Cosmetic Dentistry and Fillings In Lakewood, Colorado

In the case of braces, we will guide you through exactly which type will work best to straighten crooked teeth and get your child ready for his or her close-up. We know that no child looks forward to having braces. They don’t want to go to school and smile at their friends with a mouthful of metal. Thankfully, those days are long gone. From traditional metal-bracket braces, the kind that you think of when you hear the word “braces,” to the latest in cosmetic dental technology, we offer many types of braces to match your child’s preferences and your budget. Not sure what style of braces would best fit your and your child’s dental needs? No problem. Our highly trained staff can walk you every step of the way through the various options.

Kids do have accidents that can knock out teeth. It can happen when they hit a bar on the jungle gym or bump into a teammate while playing sports. Whatever the case, your child does not need to feel embarrassed. Tooth replacement is a normal procedure for lots of people, young and old. If you and your child are in consultation with our staff and decide that your child may need a tooth replaced, there are several options available depending on whether the tooth is a primary or permanent tooth.

If the child is older and the missing tooth is a permanent tooth, a bridge can be placed. A bridge is made by putting natural-looking crowns on top of the teeth on both sides of the space where the tooth was lost. There is a natural-looking tooth called a pontic put in between the two crowns. The great news with this dental procedure is that once the bridge is secured with custom-designed crowns, your child won’t have to worry about their new teeth for years or even decades.

Conversely, amalgam fillings, which you most likely know as either traditional or “silver” fillings, can boast that they only require one dental visit for the procedure to be done. Due to the speed in which amalgam fillings can be installed, patients who are normally a little wary of visiting the dentist or who have busy schedules can still protect their teeth without the need for multiple visits. This being said, both cosmetic and amalgam fillings are each excellent options in their own right. What’s most important, however, is that our patients will be free from the discomfort that comes with cavities be it from aches when tooth decay expands or not being able to chew or bite in a natural way.

As mentioned before, cosmetic fillings require two separate visits to the dentist to ensure a proper installation. The first visit will generally involve a cleaning and X-ray to identify the extent to which tooth decay or damage has occurred. This is then followed up by the dentist taking an impression of the tooth or teeth that require inlays or onlays. During the time between this first visit and the following appointment, the impression is used to craft a custom composite filling made specifically to match the patient’s teeth and cavity. During the second visit, the patient will have another dental cleaning and will receive a local anesthetic. Once the tooth has been cleaned, prepared and checked for accurate sizing, the dentist places a strong bonding agent to the inside of the cavity so the onlay or inlay will permanently stay in place. The filling is then placed and the procedure is complete.

To learn more about cosmetic fillings, amalgam fillings or to set an appointment to fill one of your child’s cavities, call All About Kids Dental today!