Prosthodontics
A beautiful smile is crucial to your health, hygiene, confidence, and self-esteem. At our office, we can help you have the most attractive, natural-looking smile possible through advanced prosthodontic care.
Prosthodontics, or prosthetic dentistry, is an area of dentistry that concentrates on the aesthetic restoration and replacement of teeth to their proper form and function.
As a comprehensive dental practice, we offer our patients a wide range of prosthodontic treatments. Prosthodontic care focuses on complete oral rehabilitation and treatment of numerous dental conditions, such as:
- TMJ/TMD
- Traumatic injuries to the mouth’s structures
- Congenital or birth anomalies to teeth
- Snoring and sleep disorders
- Oral cancer reconstruction and continuing care
Prosthodontic Treatment Options
In order to restore your smile, we may recommend the following prosthodontic treatments:
Crowns
Crowns are a restorative procedure used to improve your tooth’s shape or to strengthen it. Crowns are most often used for teeth that are broken, worn, or have large portions destroyed by tooth decay.
A crown is a “cap” cemented onto an existing tooth that usually covers the portion of your tooth above the gum line. In effect, the crown becomes your tooth’s new outer surface.
Crowns can be made of porcelain or gold. Porcelain crowns are most often preferred because they mimic the color and translucency of natural teeth and are very strong.
Crowns or onlays (partial crowns) are needed when there is insufficient tooth strength to hold a filling. Your crown is created in a lab from your unique tooth impression, which allows a dental laboratory technician to examine all aspects of your bite and jaw movements.
Your crown is designed just for you so your bite and jaw movements function normally once the crown is placed. In some instances, we are able to fabricate your crown in-office using CEREC® same-day crown technology.
Dental Implants
A dental implant is an excellent way to replace a missing tooth or multiple teeth. A dental implant is a titanium post that is placed in the jaw bone to replace the root of your tooth.
Several resotrative options exist to restore teeth using dental implants, ranging from single crowns to implant-supported dentures. Be sure to look at our Dental Implants page for more information about this treatment option.
Dentures
Dentures are natural-looking replacement teeth made by a dentist that are removable. There are two types of dentures: full and partial.
Full dentures are given to patients when all the natural teeth have been removed. Partial dentures are attached to a metal frame that is connected to your natural teeth and are used to fill in where permanent teeth have been removed.
Please explore our Dental Implants page to learn more about how your dentures can be attached to dental implants for addtional support and stability.
Occlusal Disease Treatment
Occlusal disease is caused by a misalignment between the teeth of the upper and lower dental arches, also called malocclusion. If left untreated, occlusal disease and can damage your teeth, the supporting bones and gums around your teeth, temporomandibular joints, and the jaw muscles you use for chewing.
Many people dismiss excessive or abnormally accelerated tooth wear as natural aging or wearing of teeth. However, prosthodontic treatment can alleviate the pain and discomfort caused by occlusal disease and restore your teeth to ideal form and function.
Veneers
Veneers are thin, custom-made shells made from tooth-colored porcelain and are designed to cover the front side of your teeth. They are natural in appearance and a great option for patients who want to make adjustments to the look and feel of their smile.
Bridges
A bridge may be used to replace missing teeth, help maintain the shape of your face, or alleviate stress on your bite. A bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth, looks great, and literally bridges the gap where one or more teeth may have been. Your bridge can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials and is bonded onto surrounding teeth for support.
