The Direct And Indirect Methods
Dental restoration includes a variety of options and these are depending on the nature of your dental problem. Teeth may require repairing due to worn out, damaged, or decayed parts, while sometimes, one or more teeth are entirely missing. Restoration can be categorized in two general types.
Dental restorations can either be direct or indirect.
A restoration is considered a direct tooth restoration method when the material used to repair the tooth is applied directly to the tooth’s problem area. Dental fillings are regarded as a direct form of restoration. There are a variety of filling options – amalgam, gold, dental resin or porcelain – they are plugged and sealed into prepared spaces (where tooth decay or caries or damage had been), after which molding, polishing, and hardening are concluded.
Another direct method is dental bonding. It uses a tooth-colored substance applied to small cavities, cracked or chipped teeth, broken, or discolored teeth. The material bonds directly with the tooth structure after some cleaning, sculpting, hardening via UV light or laser light, and polishing.
Both direct methods are usually a single dentist’s visit.
In indirect restoration, the material used is not directly applied to the tooth concerned, rather the restoration is fabricated in a dental lab which receives a mold or replica of the patient’s tooth (or the entire mouth) from the dentist. The final restoration is sent back to the dentist, and the patient is required to visit the dentist again for fitting and other final finishings. Hence, this method requires more than just one sitting.
Crowns, and dental inlays and onlays are examples of this type. A crown covers the entire chewing surface of a tooth, usually severely damaged teeth. An inlay lies within the cusps of the tooth, and an onlay covers one or more cusp tips, including part of the chewing surface. They are sometimes called partial crowns, because like fillings, they fix cavities, and like crowns, they strengthen the structure of the tooth. These restorations need to be fabricated in the dental lab.
SourceRestoring Tooth Function in Lynnwood
Whatever your need for restoration, know from your Lynnwood dentist the best option for your case.
