Restorative dentistry in Tulsa

Restorative dentistry covers everything done to repair a tooth that is decayed, cracked, worn, or broken. At Diamond Dental that mainly means fillings, crowns, and veneers, and the right choice depends on how much healthy tooth is still there.

Crowns

A crown covers the whole tooth and is the answer when too much structure is gone for a filling to hold. It is made to match the shape and shade of the teeth around it, so it is not obvious from the outside.

Timing matters more than people expect. A crown placed before a tooth cracks is a straightforward appointment. The same tooth left too long often fractures below the gum line, and then the choice is an extraction and an implant instead, which costs considerably more. If Dr. Hanna recommends a crown on a tooth that does not hurt yet, that is why.

Fillings

A filling repairs a tooth where decay has been removed but most of the tooth is still sound. We use tooth colored composite rather than silver amalgam. Composite bonds directly to the enamel, so less healthy tooth has to be cut away to hold it in place, and the repair blends in instead of showing dark when you laugh.

Older silver fillings can be replaced with composite as they wear out or begin to leak. That is a normal appointment and does not need to be done all at once.

Veneers

Veneers are thin porcelain shells bonded to the front of the teeth. They sit in both restorative and cosmetic dentistry because they repair chips and worn edges while also correcting shape, spacing, and color at the same time.

Because they go on the front surface, veneers do not require grinding the tooth down the way a crown does. They are a good fit for front teeth that are chipped, uneven, permanently stained, or slightly gapped. Dr. Hanna will tell you honestly if bonding or whitening would get you most of the way there for less.

Bridges and dentures

When a tooth is already missing, a bridge fills the space by anchoring to the teeth on either side. Dentures replace a full upper or lower arch and are fitted to your jaw so they stay comfortable through a normal day. Traditional, immediate, and implant supported dentures are all made here.

Deciding what is right

You will be shown your X-rays and told what each option costs before anything starts. If a tooth can be watched for now rather than treated today, we will say so.