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Dental Treatments

Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry

Inlays and Onlays

Restoring your tooth to its original strength and function can be done with the use of an Inlay or an Onlay. These excellent options offer an ideal way to treat teeth that have a moderate to high level of decay or breakage.

Substantially stronger than a direct filling, inlays and onlays can be the best option in many restorative situations.

An Inlay covers only one or two surfaces of the tooth and is used to restore a tooth with small areas of decay or breakage. An Onlay actually covers one or more of the chewing surfaces of the tooth. It can offer greater protection for cracked or decayed teeth.

Inlays and onlays are incredibly strong due to the fact that they are made from high quality restorative materials. They can be fabricated from gold or tooth coloured porcelain depending on the stresses placed on the tooth. 

This type of restorative option is carefully fabricated by our specialist dental technician and is custom-made from detailed impressions. This ensures the fit and colour shade is exact thereby protecting the tooth from further breakage and minimising the risk of future decay from occurring under the restoration as well as blending seamlessly with your surrounding natural teeth.   

Inlays and Onlays are a great long-term option to restore a tooth to full function.

Crowns and Bridges

Dental crowns and bridges have been used in dentistry for many years. They are still known to offer the most ideal solution in many situations.

 

Dental Crowns – Crowns are often advised if there has been extensive structural damage to your tooth, your tooth has had root canal treatment or as the final restoration following the placement of a dental implant.

Dental crowns fully encase a tooth; this is why they are often referred to as a cap for the tooth. Crowns can be made from porcelain, porcelain with a gold base or gold alone.

Depending on the area for restoration, we will explain the different materials available and the benefits they can offer. Our goal is to offer the most appropriate long-term treatment option so that your health and function is maintained.

Crowns are constructed following a detailed preparation and impression taking process. The information collected from this appointment is then sent to our specialist dental technician who will carefully and precisely fabricate your crown.

Approximately two weeks later, your custom-made crown will be fitted. You will able to function as you would normally. Surprisingly your crown needs no extra attention, just your normal daily oral care routine.

 

Dental Bridges - If you are missing one or more teeth, a dental bridge may be the best tooth replacement option. This treatment utilises the adjacent teeth as supports for false teeth which fill the space.

Depending on the area for restoration, we will explain the different materials available for the bridge construction. We will explain the benefits they can offer and the variation in the cost. Our goal is to offer the most appropriate long-term treatment option so that your health and function is maintained.

Bridges are constructed following a series of appointments. These appointments include a preparation and impression taking process. The information collected at these visits is then sent to our specialist dental technician who will carefully and precisely fabricate your bridge.

You may be required to visit our centre for try-in appointments before your custom-made bridge is permanently fitted.

Dental bridges are an excellent way to improve your appearance and restore function.

 

Dental veneers - Are thin shells of a tooth coloured material which are custom-made and bonded onto the front of your teeth. They are used to treat a number of dental conditions such as crooked teeth, discoloured teeth, chipped teeth or they can be used to close spaces between teeth.

Veneers can be made from a tooth coloured resin or with porcelain material. These two options can be colour matched to blend seamlessly with the colour of your natural teeth; therefore they can go unnoticed to the untrained eye.

The material of choice will depend greatly on the tooth that requires repair. In most extensive repair cases, you will find that the porcelain option will offer you the most predicable long-term result. This is mainly due to the strength of porcelain. With porcelain, the veneer can be thin and less bulky therefore the bonding process can be less relied upon in comparison to the resin option where the material would need to be much thicker to offer the same strength. If the material is thicker the bonding would be subject to many more stresses.

Saying this though, we often find that tooth coloured resin is appropriate for many situations. If the restoration is small or if the improvement is required immediately, then resin can be an excellent, cost efficient option.

 

Dental Fillings - With continued advancement in dental materials and techniques, we have several choices when it comes to selecting the material to repair worn, broken or decayed teeth.

It is important to note that new materials have not eliminated the effectiveness of more traditional dental materials, such as gold and dental amalgam. Their strength and durability continue to make them useful for situations, such as fillings in the back teeth where your chewing action is greatest.

 

Dental Amalgam - Used in application for more than a century, dental amalgam is durable, easy to use, highly resistant to wear and relatively inexpensive in comparison to other materials. For those reasons, it still remains a popular treatment option for many restorative situations.

Dental amalgam is a stable alloy. It’s safe and one of the most commonly used restorative materials. Some concern has been raised because of its mercury content; however the mercury in amalgam combines with other metals to render it stable for filling teeth.

Because amalgam fillings can withstand very high chewing loads, they are particularly useful for restoring molars in the back of your mouth where the chewing load is greatest. They are also useful in areas where a cavity preparation is difficult to keep dry during the filling procedure, such as in deep fillings below the gum-line.

 

Tooth Coloured Fillings - Also known as composite fillings, are a mixture of hard plastics and resin. This type of filling is usually placed on front teeth where biting and chewing pressure is light to moderate. This may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Tooth coloured fillings are bonded in place using dental adhesives, often allowing us the opportunity to conserve as much tooth as possible during preparation.

The cost is moderate and depends largely on the size and type of the filling. Generally, placing a tooth coloured filling requires a longer appointment than an amalgam filling and they are subject to stain and discoloration over time.

 

Gold Alloy - Gold alloys offer a great long-term restorative solution, are strong and highly resistant to fracture and wear. Gold is very versatile in its application, which allows us to remove the least amount of healthy tooth structure when preparing the tooth for the restoration. Gold alloys are also gentle to opposing teeth.

Gold has very similar characteristics to that of natural teeth in wear and flexibility with relation to expansion and contraction when eating or drinking hot and cold foods and drinks, making it a better choice than amalgam.

Gold is hypoallergenic, making it the perfect option for people who are sensitive to some materials. As gold is not as appealing for some people as tooth coloured restorations, they are mainly placed on molars and teeth towards the back of the mouth. However some people choose to have teeth towards the front restored with gold.

Gold restorations are primarily used for inlays/onlays, crowns and bridges.

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