Do I Need a Filling or a Dental Crown?

With so much advanced dental technology and so many innovative procedures available today, there’s absolutely no reason to put off fixing minor dental flaws one more day. Your cosmetic dentist in Anchorage will discuss with you the best way to fix whatever problem you bring into the office.

With so many ways to repair broken teeth in Anchorage, there’s no reason for you to hide your smile behind your hand any longer. Many of the procedures to repair broken teeth can be completed in just one visit to your cosmetic dentist in Anchorage; others may take two visits. Two of the most popular ways to repair broken teeth in Alaska are fillings and dental crowns. Let’s first take a look at dental fillings.

What Do Fillings Fix?

If you have been feeling some discomfort when chewing, you may have a cavity forming. The key to fixing cavities is to get them filled while they’re still small. Small cavities can be filled in about an hour, but larger cavities may take a little bit longer. What’s even better than fixing a cavity while it’s small is not ever getting the cavity to begin with! Cavities are the most common problem that dental fillings fix.

You may be wondering how you even got a cavity because you brush and floss twice a day and visit your Anchorage dentist every six months. While most cavities result from ineffective oral hygiene, the science behind cavity development shows that there are powers at work in our mouths that may be beyond our control.

Enamel is the strongest, most mineralized substance in the human body; enamel is also very porous. Dentin is under the enamel and is made of microscopic tubules that extend into the middle of the tooth; dentin is even more porous than enamel. When a substance is porous, it has tiny spaces or holes in which substances can pass.

When oral bacteria get through the enamel of the teeth and reach the dentin, tooth decay with cavities develops. In that case, your general dentist in Anchorage will have to fix the cavity with a dental filling. X-rays provide your dentist with a clear view of the cavity; in some cases, digital scans of the teeth may be necessary.

New dental fillings may be needed to fix old fillings made of metal (amalgam). Advanced technology allows your restorative dentist in Anchorage to place tooth-colored fillings using ultrasonic technology, ensuring your new fillings last much longer than the metal fillings of yesteryear.

What Problems Do Dental Crowns Fix?

If your dental issue cannot be fixed with a filling, you may be a great candidate for a dental crown in Anchorage, Alaska. Whereas fillings are great for fixing small cavities, large cavities may require more work to fix them. When teeth have a large amount of decay, a dental crown is often the best procedure to correct the problem. If you have a large cavity with a solid tooth foundation, you will likely need a dental crown in Anchorage.

CEREC same-day dental crowns are an innovative, exciting option that a select few Anchorage dentists are now offering. CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic and is a dental innovation that uses computers to design and create custom dental crowns in just one visit to your Anchorage dentist’s office.

Traditional dental crowns typically take at least two visits, but with advanced technology and innovative procedures like CEREC, you can now have a beautiful and strong dental crown in just one visit. You may need a dental crown for any of the following issues:

• Chipped teeth
• Cracked teeth
• Broken teeth
• Discolored teeth
• Misshapen teeth
• Restoration of dental implant
• Hold a dental bridge in place
• Cover a tooth that’s had a root canal