from a chipped tooth, an option that may be suitable for you is to get a crown restoration. This crown can be made out of porcelain, stainless steel, resin or metal, and it is fixed in your mouth where your tooth has been damaged or broken.
What types of crowns are available for me?
Stainless steel crowns are usually used as a temporary measure and are generally ideal for children, as they cover the entire tooth, protecting it from any decay. If the crown is placed over a baby tooth, once it is ready to come out and make way for the adult tooth, the crown also comes out with it. It is ideal for children as it does not require multiple dental visits in order to fit the crown.
Metal crowns are known to last the longest in the mouth and hardly chip or break. Recommended usually for molars at the very back of the mouth, metal crowns are made up of alloys with a high content of either gold or platinum. This means that these crowns can withstand chewing and biting into hard foods.
Porcelain crowns, however, are usually colour matched so they are made to look just like your natural teeth and are an ideal choice if you require crowns on your front teeth. They are also more suitable for people who suffer from metal allergies. There are also porcelain fused to metal crowns, however depending on where the crown is, the underlying metal can be visible at the gum line as a dark line.
In order to fit your dental crown, your dentist will first file down your tooth into the desired shape before taking a mould of the tooth and the surrounding teeth. The impression will then be sent off to a dental laboratory for the permanent crown to be made. Whilst you wait for the crown to arrive, a temporary one will be put in place to protect the tooth before the permanent crown arrives.
