Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry

Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry

Aesthetic restorative dentistry is a dental approach that aims to restore a defective or missing tooth while being conservative and aesthetically acceptable.

It involves several treatment solutions that may be used solely or in combination with each other in one comprehensive smile makeover treatment plan to achieve good function and esthetics of the teeth.

Dulwich Dental Office is your destination for top-rated aesthetic restorative solutions. We are London experts offering various treatment solutions for well-functioning and looking good restorations. We have a 50+ years of combined experience with a 100% satisfaction rate from our patients.

We offer techniques to save destroyed tooth structure without the need for a full crown by using direct tooth colour materials, therefore saving healthy tooth structure, costs and time.

What Is the Difference Between Aesthetic Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry?

Aesthetic restorative dentistry and cosmetic dentistry are often confused with each other.

Aesthetic restorative dentistry provides solutions to restore teeth’s function and aesthetics. For example, it can help restore a broken or chipped tooth in an aesthetically pleasing way that makes the restoration indistinguishable from the surrounding natural teeth.

In contrast, cosmetic dentistry focuses more on the aesthetic enhancement of teeth, such as teeth whitening or veneer solutions for discoloured teeth, which improve the appearance of the teeth without correcting their function.

If you are confused about whether you need an aesthetic restorative dentistry procedure or a cosmetic dentistry procedure, consult our cosmetic experts to determine the most suitable solution for your situation.

The Most Common Functional Failures

Aesthetic restorative dentistry is suitable when the tooth requires a functional and aesthetic restoration. These are the most common functional tooth failures that require aesthetic restoration, especially if the failing tooth is within the smile area.

Lost tooth: A lost tooth affects the integrity of the neighboring teeth as they rotate and tilt to occupy the space. Also, when a tooth is lost, the masticatory function is impaired, leading to improper food grinding and subsequent digestion problems. When a front tooth is lost, it must be restored with aesthetic solutions to restore its function and smile simultaneously.

Tooth decay: Tooth decay is a bacterial activity that destroys tooth structure. This is accompanied by pain, which impairs the tooth’s function and aesthetics. Several dental fillings are available for decayed teeth restoration, including tooth-coloured ones for the front teeth to restore function and esthetics simultaneously.

Cracked/ broken tooth: Teeth may become cracked or fractured due to trauma or weakened due to decay. A broken or decayed tooth causes pain and impairs the masticatory function.

Loose teeth: Teeth are normally supported by the surrounding bone, gums, and periodontal ligament. In the presence of an advanced periodontal disease, this support is diminished due to bone resorption and subsequent gum recession, leading to loose teeth. Loose teeth are difficult to eat on, and the exposed root due to gum recession impairs the tooth’s aesthetics.

Crooked teeth: Crooked teeth impair teeth’s function and esthetics on many levels. Crooked teeth are difficult to clean, which causes gum disease, a high incidence of caries, and bad breath. Also, they may affect the proper food chewing if there is a bite problem. Crooked teeth may also affect self-esteem and confidence during communication with others or when smiling.

Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry Solutions at Dulwich Dental Office

Dulwich Dental Office is a world-class dental centre in London equipped with the most recent and innovative technologies to deliver the best possible care for our patients. Our dental experts master all aesthetic restorative procedures to achieve the best aesthetic outcome with the most durable function. Our aesthetic restorative procedures include:

White fillings

White fillings are tooth-coloured restorations directly bonded to the teeth to aesthetically restore them. They are less invasive than the traditional amalgam restoration as they do not require a specific cavity design.

Inlays/onlays

Inlays and onlays are indirect restorations fabricated from ceramic material based on an impression of the prepared cavity. They are used to restore large tooth decay, especially of the decay destroys the tooth cusp. The restoration comes in one block that is cemented to the prepared cavity.

Dental implants

Dental implants are metallic screws inserted inside the jawbone at the space of an extracted tooth. It mimics the tooth root and acts as a foundation for the crown. It offers superior aesthetic restoration compared to other teeth replacement solutions.

Inlays/onlays

Inlays and onlays are indirect restorations fabricated from ceramic material based on an impression of the prepared cavity. They are used to restore large tooth decay, especially of the decay destroys the tooth cusp. The restoration comes in one block that is cemented to the prepared cavity.

Dental bridges

Dental bridges are fixed prosthetics used to restore missing teeth. It is formed of multiple units attached to others. Both units at the end are dental crowns covering the teeth adjacent to the space to gain retention. They can be fabricated from many materials. Aesthetic restorations for front teeth may be fabricated from metal-ceramic or ceramic material.

Cosmetic dentures

Cosmetic dentures are the most common solution for a full edentulous arch. They are formed of an acrylic base, pink in colour, that restores the defective bone and soft tissue and holds artificial teeth with a shade that matches your skin tone.

Cosmetic bonding

Cosmetic bonding is an aesthetic restorative procedure aiming to correct defects in teeth size and shape, or to correct cracked or broken teeth through directly bonding a composite resin material of a colour that matches your tooth shade.

Dental veneers

Dental veneers are similar to artificial nails. They are shells of ceramic materials bonded to the front tooth surface to correct aesthetic problems. They provide a naturally looking appearance, are durable, and conservative as they require little or no preparation.

Dental crowns

These are full-coverage restorations designed to aesthetically reinforce weakened teeth and prevent fractures. While they require circumferential tooth preparation to create a space for the crown placement, they are an excellent option for preserving severely damaged teeth and avoiding extraction.

Gum and bone graft

Bone and gum grafts are utilised to restore lost tooth-supporting structures, helping to decrease tooth sensitivity and increase support for better function and improved aesthetics.

Discreet orthodontic treatments

Crooked teeth can affect dental function and overall aesthetics. The issue is that many individuals are reluctant to pursue orthodontic treatment due to the metallic appearance of traditional brackets. Dulwich Dental Office provides discreet alignment solutions for crooked teeth through the Invisalign and 6 Month Smiles systems. Invisalign is a set of removable aligners that can help you align your teeth swiftly and discreetly. The Six Month Smiles system is similar to the conventional braces system. However, the brackets are ceramic, and the wires are tooth coloured, making them more aesthetically acceptable while correcting your teeth alignment in only 6 months.

How Our Experts Choose the Suitable Aesthetic Restorative Solution for You

Several aesthetic restorative solutions are available. To choose the best solution, our cosmetic experts carefully examine the case using the most recent diagnostic technologies. The systemic approach for aesthetic restorative treatment planning involves:

1. Visual examinationOur experts visually examine and record any existing defects to identify the problem. The health of the neighboring structures, including the neighboring teeth and periodontal health, is assessed as it may affect the treatment plan.
2. Radiographic examinationRadiographic examination is essential to look behind what can not be visually seen. It is beneficial to detect any hidden decay or bone resorption. At Dulwich Dental Office, we use digital X-ray imaging, which offers better image quality and reduced radiation exposure.
3. Listening to our patients’ treatment goals and expectationsOur cosmetic experts attentively listen to what you expect to have at the end of the treatment. This includes a comprehensive discussion about your preferences regarding the restoration durability, whether you prefer fixed or removable restoration, whether you are willing to make extra effort for cleaning the restoration, and your financial capability.
4. Smile mock-up and smile designing softwareA mock-up is an extra mile step that predicts the aesthetics and function of the future restoration. This can be performed through taking an impression and creating a cast to study and apply the treatment plan by hand or using a digital impression and photo taking to be integrated in a specialised computer software to digitally examine and apply the treatment plan before taking the final restoration decision.

After thorough examination and data collection, our experts can offer the most suitable treatment solutions, making the dream of the perfect aesthetic restorative outcome possible.

The Most Common Aesthetic Failures You May Face After Aesthetic Restorative Treatments: We Know How to Avoid at Dulwich Dental Office

Colour mismatch

Choosing the perfect restoration shade is essential to fabricating a highly aesthetic restoration to ensure patient satisfaction. In some cases, the colour of the restoration is mismatched to the teeth’s shade, leading to aesthetic failure due to the colour discrepancy. At Dulwich Dental Office, we use the universal shade guide and computer software to select the most suitable shade and give a glance at what our patients’ teeth will look like to ensure a successful result.

Cervical black line

Cervical black lines appear when the metallic collar of the metal-ceramic crowns, which is supposed to be hidden below the gum line, is exposed. We at Dulwich Dental Office recommend ceramic crowns in the esthetic smile area to avoid that mistake. Even if you choose to go with a metal-ceramic crown, our experts thoroughly study the depth and thickness of the gums to make sure to locate the restoration margin in a hidden location.

Incorrect teeth proportions

Crafting an aesthetic restoration requires a deep understanding of tooth sizes and proportions to achieve a harmonious result. Without this knowledge, the restoration will fail aesthetically. Our cosmetic experts at Dulwich Dental Office possess extensive knowledge and expertise to create aesthetic restorations with perfect proportions among the teeth.

Bulging Teeth

Bulging teeth create the impression of more prominent teeth, resulting in an undesirable, goofy appearance. Additionally, bulging restorations encourage food accumulation, increasing the risk of gum inflammation and tooth decay. Our experts at Dulwich Dental Office utilise innovative computer software to design the ideal restoration dimensions and curvature.