Despite everything we have our children do- brushing, flossing and regular dental visits- restorative dentistry may be necessary. What exactly is restorative dentistry? Restorative dentistry is any dental procedure that fixes problems caused by decay and disease, such as cosmetic bonding, microabrasion, space maintainers, fillings, and crowns.

Our doctors and staff will thoroughly discuss your child's treatment options with you, so that you will understand the benefits these procedures provide to the long term dental well being of your child.

Cosmetic Bonding

Sometimes minor injuries occur, or cavities develop in front teeth. In the past, the only solution was to fix or fill with typical amalgam, or go through an expensive capping or crowning process in order to restore the teeth to a more natural appearance.

Modern technology has changed this. Cosmetic bonding is basically the process of filling or fixing teeth with a tooth-colored filling material. Tooth-colored fillings are made from durable plastics called composite resins. Similar in color and texture to natural teeth, these fillings are much less noticeable and much more attractive than other types of fillings.

Your child can smile, talk, and eat with confidence. In addition, tooth-colored fillings are compatible with dental sealants, and a tooth can be filled and sealed at the same time to prevent further decay. These fillings may not work in every case, but for typical fillings and small restorations where appearance is important, they can do wonders to provide a natural appearance and confident smile for your child.

Microabrasion

One of the conditions we see among children is discoloration. A number of conditions can cause discoloration of permanent teeth. For example, trauma to a baby tooth, an infection around a baby tooth, and high fevers or prolonged chronic illnesses during childhood can cause discolorations. Fluoride can also cause some white or brown discolorations of teeth when a child receives a high dose over a period of time.

Microabrasion has proven very successful at removing many of these discolorations. In microabrasion, dentists carefully rub a compound on the teeth to remove superficial stains and discoloration. Some teeth have a deeper, irreversible stain or discoloration, the result of trauma, root canal therapy or medications such as tetracycline. These deep stains are not improved by microabrasion.

The success of microabrasion depends on a number of factors, especially the type and extent of discoloration. So, it is difficult to predict when microabrasion will remove a discoloration completely from a tooth. Pediatric dentists have learned that brown or dark stains are removed readily in most cases. White discolorations are often improved; sometimes they are totally eliminated. Other times, white discolorations are very persistent and not removed completely with microabrasion.

Some teeth have a "speckled" appearance, showing a lot of white spots all over the tooth. These teeth may be improved with microabrasion. By removing the bright white spots, the teeth will have a slightly darker, but more even, natural color.

Microabrasion is a safe, minimal treatment of discolored teeth. Attempting microabrasion does not eliminate any of the alternatives for treatment. Other treatments for discolored teeth are plastic or porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns. These options are less affordable and more extensive than microabrasion because they require some tooth preparation. So, it's wise to consider microabrasion as your first choice of treatment for discolored teeth.

Space Maintainers

Baby teeth usually stay in place until "pushed out" by a permanent tooth that takes it's place. Unfortunately, some children lose baby teeth too early. A tooth may be knocked out accidentally or be removed due to severe disease. When this occurs, a space maintainer may be required to prevent future dental problems. Space maintainers encourage normal development of the jaw bones and muscles, and save space for the permanent teeth and help guide them into position.

Teeth attempt to fill any space available to them. If your child loses a baby tooth too early, the remaining baby teeth may tilt, drift, or move up or down to fill the gap. When this happens, they fill the space intended for the permanent tooth, and the permanent tooth can come in crowded or crooked. This condition, if left untreated, may require extensive (and expensive) orthodontic treatment (braces or even surgery).

Space Maintainers are an appliance made of plastic or metal custom fit to your child's mouth to maintain the space intended for the permanent tooth when it decides to come in. They hold open the empty space left by a lost tooth by preventing movement in the remaining teeth until the permanent tooth takes it's natural position in the child's mouth. This treatment is much more affordable and much easier on your child than to move them back later with orthodontic procedures.

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