Dental Restorations in Louisville, KY

A composite (tooth colored) filling is used to repair a tooth that is affected by decay, cracks, fractures, etc.  The decayed or affected portion of the tooth will be removed and then filled with a composite filling.

There are many types of filling materials available, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.  You and your dentist can discuss the best options for restoring your teeth.  Composite fillings, along with silver amalgam fillings, are the most widely used today.  Because composite fillings are tooth colored, they can be closely matched to the color of existing teeth, and are more aesthetically suited for use in front teeth or more visible areas of the mouth.

As with most dental restorations, composite fillings are not permanent and may someday have to be replaced.  They are very durable and will last many years, giving you a long lasting, beautiful smile.

Reasons for composite fillings:

•  Chipped teeth.
•  Closing space between two teeth.
•  Cracked or broken teeth.
•  Decayed teeth.
•  Worn teeth.

A crown (or cap) is a covering that encases the entire tooth surface, restoring it to its original shape and size.  A crown protects and strengthens tooth structure that cannot be restored with fillings or other types of restorations.

Although there are several types of crowns, porcelain (tooth colored crown) are the most popular.  They are highly durable and will last many years, but like most dental restorations, they may eventually need to be replaced.  Porcelain crowns are made to match the shape, size, and color of your teeth, giving you a long-lasting, beautiful smile.

Reasons for crowns:

•  Broken or fractured teeth.
•  Cosmetic enhancement.
•  Decayed teeth.
•  Fractured fillings.
•  Large fillings.
•  Tooth has a root canal.

Missing teeth in the smile can be detrimental to your overall smile aesthetic and oral health. With tried-and-true methods like bridges and dentures, there are options to replace missing teeth. However, dental implants are a new and innovative solution to tooth loss. At First Choice Dental Center, Dr. Holly Votteler provides dental implants and restorations to restore the function of patients’ smiles.

Benefits of Dental Implant Supported Restorations and Prosthetics

Fixed bridges and removable dentures and partials only replace the missing teeth, but do not impact overall oral health. Dental implant-retained restorations, however, provide multiple benefits, such as:

• Restored Jaw Bone Health
• Stability
• Retained Smile Alignment and Natural Teeth

Dr. Holly Votteler will help patients determine the best teeth replacement option for them. Dental implants provide a comprehensive solution that is long-lasting and effective. We utilize aesthetic materials to fabricate your implant restorations. This allows for your treatment to not only restore function and comfort but looks and feels natural. The number of missing teeth will prompt the type of restoration needed to restore the smile. The restorations at our practice include: 

• Single Dental Implants with Crowns
• Implant-Supported Bridges
• Implant-Retained Dentures

There are two types of dentures - complete and partial dentures.  Complete dentures are used when all of the teeth are missing, while partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain.  A partial denture not only fills in the spaces created by missing teeth, it prevents other teeth from shifting.

A complete denture can be either “conventional” or “immediate.”  A conventional type is made after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has healed (usually takes 4 to 6 weeks).  During this time, the patient will go without teeth.  Immediate dentures are made in advance and immediately placed after the teeth are removed, thus preventing the patient from having to be without teeth during the healing process.  Once the tissues shrink and heal, adjustments will have to be made.

Dentures are very durable appliances and will last many years but may have to be remade, repaired, or readjusted due to normal wear.

Reasons for dentures:

•  Complete Denture - Loss of all teeth in an arch.
•  Partial Denture - Loss of several teeth in an arch.
•  Enhancing smile and facial tissues.
•  Improving chewing, speech, and digestion.

It is normal to experience increased saliva flow, some soreness, and possible speech and chewing difficulty, however this will subside as your muscles and tissues get used to the new dentures.

How Does Invisalign treatment work?

Invisalign clear aligners use the most advanced technology to gove you your best smile yet. Using a series of aligners made with advances, such as proprietary SmartTrack material, Invisalign treatment can straigned your teeth with 75% more predictability. Plus, your smile is shaped more comfortably than with braces. 

The Best Part:

Your lifestyle isn't interrupted, meaning you can still enjoy the activities you love and the foods you can't live without. All with no unexpected trips to the doctor due to broken wires or brackets.

Treatments are Designed for You

Invisalign clear aligners can treat a wide range of teeth straightening conditions such as crossbite, crowding, open bite, gapped teeth, overbite, and underbite. Using the most advanced technology, Invisalign treatment corrects simple to complex cases. 

Dont Stop Living Your Life

• Keep eating all your favorite foods.
• Stay active in all the sports and activities you love.
• Keep brushing and flossing just as you normally do, with no brackets or wires to get in the way.
• You'll experience fewer emergency visits, without the hassle of brackets and wires breaking.
• Your Invisalign clear aligners are virtually invisible, so people may not even notice you’re wearing them.

Wearing Your Aligners

• You'll be ready for anything, from movie night to coffee with friends. Just take your aligners out to eat and drink, then brush your teeth before putting them back in.
• Wear your Invisalign clear aligners 20 to 22 hours a day for best results.
• Parents, your teen's aligners will have blue compliance indicators to assure you they’re wearing them enough.

Veneers are very thin pieces of durable, tooth shaped porcelain that are custom made (for shape and color) by a professional dental laboratory.  They are bonded onto the front of teeth to create a beautiful and attractive smile.

Veneers can completely reshape your teeth and smile.  They can often be alternatives to crowns and the ideal solution in treating many dental conditions.

As with most dental restorations, veneers are not permanent and may someday need replacement.  They are very durable and will last many years, giving you a beautiful long lasting smile.

Reasons for porcelain veneers:

•  Cosmetically, to create a uniform, white, beautiful smile.
•  Crooked teeth.
•  Misshapen teeth.
•  Severely discolored or stained teeth.
•  Teeth that are too small or large.
•  Unwanted or uneven spaces.
•  Worn or chipped teeth.

Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection.  In order to save the tooth, the pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth), nerves, bacteria, and any decay are removed and the resulting space is filled with special, medicated, dental materials, which restore the tooth to its full function.

Root canal treatment is highly successful and usually lasts a lifetime, although on occasion, a tooth will have to be retreated due to new infections.

Signs and symptoms for possible root canal therapy:

•  An abscess (or pimple) on the gums.
•  Sensitivity to hot and cold.
•  Severe toothache pain.
•  Sometimes no symptoms are present.
•  Swelling and/or tenderness.

Reasons for root canal therapy:

•  Decay has reached the tooth pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth).
•  Infection or abscess have developed inside the tooth or at the root tip.
•  Injury or trauma to the tooth.