Tooth Restorations

Tooth restorations are methods used to restore damaged, missing and worn out teeth.

Types of tooth restorations

There are different types of tooth restorations:

Direct restorations
Indirect restorations

Direct restorations
In direct tooth restorations, your dentist places a tooth filling into the affected tooth. It is a fairly short procedure as it may take only a single visit to complete.

Indirect restorations
For indirect restorations, customized tooth replacements are used to restore your tooth’s health. These replacements include crowns, onlays or inlays. This procedure requires more than one clinic visit. This is because some replacements must be fabricated in a lab.

Tooth fillings

Tooth fillings are a type of direct restoration. They help restore the shape and function of a decaying tooth. It also prevents further decay by covering areas the areas open to bacteria.

There are different kinds of fillings. Your dentist will select the option to use depending on various factors:

the extent of the repair
existence of any allergies to certain dental materials
the location of the filling
the cost of the filling

The procedure

After the filling procedure, your tooth might be sensitive. Pressure, cold air, sweet foods and cold beverages might cause discomfort. Some patients even experience numbness, tingling and minor pain around the injected area. These side effects are normal and should ease off within a few hours of the procedure.

The sensitivity often subsides in 1 – 2 weeks. If you continue to experience pain or sensitivity after 2 weeks, contact your dentist.

After the procedure