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Fact Sheets

Need to fill that gap?

Understanding the benefits of major restorative dentistry.

When you are out in public, do you purse your lips to keep your dentures or partial in place, or to hide unsightly teeth or gaps in your smile caused by missing teeth? If the answer is yes, you may he a candidate for major restorative dentistry.

What does this mean?
Simply put, major restorative dentistry involves treating patients with serious dental problems by making use of such treatments as crowns, bridges, dentures, or dental implants.

Dental crowns
Crowns, or "caps" as they are sometimes called, are usually the foundation of major restorative dental treatments. Once a diagnosis has been made, a patient may have a crown or "cap" made for a single tooth in as little as two appointments.

At the first appointment, the tooth is anesthetized (frozen) and gently shaped to form the base for a specific type of crown. Impressions are made and a temporary crown is placed over the tooth. At the second appointment, the permanent crown is fitted to the tooth and cemented in place. Some patients may need several of their teeth crowned. If this is the case, the treatment may require several visits.

Dental crowns can be made with all porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, or all metal (the metal can be either gold or a metal alloy). Your dentist will advise you as to which type is best for your needs.

Dental crowns are attractive and should provide years of good service. The durability makes the initial cost of treatment a sound investment in your dental health.

Dental bridges
To replace one or more missing teeth, replacement teeth are permanently anchored to crowns placed on neighbouring strong healthy teeth.

Dental implants
An alternative to replace a missing tooth is the modern dental implant. A dental implant is a sterile basket, one quarter the size of a thimble, made from medical grade titanium. Your dentist or dental specialist will place the implant in the jaw, most often with local anesthesia (freezing).

When your dentist assesses you for implants, you will decide together how many implants will be placed. Special fittings (implant posts) are threaded into the implants. The implant can then be used to hold a crown in place, or if there is more than one implant post, they can serve as anchors for a specialty designed bar which connects one implant post to another.

A denture is attached to this bar with special clips. These clips hold the denture in place very securely, while allowing for the removal of the denture for easy cleaning of the bar, posts and implants.

If enough implants can be placed and spaced out properly, a special fixed bridge can be constructed to thread into the implants.

In this way you can eliminate the need for a denture and return to the comfort, security, rigidity and function that would normally have been available to you with natural teeth.

To find out more about major restorative options, talk to your dentist. We care about you and your teeth.

This information courtesy of your Manitoba Dentist.