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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

My intense love for candy, cakes, and everything in between started as a child. I simply couldn't go one day without something sweet to eat. But my love for all things sweet took a toll on my teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with seven cavities, each one a different size and depth. After sitting through four long dental appointments, I decided to make a change. I now monitor my diet and only eat things that benefit my oral health. I'm here to help you take better care of your teeth. My blog offers tips on how to improve your diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and many other topics. Hopefully, you can learn to overcome your bad habits just as I did. Good luck with your future dental health.

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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

Which Form Of Dental Restoration Will Work Best For You?

by Eric Bailey

In restorative dentistry, there are two broad categories of dental restoration.

  • Direct restorations
  • Indirect restorations

Within these two categories are various procedures to help you restore your teeth. Understanding some of these procedures can help you come to a better decision on what type of dental procedures will work best for you.

Direct Restorations, or Fillings

Direct restorations represent the more common fillings you may receive to fill in a cavity. These restorations are most viable when it's still possible to save the tooth itself. That typically means there's enough of the tooth left to support the surrounding teeth structure.

Usually, fillings are the cheaper and quickest option for tooth restoration. It's possible to use them to fill in unevenness of a tooth or repair the loss of enamel.

Why you may want a filling

If your tooth has minimum damage, a filling may work just fine. Sometimes a dentist may suggest pulling the tooth or going with another option. It's important you hear your dentist out. But if you feel a filling may work better for you, ask your dentist about going that route instead.

Indirect Restorations, or Everything Else

Indirect restorations represent a broad category of dental techniques dentists use to restore the look of your teeth.

  • Crowns
  • Veneers
  • Bridges
  • Inlays
  • Onlays

Each of these options will involve a dental technician creating a custom tooth or part of a tooth for you. Of course, the procedure you go with will depend on your particular need. In some cases, one of these procedures can have the same overall effect as another, so you'll have to make the final decision on which one to choose.

Dental crowns vs veneers

For example, dental crowns and veneers are some of the most popular indirect restoration options. They even aim to solve many of the same dental problems. However, they're radically different approaches from each other.

Dentists bond veneers to the front of your teeth. They can help to make your teeth appear straight, even, and brighter. They do not affect the functionality of your teeth.

By contrast, dental crowns can also do the same things, but they work best to mitigate the damage from cracked, broken, or decayed teeth. Both these options can help your smile, but one has far more cosmetic use, while the other can protect and serve the functionality of a tooth.

Making the Right Choice for Your Dental Health

Your dentist will help you figure out which options will work best for you. There's various other types of restoration techniques out there as well. Your dentist may suggest a new procedure or a new variation of an old one. It's still up to you to make a final decision. If you're unsure, ask your dentist to explain all your options in full. 

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