Whether you have a small cavity, root canal therapy or a broken tooth, Dr. Jeff Harris offers a variety of treatment options to restore your tooth to health and strength.
Tooth Colored Fillings
Silver-mercury amalgam fillings are practically obsolete. Not only are they unattractive in your smile, amalgam fillings react to changes in temperature. They expand when exposed to heat and contract when exposed to cold. All that movement can cause your tooth to fracture or break. It also creates a space between the filling and tooth wall that allows bacteria to get in and cause further decay.
To avoid all those problems, Dr. Harris uses tooth-colored composite fillings to restore teeth. Whether you need a cavity filled or want to replace your older, failing amalgam fillings with composite resin that disappears in your smile, Dr. Harris can help. These tooth colored fillings look natural and are stronger than metal. Best yet, they don't react to temperature changes.
Inlays and Onlays
If you have a need for a larger, stronger restoration, Dr. Harris may recommend an inlay or an onlay.
An inlay or onlay is a much more conservative restoration for the tooth than a metal filling. Made of high-strength porcelain, inlays and onlays can actually increase tooth strength by up to 75 percent, lasting from 10 to 30 years.
Inlays
Inlays are used to restore inside the cusps of the tooth. They are made in the office of strong, long-lasting and natural-looking materials, such composite resin. They are tooth-colored and are virtually invisible in the smile. Inlays are a conservative tooth restoration, meaning that they require far less drilling and preparation of the tooth than a metal filling does. This allows us to save much more of the healthy tooth.
Onlays
Onlays are used for large restorations. They restore inside the cusp and extend over one or more sides of the tooth. They can also be used as a crown or cap. Because of their size, onlays are made of strong material, usually porcelain. Onlays are hand-crafted in a lab. Like inlays, they are conservative tooth restorations that require far less drilling than metal fillings. An onlay can often be used to repair only the damaged portion of the tooth, leaving much more of the original tooth structure intact.
Crown
A crown, also called a cap, is a custom-made restoration that repairs and strengthens a tooth that:
- fractures
- decays
- has a failing old filling
- has had root canal therapy
A crown completely covers the tooth, so it is an ideal option for cosmetic enhancement for a tooth that is discolored or misshapen. The crowns placed by Dr. Harris are made of porcelain for strength, endurance, and appearance.
Dental Implant Restoration
If you have a dental implant and the "tooth" portion of the implant is wearing down, chipped or broken, Dr. Harris can restore your dental implant.