Restorative Dentistry
Dr. Hardy and his entire team of dental professionals are committed to helping you maintain or achieve overall oral health.
With thorough examinations of your teeth, oral tissue, temporomandibular joints (TMJ), and gums, Dr. Hardy is able to present you with a complete, personalized treatment plan that will help you reach your goal of excellent oral health.
Please click on any of the restorative procedures below to learn more.
Crown and Bridge
Inlays / Onlays
Periodontal Treatment
Implants and Mini-implants
Root Canal Treatment
Partials / Dentures
Tooth Colored Fillings
Oral Surgery / Wisdom Teeth
Crown and Bridge
A crown (or cap) is a dental restoration that is placed over a tooth when a conservative restoration is insufficient to restore form and function. A bridge serves to replace a missing tooth or teeth. One type of bridge consists of crowns placed on either side of the missing tooth to connect the replacement tooth or teeth to them. Another type of bridge consists of the replacement tooth being attached to the adjacent teeth with wing-like appendages. Bridges can also be supported by dental implants.
Natural looking crowns and bridges can be an ideal solution to replace or support missing or damaged teeth. Thanks to Dr. Hardy’s state-of-the-art equipment these procedures are much simpler and the results are much more aesthetically pleasing than ever before.
Inlays / Onlays
Inlays and onlays are indirect dental restorations that reinforce an existing tooth that is too damaged to support a filling, but not damaged enough to require a crown. Inlays and onlays are known as indirect fillings because unlike a standard filling, both are made in a laboratory and cemented or bonded to the surface of the tooth during a second visit. Unlike standard fillings, inlays and onlays do not weaken the tooth structure, but actually strengthen it. After the procedure the tooth can bear up to 50-75% more chewing force.
Periodontal Treatment
Periodontal treatment is an investment in your overall health, not simply your oral health. Early treatment of periodontal disease will help you achieve a healthy mouth and help prevent tooth loss. In fact, with prompt treatment, proper home care, and regular dental visits, a great majority of patients can keep their teeth for a lifetime.
After evaluating your periodontal health, Dr. Hardy will work with you to determine the treatment options that best meet your needs. Occasionally surgical intervention is necessary to access and remove infection of the soft tissue and bone surrounding the teeth or to improve the contours of soft tissue or bone around the teeth for cleaning and better oral health.
Implants
Dental implants enable Dr. Hardy to create healthy, attractive smiles in an innovative way. Implants are an excellent way to replace one or more missing teeth and are another alternative to conventional bridges and dentures. In essence, dental implants act and look like natural teeth. Because they maintain bone, dental implants can also help prevent additional tooth loss as well as the sunken facial appearance associated with missing teeth.
A dental implant restoration consists of a biocompatible titanium screw and post topped by a crown, bridge, or denture. The implant is surgically placed into the jawbone where it replaces the natural tooth's root. In a few months the implant securely attaches to the bone allowing it to withstand biting and chewing forces just like a healthy, natural tooth.
Dental implants can support single crowns, fixed bridges, and serve as attachments for dentures or removable partial dentures.
Root Canal Treatment
When decay is so deep that bacteria enters the nerve of the tooth, root canal treatment is usually necessary. This used to be a situation where you would probably lose that tooth. With advances in the field of dentistry and a procedure called root canal therapy you now may save that tooth. The new rotary root canal technique can make treatment faster, more comfortable and more predictable.
Inside each tooth is the pulp. When the pulp is diseased or injured the pulp tissue dies. The original inflammation or infection can have a variety of causes: deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth, a crack, or a chip in the tooth. In addition, an injury to a tooth may cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks.
After Dr. Hardy removes the pulp, the root canal is cleaned and sealed off to protect it. Then, in most cases, a crown will be placed over that tooth to help make it stronger.
Partials and Dentures
When teeth are missing the remaining ones can change position, drift into the surrounding space, and possibly damage tissue in the mouth. In addition, it may be difficult to clean thoroughly between ill positioned teeth. As a result, you run the risk of tooth decay and periodontal disease, which can lead to the loss of additional teeth.
A removable partial denture replaces missing teeth, bone and tissue and fills in the space created by missing teeth. It can be taken out for cleaning. It attaches to the remaining teeth in the arch adding better retention and stability than a full denture.
A denture replaces all of the teeth and the lost bone or tissue in either the upper or the lower dental arch. A denture will restore the ability to properly chew your food, may improve speech, and help restore lip and facial support.
Tooth Colored Fillings (Composites)
White, mercury free, filling material is used to replace tooth structure lost because of decay or tooth fracture. The composite material bonds to the remaining tooth and strengthens it. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small to mid-size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure.
Composite filling material is used rather than the old mercury filling material (amalgam) that weakened the tooth and caused dark gray staining of the remaining tooth structure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth and may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam.
Oral Surgery/Wisdom Tooth Removal
Oral surgical procedures remove unnecessary or hopelessly damaged teeth and reshape the bone and soft tissues of the mouth to improve the health and appearance of your mouth.
Wisdom Tooth Removal:
A large percentage of the population does not have adequate space in their jawbones to accommodate their wisdom teeth, also known as third molars. If not removed, these teeth can cause any or all of the following: pain and pressure, cysts in the jaw, other teeth to shift or serious infections. Having wisdom teeth removed may be a perfect time to experience intravenous sedation.
Routine Extractions:
Occasionally a tooth or teeth need to be extracted because of decay, crowding or untreatable periodontal involvement.
Dr. Hardy has extensive experience in the area of oral surgery and enjoys this work very much. He has removed countless wisdom teeth, done many routine extractions and performed oral surgical procedures within the scope of his practice. Call our office today if you have any questions regarding these procedures.