A damaged smile can wreak havoc on your oral health and may prevent you from flashing a grin altogether. Whether it’s severely cracked teeth or gaps left by missing teeth, your smile’s function and cosmetic appeal can impact all areas of your life. Our dentist, Dr. Ashwini Bhave, is a prosthodontist specializing in restoring a full smile with healthy, good-looking teeth and a properly aligned bite.
Bay Area Dental Specialists in San Jose offers several restorative dentistry treatments and customized procedures to address problems with the function and aesthetics of your mouth.
1. Dental Implants Offer Versatile Options for One or More Missing Teeth
When you picture dental implants, you likely imagine replacing a single tooth with an artificial root and dental crown. However, dental implants can replace several missing teeth in a row in an implant-supported bridge and even support dentures that restore an entire arch of teeth in the upper or lower jaw. Dr. Bhave is a skilled implant dentist who completed a year-long fellowship for advanced training in dental implant surgery and has taught prosthodontics to college students pursuing dentistry for many years.
Dental implants do more than replace your lost tooth or teeth. They restore a healthy smile because missing teeth can degrade the integrity of your jawbone, causing a sunken facial profile that makes you look older than you are and may make chewing and speaking difficult. Dr. Bhave offers single dental implants, implant-supported bridges and dentures and All-On-4® New Teeth in One Day.
2. Dental Crowns Provide a Beautiful, Functional Smile
Cracked, decayed or otherwise damaged teeth put your oral health at risk and may cause you pain and increase your sensitivity to hot and cold beverages and foods. Dental crowns repair and protect fractured teeth to prevent further damage and are used after root canal therapy. These porcelain caps fit over the prepared tooth and offer cosmetic benefits such as covering severe tooth discoloration or correcting misshapen teeth.
Dental crowns are custom made in a high-quality dental lab and are used in the dental implant process to attach to the titanium post in the jaw that acts as an artificial tooth root. The porcelain is fabricated to match the shade of your adjacent teeth and mimics the natural sheen of your tooth enamel.
3. Dental Inlays and Onlays Fortify Damaged Teeth
When you have a large cavity or damage to one or more teeth, dental onlays or inlays may be used to cover and protect the surfaces. Unlike dental crowns, which cover the entire tooth and protect it from future deterioration, inlays and onlays cover specific parts of the tooth. An onlay focuses on points, or “cusps,” of the chewing surface in the center of your teeth, and an inlay provides smaller coverage placed in the tooth’s center. These dental restorations are made to precise parameters to fit in the spaces of the damaged tooth and are made of porcelain for a durable, safe and natural-looking result.
Schedule Your Dental Exam to Learn More About Restorative Dentistry
Dr. Bhave will create an individualized treatment plan to improve your oral health through restorative dentistry. Schedule your dental exam at Bay Area Dental Specialists in San Jose to begin your journey to a beautiful, healthy smile.