What Is Restorative Dentistry?

Restorative dentistry is the area of dentistry that focuses on restoring the health and function of teeth. Often, patients have more than one tooth that needs restoring or several missing teeth that need replacing. Our comprehensive approach allows us to look at the mouth as a whole and combine the needed treatments to restore the health, functionality, and aesthetics of your teeth. With our help, you will achieve a smile that looks and feels natural.

Is Restorative Dentistry Right for Me?

Many patients can benefit from the help of restorative dentistry. Sometimes, patients go years without seeing a dentist and have a mouth full of problems that need help. We also see patients who experience trauma from an accident and who need several teeth repaired or replaced. Generally, if any of the problems listed below apply, you can benefit from restorative dentistry:

  • Gapped, chipped, cracked, worn, or damaged teeth
  • Severely decayed teeth
  • Old, worn, or unattractive fillings
  • Missing teeth
  • Uncomfortable or unnatural-looking tooth replacements

Sometimes, we recommend extractions if there is no way to save one or more teeth or if their oral health is consistently declining. In the end, the best candidates for restorative dentistry are patients who want to improve the functionality and health of their teeth with the added benefit of an improved smile.

Treatments for Damaged Teeth

If you are unhappy because your teeth are gapped, chipped, cracked, worn, decayed, or otherwise damaged, Dr. Strober offers multiple options to repair them.

Porcelain veneers can work well for primarily cosmetic damage. They give your teeth a beautiful, healthy appearance and good function. 

Ceramic inlays and onlays work well for significant tooth decay and other types of damage. These not only repair damage to your teeth, but they can also strengthen them. They blend beautifully with your natural teeth, too. Inlays and onlays are also great choices to replace problematic metal fillings. 

However, a dental crown is the most effective treatment for repairing damaged teeth. A dental crown fits over a damaged tooth, giving it an entirely new surface that looks beautiful, healthy, and youthful. You might think a badly damaged tooth needs to be extracted, but a dental crown can save it in many cases. The saved tooth can serve you in good health and function for decades.  

Treatments for Missing Teeth

Restorative dentistry gives us many options for replacing one or more missing teeth. The one that’s best for you depends on the number of teeth you’re missing and your goals for the appearance and function of your teeth after replacement. 

Dental bridges can work well to replace one or more missing teeth. The classic dental bridge uses two of your natural teeth to support a replacement tooth between them. However, we can combine dental bridges with dental implants to replace more missing teeth. The optimum number of implants depends on the number of teeth we’re replacing, their locations, and the specifics of your bite. 

The Denture Fountain of Youth® can replace an entire arch of missing teeth. Designed using the most recent innovations in cosmetic and restorative dentistry and bite science, this denture gives you a beautiful smile. The dentures fit comfortably and securely in your mouth, improving your bite force. Plus, the dentures restore youthful proportions to help your face look younger. 

Snap-In dentures use dental implants to stabilize a denture. Removable dentures have better stability, comfort, and function than traditional dentures, but they’re easy to remove for cleaning and maintenance. 

All-On-X is an approach to replacing an entire arch of teeth using a relatively small number of dental implants. With as few as two and as many as eight dental implants, you can get an implant denture that looks beautiful and achieves your functional goals. The more function you demand, the more implants you need, but this flexible solution lets you design the best one.

CeraSmile® is an advanced ceramic dental bridge that incorporates many of the insights of FOY® Dentures. The bridge attaches to dental implants for maximum stability and bite force. 

Upgrading Old Tooth Replacements

In the past, we had fewer options for replacing lost teeth. This may have caused you to settle for a tooth replacement option that didn’t meet your needs. Or perhaps you were happy with your tooth replacement when it was new, but now it’s time to upgrade. 

The most common upgrade people request is to move from traditional dentures to more modern implant dentures. People want to upgrade their dentures because they are:

  • Loose
  • Uncomfortable
  • Not good for chewing
  • Unattractive
  • Inconvenient

Any of the multiple dental implant solutions Dr. Strober offers can help you enjoy a better quality of life than you currently experience with traditional dentures.

Advantages of Restoring Your Teeth

The foundation of a beautiful smile has healthy teeth that function well. Restorative dentistry can help you replace and restore your teeth to complete health and function. When you opt for restorative dentistry, you can expect to experience a handful of amazing benefits like the ones listed below.

Avoid Extractions – If you still have natural teeth remaining, restorative dentistry can help you keep it that way. Retaining your natural teeth helps preserve bone and your youthful appearance.

Better Function – When teeth are damaged or missing, it can affect how your teeth function. We offer a variety of restorative treatments that can replace missing teeth and restore your teeth to full function.

Improved Aesthetics – Not only will your teeth function fully, but they will look amazing! Our comprehensive approach also helps you achieve a beautiful and natural-looking smile.

Tooth Replacements That Work For You – Whether you dislike your current tooth replacement or need one, we offer a wide range of options to help you complete your smile in a way that looks and feels comfortable for you.

Improved Bite – When we restore your teeth, we also ensure we’re optimizing your bite simultaneously. This can help prevent and improve TMJ disorders.

Get Restorative Dentistry in Rancho Mirage

We have a solution if you’re tired of dealing with missing, broken, or dysfunctional teeth. Let Dr. Strober help you achieve your healthiest and most beautiful smile yet. Contact our Rancho Mirage dental office today to schedule a consultation for your restorative dentistry procedures. Please call (760) 832-7915 to book an appointment.