Conservative care

There are several levels of decay of a tooth:

  1. The healthy, living tooth;
  2. The living tooth which is decayed and / or which already has a filling;
  3. The devitalized tooth;
  4. The tooth to be extracted.

At each level of decay of the tooth, we can use different means to delay and if possible never go to the next level of decay.

For the living tooth (1), the prophylaxis associated with the establishment at home of a controlled plaque control, will keep the tooth free from needing care/treatment.

Decayed teeth

For decayed or dental care teeth that are no longer waterproof (2), it is only when the decay and the old fillings are removed (if this is the case), that we will know the treatment to be performed.

  • If the cavity is small, a resin (direct composite) is perfectly suitable and is aesthetic. We have made the ecological choice to no longer use amalgam (since 1997).
  • When the volume of dental tissue destroyed is large, ceramic inlays become interesting alternatives to reconstructions traditionally made from composites. In fact, when the cavity is larger, the composites have several disadvantages (contraction of polymerization, loss of tightness over time, material that is not very resistant to wear, color change, etc.)

The inlays-onlays

The alternative of ceramic parts (inlay / onlay) avoids a crown which leads to greater decay of the tooth.

Advantages of inlays-onlays:

  • Better mechanical resistance by better distribution of forces during chewing;
  • Decay of the lower tooth than for a crown;
  • Better point of contact with neighboring teeth;
  • Improved quality of the tooth-filling joint;
  • The inlay / onlay will have a natural look and will have a better seal provided by bonding, so it will be more durable.

If the cavity has already contaminated the pulp, root treatment will be necessary.

Devitalised teeth

For devitalized teeth numerous publications have shown that if these teeth are strengthened by a crown, they will remain in the mouth longer.

We are thus delaying the time of extraction. This strengthening can only be done on a clinically correct root treatment.
The plumped teeth must imperatively be reconstituted with a suitable material associated with tenons in the root or by an inlay-core. These root anchors can be achieved in two ways:

Stride reconstruction

Direct method with a composite material associated with fiberized root posts.

Casting reconstruction

Indirect method with a cast metal post made in the prosthesis laboratory. We use the root canals previously closed during endodontic treatment as anchor points.

Nous utilisons comme points d’ancrage les canaux radiculaires précédemment obturés lors du traitement endodontique.

Dental crowns

A dental crown can be made in different materials:

Metalic crown

The price and the shade are dependent on the metal used (with or without gold).

Ceramic-metallic crowns

They consist of a metal shell which is covered with a ceramic having the same colour as the tooth.

Ceramic crowns

They use a very advanced design process. They consist of an exceptionally strong ceramic frame covered with a ceramic of the same colour as the teeth. The ceramic dental crown is a very high quality and most aesthetic prosthesis.

When a tooth is extracted from the mouth it is necessary, in order not to damage the neighbouring teeth by overloading and to prevent these same neighboring teeth from moving, to replace them. This replacement can be fixed or removable according to your wishes. Each solution with its advantages and disadvantages will be explained to you and costed.