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At Austin Dental Company, we know that it can be intimidating and scary to get help with extensive dental issues, especially if you suffer from dental anxiety or have avoided seeking help for a long time. But embarrassment, shame, or discomfort with the state of your mouth don’t have to stop you from getting the smile solutions you need anymore.
At your dentist in Austin, Dr. Morren and our team provide restorative care for everyone with a judgment-free approach. Your situation is unique, and so are your needs, and you deserve a pain-free mouth and an attractive, natural smile. So don’t wait. Get in touch now to get started right away. We also proudly serve the dental patients of River Place, TX!
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A dental crown, also called a “cap,” is a tooth-shaped dental prosthesis carved from a special porcelain material. We use high-quality lab-made dental crowns at our office. These prostheses are used to cover up and replace teeth that have been damaged by decay, dental injuries, tooth infections, or oral trauma. They may also be used purely for cosmetic purposes, on occasion.
Dental bridges are similar to dental crowns and are used to replace one or more adjacent missing teeth. In this procedure, two of your healthy natural teeth are trimmed and covered up with dental crowns. These crowns are used to support the dental “bridge,” which consists of one or more false teeth attached to a special metal and/or composite framework. These false teeth or “pontics,” are designed to rest in the gaps where your missing tooth or teeth used to be. Bridges are a durable and long-lasting way to restore your smile if you’ve lost one tooth or a row of teeth, and typically last up to 10-15 years. They also feel very natural and require little special care.
We offer both full and partial dentures at your dentist in Austin, TX. Partial dentures attach to your remaining healthy teeth using metal clips, and use a metal-and-wire framework to support several false teeth. They’re a good option if you’ve lost a few teeth throughout your mouth.
Full dentures are different as they require the extraction of all remaining healthy teeth, so they’re only a good option for patients with serious oral health issues. They use an acrylic base to support a full arch of upper, lower, or both upper and lower teeth. They are designed to fit over your gums and to be held in place with friction alone, though denture adhesive can also be used to provide a tighter hold.
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The best option for a broken tooth is to protect it with a durable dental crown. Dental crowns can repair a broken tooth, provide strength and durability to a weakened or damaged tooth, and restore the smile.
If you have a broken tooth, you’ll find that it’s very difficult to chew and your tooth will be at an increased risk of further breakage if you use this tooth to eat. This is where a dental crown comes in, as it is made of strong materials that help your tooth withstand chewing forces and protect it from harm.
If you have broken your tooth and it has led to damaged or infected dental pulp, you may need a root canal. That’s right, a root canal may be necessary even if you don’t have any tooth decay. Dental trauma can also cause an infection if the damage has exposed the tooth’s root to bacteria.
Root canals are great restorative treatments that can save a tooth from needing to be removed. We will remove the dental pulp from the inside of the tooth, clean your canals, fill the tooth back up, and then will place a dental crown over top to protect it from damage and reinfection.
A missing tooth can be replaced in a variety of ways - with a dental implant, a dental bridge, or a partial denture. Dental implants are by far the best tooth-replacement option, because they are long lasting, prevent bone loss, hold the tooth securely in place to prevent shifting, and preserve the structure of your face.
However, not everyone is a great candidate for dental implants because you need to have sufficient jaw bone density to support an implant. While you can undergo bone grafting, you may also be discouraged by the cost and length of treatment, which takes many months.
A dental bridge is a good option to replace between 1-3 consecutive missing teeth. A bridge is fixed into place so you don’t have to worry about removing it to clean it or to sleep. This may feel like more authentic teeth. Bridges are cheaper than dental implants but you need to thoroughly clean your bridge to prevent issues.
Let’s say you have inadequate gum or jawbone
to support implants or a dental bridge - that’s where partial dentures come in. Partials are removable, so they’re easy to clean and they can also replace multiple teeth that are on either side of the mouth. This is the most affordable option. Bridges and dentures are unable to prevent bone loss.
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If you already have significant tooth loss or severely unhealthy teeth, a full set of dentures may be the right option for you. We only recommend full dentures to patients who are missing most of their teeth or who have severely damaged or decayed teeth.
This is because we will need to extract your remaining teeth to replace both arches of teeth with artificial teeth attached to a gum-colored base.
While dentures accelerate bone loss and may lead to changes in your facial structure over time, they can assist with chewing, speaking, and restoring your smile when your teeth are no longer salvageable and you are not eligible for other tooth replacement options.
When you have extensive tooth loss, dentures are the only viable option. You need healthy gums and sufficient jaw bone as well as abutment teeth to support dental bridges and replacing every single tooth with a dental implant would be extremely costly and time-consuming.
If you’re suffering from damaged, decayed, broken, or missing teeth, you may be unsure of what your options are. The best way to find out what restorative treatments are right for you is to come in for a consultation with Dr. Bonner Morren at today. We’ll explore your options, weigh the pros and cons, and make recommendations based on your individual needs.
