How Direct Dental Restorations Can Address Dental Trauma
From the moment our first tooth arrives, we begin facing the potential risk of a traumatic dental injury. Throughout our lives, we often encounter situations that could lead to this kind of dental trauma. Experience a facial impact while playing sports, getting into an auto accident, or even a simple household accident. Regardless of what the underlying cause is, it’s essential that the damage be addressed and your oral health restored. In many cases, all that may be necessary is a direct dental restoration.
How Direct Dental Restorations Can Address Dental Trauma
Direct restorations are a type of restorative dental treatment manufactured within the patient’s mouth. These types of restorations don’t involve the use of a dental laboratory and can be completed within a single visit. In addition, they don’t require the use of a temporary restoration to complete,
The most common material used during the direct restoration process is composite resin. For almost 150 years, the most popular material for these restorations was silver amalgam. This amalgam, made of an alloy of four materials, allowed dentists to quickly and effectively restore the health and integrity of a patient’s teeth. Numerous reasons, including the cost of disposal of the amalgam material and the environmental impact of the mercury it contained, led to a decline in popularity.
Composite resins have numerous advantages over amalgam material, as well. These benefits include the following:
- Non-toxic materials
- Natural tooth color that can be tinted to match the patients
- It can often last as much as seven years
- Same day application
In addition to being used for fillings, composite resin can also address cracks and minor chips in the teeth. When used in this way, it’s known as dental bonding. Used in this way, it has all the benefits it does with a filling. It’s simple to place, quick to cure and can be shaped to match the natural contours of your tooth. Composite veneers are becoming another popular option as dental science continues to find new uses for this amazing material.
With this degree of versatility, this material has found an important place in treating dental trauma. It can often address trauma in the following instances:
- Sports-Related Dental Injuries – Sports are a popular past-time worldwide, especially in the US. American schools have shown a steady increase in High School sports participation over the last 24 years. Unfortunately, increased participation means increased injuries.
- Chipped Or Broken Teeth – This type of injury is the most commonly identified by the AAE (American Association of Endodontists). When teeth become chipped, they can become loose or tender to the touch. Seeing a dentist immediately can help, as composite bonding can often reattach the missing piece.
- Partially Displaced Or Knocked-Out Teeth – Teeth that have been knocked out have often experienced additional damage that can be addressed with composite bondings after reinsertion.
Speak To Your Dentist To Learn More
Your dentist will provide up-to-date information on the application of composite resins in dental trauma cases. If you’ve experienced any form of dental trauma, it’s important to speak to your dentist immediately. You never know what options may be available to help restore your teeth and your smile.
