Restorative Dentistry

Teeth that are decayed, damaged, or missing can cause several problems for your oral health, not to mention negatively impact the appearance of your smile. If you require restorative dentistry, Dr. Stella Kim at Oronoco Dental in Alexandria, Virginia, can help. Dr. Kim provides fillings, crowns, and bridges to cosmetically and functionally improve smiles.

Restorative Dentistry Q & A

  • Restorative dentistry focuses on restoring teeth that are damaged, missing, or not aesthetically pleasing. Dr. Kim can use restorative procedures to treat a variety of dental concerns, including:

    • Cavities caused by tooth decay

    • Cracked, chipped, or fractured teeth

    • Teeth that are significantly worn down

    • Missing teeth

    Dr. Kim works to ensure your restoration will be beautiful, functional, and long-lasting.

  • Fillings are a restorative procedure for treating cavities caused by tooth decay. Cavities develop when plaque sits on the surface of your tooth for too long. Plaque is full of harmful bacteria that eat away at your tooth enamel, eventually creating a hole.

    When you get a filling, Dr. Kim removes all of the decayed material from your tooth, then fills in the resulting hole with a tooth-colored filling material. By sealing the hole in your tooth, your filling effectively prevents decay.

  • A crown is a cap that Dr. Kim seals over the top of your tooth, covering the entirety of your tooth above the gumline. They’re designed from an impression of your mouth, so they look, feel, and function just like your natural tooth.

    Dr. Kim uses crowns to treat teeth that have a significant amount of structural damage, like a crack or fracture. She might also recommend a crown to strengthen your tooth after a root canal or if you have a tooth with decay that’s too extensive for a filling.

  • A bridge is a set of extended crowns that fill in the empty spaces left by missing teeth. It’s made up of one or more fake teeth, called pontics, attached to crowns on either side of the empty space.

    Dr. Kim seals the crowns to the teeth that are adjacent to your missing tooth, leaving the pontic(s) to bridge the gap between those teeth.

    Just like with a crown, your bridge is made from an impression of your mouth, so it’s custom-designed to fit your unique smile and blend in with the rest of your natural teeth.

    Bridges not only restore the appearance of your smile, but they also keep your remaining teeth from shifting and evenly distribute the force of your bite.

Dental Fillings Stop Decay

Even with careful brushing and flossing, tooth decay can still happen. Decay is caused by by-products of bacteria in the mouth that slowly eat away at teeth. When this happens, your dentist may recommend a dental filling. You may not feel any pain even though you have tooth decay. It is important to have dental fillings to stop decay before it causes pain.

Fillings are often done under local anesthesia, which makes the procedure more comfortable. The dentist will clean out the decayed area, and then fill in the decayed area with a tooth-colored filling material.

Protect a Tooth with a Dental Crown

A crown may be necessary when a tooth has more structural damage. A crown fits over the top of the entire tooth like a cap. It is crafted to fit your tooth and cemented in place by the dentist. This allows it to blend in with the rest of your teeth in the way it looks and the way it feels when you chew.

Crowns are often recommended when a significant portion of the tooth is cracked, missing, or otherwise weak. They are also used after a root canal or in combination with bridges.

Dental Bridges Close the Gap

If one or more teeth are missing, the surrounding teeth can shift over time. This shifting impacts bite quality and may lead to oral health problems such as gum disease. Your dentist may recommend a bridge to span the gap and prevent this from happening. The teeth surrounding the gap are used as anchors, and an artificial tooth is cemented to fill in the space. Like crowns, bridges are custom molded to your mouth so that they fit you perfectly.