Restorative Dentistry

Sometimes injury, disease, or just the passage of time can wreak havoc on your smile. Not only can your smile look aged and incomplete, but also you could develop problems with the function of your teeth, gums, and other supportive structures. Advanced, restorative dentistry from River Oak Dental can restore your smile and give you pain-free function so that you can return to your normal life.

Dentures

When you are missing one or more teeth, the supportive structures for those teeth can shrink away. This limits your oral function and can dramatically alter your appearance. Dentures and partial dentures restore form and function to those parts of your mouth and engage the underlying structures, keeping them healthy. Dr. Nichols skillfully crafts dentures and partial dentures that fit securely and look natural, giving you confidence as you speak or eat with family, friends, or co-workers.

Crowns

Even a single discolored, damaged, or misshaped tooth can ruin the look of your smile. Thankfully, porcelain crowns can restore shape and structure to a tooth in a way that looks natural and fantastic. Your doctor will custom-mill a porcelain crown to exact specifications for color, size, and shape, and after a little tooth preparation, he will permanently place that crown over the natural structure of your tooth. The restoration will look amazing and will feel completely natural to you.

Bridges

Not only does a missing tooth mean an obvious gap in your smile, but also it can cause significant problems later as your teeth shift and try to fill the space. Your solution may be a porcelain bridge. A porcelain bridge utilizes the teeth on either side of the space to provide the supportive structure for a porcelain restoration that will look and feel just like a natural tooth. After a little tooth preparation, your doctor will place custom-fitted crowns over the adjacent teeth. Between these teeth, a porcelain tooth is permanently affixed to the crowns. The look and feel of the overall restoration will be completely natural, and you will regain both form and function in

Implant Restoration

In many cases, a dental implant is the most effective way to replace one or more teeth in your smile. A dental implant is a small titanium post placed through your gum tissue directly into the bone underneath. During healing, the bone grows around the post, anchoring it in place and providing a solid structure that will hold a porcelain tooth after a few months of healing. Dr. Nichols will shape and color the tooth to match your existing teeth. The position, feel, and appearance of the tooth and implant will be completely natural!

Implant-Supported Dentures

Are you looking for an improvement over traditional dentures? Implant-supported dentures utilize several dental implants as permanent anchoring points. No longer will you need to worry about dentures shifting about during eating or speaking. To best serve you, we perform the placement of the implants right here at River Oak Dental. Once your implants are in, Dr. Nichols will create a beautiful and natural set of dentures for you. If you wear dentures or are considering dentures, ask about implant-supported dentures today!

Inlays/Onlays

When decay or injury causes the loss of some, but not all, of your natural tooth structure, a porcelain inlay or onlay can restore the shape and function of your tooth. Inlays and onlays are shaded to match your natural tooth color and are bonded into place to restore your complete smile.

Root Canal

If you develop an issue with the deep supportive structure of your tooth – the portion of the tooth that contains the nerve as well as the “pulp” – a root canal may be prescribed to save your tooth. A root canal treatment involves the removal of the pulp from within the tooth. Then, the tooth is filled with an inert material to maintain its structural integrity. Finally, a lifelike porcelain crown is fitted over your natural tooth structure to recomplete your smile. Due to advances in dentistry, root canals are more comfortable than ever before, so if you find you need a root canal treatment, rest assured that our team’s gentle touch will make all the difference.

TMJ

If you suffer from headaches, neck and shoulder aches, or frequent jaw pain, you may be one of the many people who has a problem with the temporomandibular joint. Numerous nerves and muscles are connected to this “jaw joint.” Correct alignment of your jaw is vital to sustain many of the supportive structures of your mouth and face. At River Oak Dental, your doctor can diagnose and treat the condition that is causing your jaw pain. This treatment may include a comfortable appliance to wear at night or another treatment that will allow your jaw to relax and function properly. Don’t live another day with treatable pain!

Nightguards

Many individuals suffer from a condition known as bruxism – the clenching or grinding of your teeth, especially during sleep. This clenching and grinding can cause excessive wear and cracking of your teeth, muscle pain, and other damage to the supportive structures of your mouth. A custom-fitted nightguard from Dr. Nichols can give you comfortable relief while you sleep. This nightguard fits over your teeth, much like a sports mouthguard, preventing your teeth from contacting each other and holding your jaw in a comfortable position. You may find that you sleep better than you have in years!