Improve Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry

How A Partial Tooth Can Be Restored

22 September 2021 by Christy Long

Damage to a tooth can be so severe that the tooth has passed the point of no return. The tooth cannot be successfully restored, and extraction is necessary, with an artificial permanent replacement (a dental implant) then being required. But a tooth must experience drastic damage before extraction becomes the only course of action. When a tooth has deteriorated to the point that much of its overall structure has been lost and is only a partial tooth, your dentist may still be able to save it.

Dental Crowns and Damaged Teeth

You've probably heard about how dental crowns are used to restore damaged teeth. The crown itself (generally made of ceramic) is manufactured to be a replica of the tooth. The tooth then has some of its surface enamel shaved off to reduce its size, allowing the crown to be accommodated without increasing the overall size of the tooth. But doesn't this only work when there's already sufficient tooth structure for the crown to be bonded to?

A Sturdy Platform for the Crown

The loss of the tooth's structure means your dentist must construct a sturdy platform for the crown. This involves a root canal. The tooth's pulp is securely housed in the center of the tooth. This pulp chamber is accessed with your dentist making an entry cavity with the pulp extracted. The pulp chamber is now empty and must be packed with an inert biocompatible filling material. Gutta-percha (a thermoplastic latex) is typically used.

Applying the Rod

Once the first step of the process has been successful, a small amount of gutta-percha must be removed to create a small hollow. A small rod is cemented inside this hollow. The rod can be prefabricated or customized for your tooth when the prefabricated options don't offer the best fit. These rods are usually metallic, but other materials, such as carbon fibers and ceramics, are common as well.

An Artificial Core and Final Restorations

The rod in your tooth has created an artificial core. The composite filling is added to rebuild the tooth's lost structure, and the core offers the necessary support for this to be successful. The restored tooth with its reinforced core is now strong enough to retain the dental crown, which is placed as the final stage of the process.

So even when one tooth has lost much of its total structure to decay or an accident, it's still possible for a dentist to restore the tooth to its original look and strength. 

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