CONSERVATIVE DENTISTRY
Conservative Dentistry includes a series of treatments that allow us to maintain the health of the teeth that are attacked by dental caries, injuries or other pathological factors.
Conservative treatment has three main objectives:
1. To sanitize the mouth by removing those teeth that are not treated and that are already lost.
2. Sealing the pieces that are suffering from tooth decay, either with a tooth filling or with an inlay.
3. Removing the tooth pulp performing an endodontic treatment to the teeth that have it affected by the caries
Once the conservative phase is over, you must maintain a good health by brushing your teeth at home and visiting the dental clinic for a dental hygiene and examination at least once a year.
We DO NOT work with dental amalgam fillings.
About twenty years ago, the evolution of our patients’ desires for cosmetic seals made us consider the usage of amalgam fillings. In composites fillings we found a very aesthetic material but also a universal, erosion resistant and saliva leaks resistant composition. We decided to stop using dental amalgams to start using composites and, honestly, we have not missed the metal alloy mixture.
On the other hand, it is true that the responsible of the dental clinic, Dr. Gaset, has nowadays very old fillings done with amalgams and he has not been advised to change them for health reasons.
However, in recent years, we have proof of evidence of an improvement in the general health of patients whose dental amalgams have been removed and changed for composite fillings.
Last but not least, we would like you to know that, after the amalgam has been replaced by composite filling, tooth sensitivity may unpleasantly increase temporarily.
CONSERVATIVE DENTISTRY AREAS
Natural adult tusk before the tooth whitening
Internal tooth whitening of an adult tusk with a strong dark coloring
This is a real case of an internal tooth whitening of an adult tusk that, before the treatment, it had a very evident dark, brownish hue. This coloration is due to an endodontic treatment. After removing the dental pulp and the nerves that it contains, it is very usual that the hard tissues of the tooth absorb the pulp material and the endodontic materials, dyeing the dentin.
The internal tooth whitening is a quick, efficient treatment. In a few days, the whitening product is able to achieve a quite satisfactory result.
Adult tusk after the internal tooth whitening
Molar with external dentin resorption
External dentin resorption
External dental resorption is a process its origin is unknown but definitely it is not an infectious origin such as tooth decay. Dentin resorption results in cavity-shaped lesions rather in the area of the teeth neck or in the molars. It is linked to multiple factors without a cause-effect relation being established, although it often appears in bruxism patients. It is treated like caries and has no good long-term prognosis.
The same molar after the filling
Molar with a damaged crown after an endodontic therapy
Endocrown overlay
This technique consists in doing a wide reconstruction of teeth that have lost almost their entire crown due to dental caries. Molars that need an endodontic treatment have suffered from a very severe decay problem. Moreover, in order to have access to the camera where the pulp has to be removed, we normally have to create a wide conduct through the crown of the molar. After the endodontic therapy, the molar has strong roots but a very weak damaged crown. In these cases, we proceed to a do a reconstruction with a block made in the laboratory. We take measurements of the area and work on the plaster mold. Lastly, we adhere the overlay into the tooth with composite with a high quality functional and aesthetic result.
Same molar with the overlay or Endocrown
Molar with a decay or caries
Dental caries and dental fillings obturations
A dental filling or obturation is the basic dental treatment with which dentists remove tooth decays and replace the tissue damaged by the caries with restorative materials, the composites.
Dental caries is a biochemical process caused by germs that dissolve the hard tissues of teeth and molars. Brushing your teeth is the best way to prevents them from bacterial plaque, a biofilm that adheres to the teeth and where the caries-causing bacteria live. If there is no bacterial plaque, there are no caries, and the only way to remove it is brushing our teeth.
Molar after being sealed with composite
Endodontic treatment reinforced with a fiberglass post
Endodontic treatment and reconstruction with fiberglass posts
Fracture of the upper central incisor due to trauma with dental pulp exposure requires a root canal (or endodontic) treatment and a reconstruction of the part of the crown missing.
Once the endodontic therapy is done, we adjust a fiberglass post at the root of the tooth, which is already accessible, that will allow us to reconstruct the crown in an easier and more effective way. We use fiberglass due to that is a material with a very aesthetic color and because it will allow the composite reconstruction to have the vitality of a natural tooth.
Finished reconstruction
Molar with an amalgam obturation that the patient wants to be removed
Replacement of silver amalgams with composites
The controversy over the harmful effects of silver amalgam fillings on human health is very old. Although international organizations have not banned their use, some governments in Nordic countries have.
In our dental clinic we have not been working with amalgams since more than twenty years ago. We strongly believe that composites are as effective as amalgams fillings but with a noticeable significant aesthetic improvement; we think that, aesthetically, a dental amalgam is not acceptable for our patients.
Although we do not recommend removing the amalgams, we do replace them with composites when it is needed under medical prescription.
We changed amalgam for composites
Fissure where a caries can easily develop
Pits and fissures sealing
There is a type of caries that is typical at the pits and fissures on the occlusal area of the children molars. Sealing this pits and fissures in order to prevent occlusal decays is a very simple, effective-proven measure and, moreover, it is a technique that hardly always can be performed avoiding the use of anesthesia.
Fissures sealed with composites
Queixal afectat d’una fissura que pot engrandir-se
Fissured Tooth Syndrome
The fissured tooth syndrome is a very common pathology nowadays because of the high levels of stress. Bruxism cause small fissures to teeth and molars that allow the communication between the dental pulp and the external oral environment. The sensitivity increase when using the affected tooth to chew and what de dentist has to do is to seal the fissure if possible but, sometimes, the area broken is too wide to be repaired and the tooth or molar has to be removed.
En mateix queixal restaurat amb compòsits
Dent endodonciada molt enfosquida
Aclariment Dental Intern.
És el tractament que ens permet recuperar la lluminositat natural de les dents enfosquides per haver estat endodònciades. Els productes aclaridors es basen en l’alliberament d’oxigen pur, que és una molècula que trenca i desfà les dels agents enfosquidors; la dent endodonciada ens permet posar aquest agent aclaridor dins de la dent: quan l’oxigen es va formant no té altre camí de sortida que a través dels teixits dentals i per això quasi amb tota seguretat aclarirem la dent.
Dent aclarida i estètica restaurada