Whether you’re dealing with minor decay or significant tooth damage, we offer proven solutions to restore the health, function, and appearance of your smile. Below, you’ll find more information about the restorative dentistry procedures we provide at our Erie, PA dental practice—what they treat, how they work, and which might be right for you.

Dental fillings are the most common restorative dentistry procedure, used to treat cavities—one of the most widespread oral health issues. Cavities are small holes in your teeth caused by acids produced by oral bacteria. These bacteria feed on carbohydrates like sugar, then release acid that slowly breaks down your tooth enamel.

Although teeth are strong, they can’t withstand constant acid exposure. If left untreated, cavities can trap food and bacteria, leading to deeper decay and more serious damage. Fillings stop this cycle by removing the decay and sealing the tooth to prevent future problems.

The two most common types of filling materials are:

• Metal amalgam – the traditional silver-colored material. It’s highly durable and affordable, making it a long-lasting choice for back teeth.
• Composite resin – a tooth-colored material that blends with natural enamel. While it’s more attractive, it’s generally less durable and best for smaller cavities.

If you have a larger cavity or want an aesthetic upgrade with extra durability, a ceramic inlay or onlay may be a better option.

Inlays and onlays are custom-made ceramic restorations used when a cavity is too large for a standard filling but doesn’t require a full crown. Made from advanced ceramic materials, they’re extremely durable—often stronger than natural enamel—and can be matched perfectly to your natural tooth color.

When properly placed, inlays and onlays can last many years, offering both strength and beauty in one restoration.

Dental crowns are sheaths that fit over your teeth to protect and restore their function. We’ll use a dental crown to restore a tooth that’s badly damaged because of:

• Decay
• Cracking
• Failed fillings
• Root canal therapy

Dental crowns are a great way to save a badly damaged tooth. You might think a tooth can’t be saved, but a dental crown can give your tooth new life in most cases. Often, a dental crown can make your tooth look new, too.

There are three common types of dental crowns:

• Metal
• Porcelain fused to metal (PFM)
• Ceramic

Metal crowns are traditional and can be effective, but these days, most people don’t like their look. PFM crowns combine the durability of metal crowns with the attractiveness of ceramics. Full ceramic crowns are attractive and highly durable, thanks to modern advances in ceramic technology. They can look like natural teeth and can last for decades.

A dental bridge is a traditional method for replacing a lost tooth. In the traditional dental bridge, a replacement tooth called a pontic, is supported by dental crowns over adjacent natural teeth. This can create a long-lasting functional tooth replacement. It’s fully fixed in your mouth, and you can bite and chew normally. However, we now only use dental bridges in limited situations, where you have a missing tooth surrounded by teeth healthy enough to support it.

Implant bridges are a modern alternative. Using dental implants, we can support any number of replacement teeth, including a full arch of teeth.

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots. Normally made of titanium, we place these in your jawbone, which integrates with the bone to fix it permanently. We mean permanently: with proper care, dental implants can last a lifetime–some implants last 50 years or more.

These artificial tooth roots can support dental restorations that give you attractive and functional replacement teeth. With dental implants, we can replace any number of teeth, from a single tooth to an entire arch of teeth.

All-on-X is an approach that uses a relatively small number of dental implants to replace a full arch of teeth. We can use as few as four dental implants to give you a full set of new teeth on your mouth’s top or bottom arch. You can get a full set of replacement teeth with just eight dental implants.

All-on-X can also work quickly. Many people can enter the oral surgeon’s office with damaged teeth and leave with a new set of replacement teeth that day.

Dentures are a traditional tooth replacement method using removable replacement teeth. With partial dentures, you can replace less than a full arch of teeth by using your natural teeth for support.

A full denture replaces an entire arch of teeth. Since no natural teeth support the replacement, full dentures utilize suction to hold them in place.

Although dentures are inexpensive and attractive, they do not function like natural teeth, and many people with dentures report poor quality of life.

Do you have decayed, worn, or otherwise damaged teeth? Don’t live with unattractive and nonfunctional teeth- they will get worse over time. Let restorative dentist Dr. Tucker help you get restorations to repair or replace your natural teeth.

Please call Tucker Dental Excellence in Erie, PA at (814) 836-7777 to restore your teeth.