Restorative Dentistry for Tulsa Residents

Traditional Crowns & Bridges

Crowns and bridges have been used for years to repair dental damage and replace missing teeth. Dental crowns are restorations that fit over the top of damaged or decayed teeth. They are custom crafted from a variety of high-quality materials to ensure patients’ restorations are long lasting and durable as well as beautiful. We use gold, porcelain bonded to metal, E-Max all ceramic, and zirconia. Whatever material is best for you, the process is completed over the course of two appointments. During your initial visit, we prepare the tooth and capture bite impressions. A temporary crown is placed to protect your smile from potential damage between visits. Once we receive the dental crown from our lab, you’ll return to exchange the temporary for the high-quality custom solution.

In addition to repairing damaged teeth, dental crowns can be used to improve the cosmetic appearance of patients’ smiles, protect root canal treated teeth, or to replace missing teeth. Dental crowns can be attached to implant posts to replace a single lost tooth. Additionally, dental crowns can be attached to one or more prosthetic teeth, known as pontics, to create a tooth replacement solution known as a fixed bridge. The dental crowns are fused to the replacement tooth or teeth on both sides. Then, they are affixed to surrounding healthy teeth in order to support the bridge. A fixed bridge prosthetic can also be supported by dental implant posts for maximum stability and comfort. Like dental crown restorations, fixed bridges are also created and placed over the course of two visits.

Tooth-Colored Fillings

Dental fillings are an essential aspect of dentistry services. Traditionally, amalgam metals were used to repair minor dental damage and decay. In addition to the cosmetic disadvantages, these metal fillings also had numerous disadvantages to oral health. Because amalgam metals expand and contract at a much higher rate than natural tooth enamel, bacteria were able to get between the filling and the tooth causing decay. The expansion and contraction could also crack or break remaining healthy tooth structures. That’s why we use tooth-colored, composite resin fillings to repair teeth. Unlike their amalgam counterparts, these fillings look and function much more like natural tooth enamel. Composite resin is applied directly to teeth in a putty-like state where it can seep into small crevices and pits creating a natural fusion between the tooth and restoration. Once the restoration is in place, we harden it using a curing light.

Extractions

While our top priority in restorative dentistry is always to preserve healthy dental function, there are situations where tooth removal is essential to protecting patients’ complete oral health and function. If we need to remove a tooth, our team provides safe, comfortable extraction in our Tulsa, OK dental office. We may recommend extraction for badly decayed teeth, as part of the preparation for orthodontics or dentures, and most commonly, for wisdom teeth. Prior to tooth extraction, we can also walk you through possible tooth replacement options when necessary.

Root Canals

In the dark ages of dentistry, dentists only had one remedy for problem teeth. The decayed teeth were extracted. Thankfully, today you have options. If your teeth develop problems in the pulp (the nerve that runs through each tooth), a root canal can remove the nerve and let you keep your tooth.

Root canals don’t have to be scary. If you need a root canal, you want to know that you’ll be well taken care of. Marshall Family Dentistry uses both oral sedatives and nitrous oxide combined with a little TLC. We find that many of our patients fall asleep during the procedure!