Restorative Dentistry in Greenfield
Smile Repair Options
People lose their teeth for a variety of reasons: injury, trauma, dental caries (tooth decay), and gum (periodontal) disease. BGH Dental offers replacement teeth that look beautiful and function just like healthy, natural teeth. In the past, people had to wear traditional dentures, partials, or bridges to replace teeth. Today, we offer more contemporary versions of these prosthetics, as well as dental implants.
Tooth-Colored Fillings
Left untreated, tooth decay won't heal. On the contrary, the bacterial infection will spread and could ultimately affect the life of the afflicted tooth and your oral health. The treatment for a mild cavity is a dental filling, which takes just one visit to place. In the past, amalgam fillings were the gold standard for cavity treatment. Today, however, we have an esthetic option that looks totally natural: tooth-colored composite resin fillings. If we find that you have tooth decay, our doctors will recommend the best filling for the location and extent of your cavity. However, we typically recommend composite resin fillings that offer a stronger restoration option. The material is applied directly to the damaged tooth in a putty-like consistency and seeps into the smallest pits and grooves in smiles. Once in place, we use a curing light to harden the filling into position. We can also use composite resin for purely cosmetic treatments.
Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings
CEREC
CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CEramic REConstruction, and is a high-tech system that designs and manufactures crowns and other restorations such as veneers, inlays and onlays in a single appointment right here in our office. The system includes an infrared digital camera to capture a visual image of your tooth, 3D CAD software to design your crown and a milling unit that constructs your customized same day crown.
Everything is getting faster these days. Whether it’s your phone, your computer, or even your car, speed is the name of the game. Fortunately, high-quality dental care has been able to keep pace with an ever quickening world. Thanks to CEREC in Greenfield, MA, a person with chipped, cracked, broken, or misshapen teeth can now get a customized all-porcelain crown in as little as one hour.
Dental Crowns
If you suffer from damaged or decayed teeth, you may want to try dental crowns. Each is a small, durable cap that fits over a weakened tooth, strengthening the treated area. Our office offers crowns made of various substances, including porcelain, zirconia, gold, and porcelain fused to metal. Based on your needs, we can determine which material would lead to an ideal treatment result. Our team would then customize your crown to fit comfortably and snugly.
Dental Bridges
If you’ve lost a few adjacent teeth, it’d be worth your time to consider dental bridges. Each is made of dental materials fused to a pontic (i.e., an artificial tooth) and relies on existing oral structures for support. That means a dental bridge can anchor to your nearby teeth – or “abutments” – to fill large smile gaps. However, our office does offer what are called “implant bridges” as well. These kinds are secured with dental implants instead of natural teeth.
Dentures & Partial Dentures
Missing teeth negatively impact one’s overall health and well-being in many ways. A person with missing teeth is at higher risk for bone loss, poor nutrition and sunken facial features. People with missing teeth often experience lower levels of confidence. Dentures can change the way you eat, feel, and look. There is no reason you have to live without a natural looking smile. The fit, feel, and function of modern dentures are far superior to past generations. If you need a full set of teeth that will serve you well physically and emotionally, talk with us about dentures.
When several teeth are missing, we may recommend a partial denture. Partials are made up of several artificial teeth attached to a plastic piece that looks like natural gum tissue. Clasps on the appliance fit onto healthy, natural teeth to offer support. If you need multiple bridges, a partial may provide a less invasive alternative.
Root Canal Treatment
Root canals have a reputation for being extremely painful. However, the procedure itself actually relieves pain. By removing the damaged or decayed dental structure that has accessed the tooth’s nerve system, root canal therapy allows us to preserve the remaining healthy tooth structure while restoring the full form and function of damaged teeth.
Extractions
The goal of restorative dentistry at BGH Dental is almost always to preserve natural tooth structure, but there are some dental concerns that make tooth extraction the best choice to help patients maintain their healthiest smiles. Our skilled dentists have the training and skill to remove teeth safely and comfortably. If necessary, we will also provide tooth replacement solutions. We may need to recommend tooth removal in the following situations:
- Decay or damage that has left insufficient dental structure to support a crown or other restoration
- As part of the preparation for orthodontic treatments or partial or full denture creation
- The third molars, wisdom teeth, are last to erupt in patients’ smiles and they’re often removed because inadequate space within the jaw line causes crowding or impaction