Dental Work – Dentistry is a field that can confuse a lot of us. After all, most of us are not trained dentists. Trying to figure out what all the different procedures or type of work you can get done can be overwhelming. I certainly don’t understand all the finer details.
That being said, it can be great to educate ourselves on what we can have done to our mouths. There are three kinds of dentistry that I will focus on for the purposes of this article! These are restorative dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and preventative dentistry. Let me explain.
Table of Contents
Dental Work for Restorative Dentistry
The goal of restorative dentistry is to restore your smile to its original state. Typical types of restorative dentistry involve caps, crowns, bridges, fillings, and implants. You might be wondering why this is such a key part of dentistry. Well, there are a few reasons.
Restorative procedures are really important for our overall health and wellness. After all, if you have a missing tooth or missing teeth, it will probably impact your self-esteem. A lot of us are uncomfortable giving a full smile because of something like that.
Replacing teeth is an important part of keeping our other teeth realigned. If there are empty spots, our teeth can go out of their natural alignment. Additionally, this sort of care can ensure that you can take care of your other teeth more easily.
Different Options for Restorative Dentistry
Obviously, there are a lot of different approaches you can take for restorative dentistry. Some places, such as Nuvia Smiles, offer dental implants and fillings. While these aren’t the only procedures that can be done, they are generally the most common.
Fillings can be done with many different materials. Some of these include silver amalgamate, gold, tooth-colored plastic, or even porcelain. These are some options to treat cavities.
Meanwhile, crowns are typically made for anyone whose teeth suffer from a particularly bad cavity or a broken tooth. A cracked tooth can be a serious problem, after all. A dental crown is usually attached to your tooth via a connector. That means you need to have enough bone underneath.
The other type of this dentistry I will mention are bridges. Bridges are essentially what they sound like. They bridge any gaps that you might have between your teeth! Most of them connect two crowns. Usually they’re meant to keep your natural teeth from moving too much.
Cosmetic Dentistry of Dental Work
Cosmetic dentistry is what a lot of us think about when we hear about going to the dentist! WebMD has some great information about it here: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/ss/slideshow-cosmetic-dentistry. Of course, a lot of it might sound confusing.
If you’re not sure about the different types of cosmetic procedures done, I can go ahead and explain. There are several different options here, of course.
Types of Cosmetic Dentistry
As with the other types of dentistry, there are several different options for cosmetic procedures. Some of the most popular types are things like veneers and braces. I know I usually think of braces since they’re so evident in our pop culture!
I’ll focus on braces first. There are so many different types of them, after all. Some are the traditional metal type of braces. They aren’t exactly inconspicuous, but not everyone wants those anyway!
Some have bright colors, or are clear. There are some options that are totally clear and meant to be invisible in your mouth. These are typically for people who would prefer not to have their braces obvious to the world.
Meanwhile, veneers actually cover our teeth. They are usually made from porcelain or a material similar. Often they are very thin – sometimes paper-thin, in fact. They are used to change the color or shape of your teeth. It’s important to note that they cannot be removed.
The final type of cosmetic dentistry that I will discuss here is teeth whitening. This is a fairly popular and simple procedure. It’s typically quite safe and it will result in a bright smile. It’s obviously not for everyone, but worthwhile talking to your dentist about.
Preventative Dentistry
This type of orthodontal care tends to fall in what the American Dental Association considers a key oral health tip, as you can find here. Obviously, the best way to take care of our oral health is to keep it healthy before the problems happen!
The main goal is to avoid getting cavities. This is kind of a no brainer, of course. Cavities are painful and can eventually cause serious tooth decay.
Steps You Can Take on Your Own
Part of this type of dentistry is to judge what you do on your own at home! You should be brushing your teeth daily. It’s important to also make sure you brush your tongue because bacteria builds up on it. Obviously that’s not great for your overall oral health.
You will also want to floss. Flossing your teeth is something I know I’ve skipped in the past. It feels like a hassle. It’s honestly not that much of a nuisance though! In the end, it’s totally worth it for increasing your overall mouth health.
Benefits of Preventative Dentistry
This probably is fairly obvious, but some of the benefits are needing less of the other kinds in the future. Gingivitis and cavities are some of the things you can stop! Those aren’t the only things, but definitely worth keeping in mind.
It might come as a surprise, but there are a lot of health problems that can actually be linked back to having oral health issues. Some of these include types of diabetes, some types of cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease.
Going to the Dentist is Important
As much as we might hate it, at the end of the day, seeing an orthodontist is vital to our health and well-being. Getting the different types of Dental Work care performed can save a lot of trouble and pain in the future. So, next time you’re not sure about visiting the dentist…make that appointment! You won’t regret it.