Tooth Repair
Do you have a broken or decayed tooth that you would like to save or repair? Don’t worry, we have you covered!
Fillings
The Problem
Cavities or holes can form on your teeth due to a few reasons, like decay, hard brushing, consumption of acidic substances or even grinding your teeth. These often result in irritating food traps or even sensitivity and discomfort in general.
FAQs
Fillings are a form of treatment which aims to restore the form and function of missing tooth structure – think ‘the patching up of holes’.
Questions about the procedure:
In general, we use tooth-coloured filling materials for most situations, however for scenarios in which it is difficult to keep the filling site dry (from water, blood or saliva), we may use silver-coloured fillings – not to worry as these are usually reserved exclusively for back teeth which are NOT visible when you smile.
A good estimate would be 5-7 years. However, many factors such as – diet, oral hygiene, size of the cavity, and habits such as grinding your teeth might affect the longevity of the filling.
Crowns
The Problem
An extensive loss of tooth structure, back teeth which have undergone root canal treatment, cracked, or even discoloured teeth.
FAQs
A dental crown which is essentially a ‘helmet’ to protect such teeth is needed, for both aesthetic and functional reasons.
Questions about the procedure:
- In situations in which a tooth has lost a significant amount of structure, it would first need to be built up with a filling. This is known as a core build-up.
- The tooth will then be trimmed, and given a ‘hair-cut’ in order to make space for the crown material.
- A 3D scan would be done to capture the trimmed tooth, and this information would be sent to the laboratory.
- A temporary crown would be prepared and cemented on the tooth.
- You will return about 1-2 weeks later for the cementation of the final crown from the laboratory.
A good estimate would be 5-15 years. However, many factors such as: diet, oral hygiene, how much tooth structure was lost, and habits such as grinding your teeth might affect the longevity of the crown.
Root Canal Treatment
The Problem
Sometimes, dental decay may extend near to or into the nerve of the tooth (located in the root canal), leading to a painful toothache and infection.
FAQs
We would advise Root canal treatment in order to save such teeth and remove the source of the infection – the diseased nerve of the tooth.
Questions about the procedure:
‘Root’ refers to the ‘legs’ of the tooth. ‘Canal’ – Think of it as a ‘longkang’ within the ‘legs’ of the tooth which contains the nerve. Root Canal Treatment is the thorough cleaning of the ‘longkang’ to remove all the germs and the infected nerve. This is then followed by ‘filling’ up of the ‘longkang’ and sealing it off, in order to reduce the likelihood of the germs causing any future problems.
Apart from the little ‘ant-bite’ of an injection initially, no, rest assured you will not feel much discomfort during the procedure at all – In fact, you will most likely experience great relief after root canal treatment, when the source of your pain and infection is removed.
