Restorative Dentistry in Las Vegas, NV

Restorative Dentistry at Hillside Dental, Las Vegas

Our greatest priority is to help each of our patients maintain their healthiest, most attractive smile. Our general and restorative dental services are geared towards individual needs and include the demonstration of proper oral care techniques for home hygiene. Through thorough examination and diagnostics, we are able to detect and treat problems while they are still small.

Hillside Dental is a Las Vegas dental office that has been founded on excellence. Our commitment to outstanding patient care is evident not only in our friendly, professional manner but in our use of the latest dental technologies and techniques. When restorative care is needed, our patients can count on our use of the highest quality materials to achieve beautiful, long-lasting results.

Patients of Hillside Dental can receive restorative care with a number of services.

DENTAL CROWNS

The purpose of a dental crown is to restore the natural form and functionality of a tooth that has sustained damage too great for a filling to repair. Dr. Lim’s patients can choose to have crowns made from a metal alloy, porcelain fused to metal, gold, or all-porcelain. There was a good amount of time during which only metal crowns were available. Today’s dental patients have more choices, many of which are designed to preserve the natural beauty of the smile while fortifying a tooth for long-term durability. When metal is chosen for the repair of a back tooth, gold is the highest standard, offering a discreet appearance and decades of function.

To restore the structure of a tooth, the crown provides complete coverage. To ensure the most predictable outcome from care, Dr. Lim designs crowns strategically, using precision, advanced technique, and an artistic eye.

DENTAL BRIDGES

A bridge is a non-surgical way to replace one or many teeth. A bridge uses the adjacent teeth as anchors to support the missing tooth or teeth. With today’s dental advancements, a bridge can be fabricated in a fairly short period of time, using a metal or nonmetal foundation. Don’t let that missing tooth affect the way you speak, eat, and smile. Bridges yield immediate results that last a lifetime. Ask your dentist what type of bridge may be right for you.

Treatment with a dental bridge may be warranted for the replacement of a missing tooth or teeth. The most common type of bridgework is the fixed bridge. This restoration is stabilized by natural teeth, which are fitted with natural-looking crowns. In between the two crowns lies the artificial tooth or teeth, called pontics. Fused together, the pontic and crowns create one “bridge” that spans the empty space in the smile. The fixed bridge procedure can be completed in just two visits, one for preparation and one for placement. With good care, a bridge can last fifteen or more years.

DENTURES

For more than a century, men and women have used dentures as a primary form of tooth replacement. Not all dentists offer this level of care, but Las Vegas dentist Dr. Lim has extensive experience in the design of new dentures and the re-fitting of existing dentures that have become loose over time. As dental technology has progressed, the look and feel of dentures have improved significantly, making this treatment option ideal for many people.

The creation of full and partial dentures is undertaken with a great deal of care. We want our patients to feel comfortable and confident in their new smile and are happy to make adjustments as needed to prevent or eliminate sore spots. Through the use of high-quality acrylic material, the dentures made in the modern dental lab look like your natural smile.

DENTURES AND JAW RESTORATION

One of the potential drawbacks of conventional denture treatment is that this type of appliance is not likely to provide the jawbone with the stimulation necessary for preservation. In the natural oral anatomy, teeth are tethered to the jawbone via their roots. The roots also transfer force from teeth to the bone tissue, which is what keeps the jaw dense and healthy. When there are no natural teeth or roots remaining, there is no longer a way to transfer this force. Due to the fact that conventional dentures sit on top of the gums, they cannot meet the needs of the jawbone for stimulation. To remedy this concern, Dr. Lim suggests that patients consider stabilizing dentures with a few dental implants, and prosthetics that replace missing roots.

OLD DENTAL WORK

The way that teeth are restored and enhanced today is far different than older techniques. Dr. Lim works with patients who would like to replace old dental work such as metal crowns or amalgam fillings, providing options that look beautifully natural. The purpose of modern dental materials is to restore teeth while preserving their natural appearance. If your dental work does not currently meet your aesthetic needs, we can provide care to achieve your goals.

ROOT CANAL THERAPY

Root canal therapy is a very common procedure. It has a reputation for being undesirable and painful. But when done properly it is actually painless. Every tooth in your mouth is composed of a crown and a root. When a cavity or bacteria penetrates the tooth, the root and its nerves become irritated. As a result, the bacteria within the pulp cavity needs to be removed and cleaned in order to restore the tooth to its healthy state. Following the procedure, the tooth is fragile and consequently is restored with the natural crown for a lifetime of durability. Root canals have a success rate of 95% or greater. Most root canals are diagnosed by patients’ sensitivities to a specific tooth. Be sure to consult your dentist if any symptoms or discomfort occur.

Many people cringe when they hear the term “root canal.” This procedure, however, is not painful and is actually very beneficial. Dr. Lim performs root canal therapy when extensive damage to a tooth has to lead to infection within the pulp chamber, the innermost part of the tooth where the nerve lies. Due to the close proximity of the nerves to infected pulp tissue, what often leads a patient to our Las Vegas dental office for care is an intense, unrelenting toothache.

The root canal procedure is often associated with pain. The truth is that the only pain linked to root canal therapy is that which comes before. In order to eliminate our patient’s pain, we administer a local anesthetic to numb the area and we remove the infected tissue, along with the tooth’s nerve and root. There is no pain during the procedure, nor after because infected, inflamed nerves have been removed. After root canal therapy, the damaged tooth will be restored with a beautiful crown.