Cosmetic Dentistry for Okolona, MS
There are many ways to help take your smile to an all new level of brightness! At Okolona Family Dental, we offer cosmetic dental techniques to create amazing smiles!
Let’s face it, dental techniques and technologies are worlds away from even a few decades ago. New advances occur at a rapid pace and we are proud to keep up! When it comes to cosmetic dentistry, topics like porcelain crowns, inlays, and bonding are big ways to make a big difference in your smile. Read on to learn more about what we have to offer.
Porcelain Dental Crowns
If you want a smile that’s your crowning glory, you may need a crown to cover a tooth to help restore it to its normal shape and size. A crown can make your tooth stronger and improve its appearance.
A crown can help strengthen a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t enough tooth remaining to hold the filling. Crowns can also be used to attach bridges, protect a weak tooth from breaking or restore one that’s already broken. A crown is a good way to cover teeth that are discolored or badly shaped. It’s also used to cover a dental implant.
If your dentist recommends a crown, it is probably to correct one of these conditions. Your dentist’s primary concern, like yours, is helping you keep your teeth healthy and your smile bright.
Dental Bonding
Cosmetic bonding is a process where the dentist attaches or “bonds” materials directly to your tooth in order to change the color and shape. The natural tooth enamel is then fused together with bonding materials such as porcelain and resins to create a strong structure that still feels like your original tooth.
Inlays & Onlays
A dental inlay is a pre-molded filling fitted into the grooves of your tooth. It’s most often used as restoration for cavities (also known as dental caries) that are centered in your tooth instead of along the outer edges or “cusps.” These cavities have usually not progressed into more extensive tooth decay.
Tooth Extraction
An extraction means to have a tooth removed, usually because of disease, trauma or crowding.
If you need an extraction, your dentist will first numb the area to lessen any discomfort. After the extraction, your dentist will advise you of what post extraction regimen to follow. In most cases a small amount of bleeding is normal. Your mouth will slowly fill in the bone where the tooth root was through the formation of a blood clot.
Root Canal Therapy
If you have a severely damaged, decaying tooth or a serious tooth infection (abscess), your dentist may recommend a root canal treatment. Root canals are used to repair and save your tooth instead of removing it.
The pulp is soft tissue inside your tooth that contains nerves, blood vessels and provides nourishment for your tooth. It can become infected if you have:
- A deep cavity
- Repeated dental procedures that disturb this tissue
- A cracked or fractured tooth
- Injury to the tooth (even if there’s not a visible crack or chip)
If untreated, the tissues around the root of your tooth can become infected. When this happens, you will often feel pain and swelling and an abscess may form inside the tooth and/or in the bone around the end of the root of the tooth. An infection can also put you at risk of losing your tooth completely because bacteria can damage the bone that keeps your tooth connected to your jaw.
