Restorative Dental Care

At Salmon Creek Family Dental in Washington, we provide expert restorative dental care designed to restore and enhance your smile. Our personalized treatments address various dental concerns, from cavities to more complex issues, using the latest technology and techniques. Whether you need fillings, crowns, bridges, or dentures, our team is committed to offering high-quality care that suits your needs and helps you achieve optimal oral health. Visit us for a comprehensive, patient-focused approach to restoring your smile.

Dental Fillings/Tooth Fillings

Salmon Creek Family Dental is an amalgam-free practice.

Dr. Nelson and his team use aesthetic, tooth-colored bonded restorations for fillings when needed. Closely matched to the color and shape of your surrounding teeth, this procedure protects your teeth while providing a beautiful smile. Is you need any restorative dental needs we are your family Dentist in Vancouver, WA.

After years of use, fillings can start to break down at the edges, which can lead to new decay or weakening of the surrounding tooth structure. If you have received amalgam or composite fillings over the years, Dr. Nelson will closely monitor them for any signs of failure and discuss any necessary treatment.

Root Canal Therapy

Dr. Nelson strives to save natural teeth whenever possible, but sometimes an infected tooth requires treatment. Infection in a tooth can have a variety of causes, including repeated dental work, deep decay, or a crack in the tooth. An injured tooth may sustain pulp damage, even if there are no visible signs on the outside. Without treatment, pulp infection can result in pain or lead to a painful abscess.

Root canal therapy, also known as endodontics, removes infected pulp from the center of a tooth so that the infection is unable to spread to other teeth in the mouth. We fill the empty tooth with medicated material and place a crown as needed.

Root canal therapy in Vancouver involves one or two office visits for Dr. Nelson to complete. Afterwards, it is essential that you return to have a crown or other restoration placed over the tooth to strengthen and protect it. You may experience sensitivity in your tooth for the first few days after treatment, but over-the-counter or prescription medications can relieve any pain.

Dental Crowns

Our goal at Salmon Creek Family Dental is to provide dental work that looks and feels natural. We replace existing crowns and fillings with restorations made from high-grade porcelain, ceramic, or porcelain bonded to gold that closely resemble your natural teeth.

Crowns support damaged teeth and fix functional chewing problems, and require two visits to Salmon Creek Family Dental. Initially, Dr. Nelson will get rid of any decay, shape the tooth as needed, and then fit the tooth with a temporary crown.

On the subsequent visit, Dr. Nelson will remove the temporary crown, replacing it with a permanent crown. We will cement the permanent crown into place, giving you a beautiful, new tooth.

Replacing Missing Teeth

Maintaining the health of individual teeth is necessary for success in speaking, chewing and in maintaining proper alignment of other teeth. Missing teeth can cause stress for the gums and other oral tissues, resulting in a number of potentially harmful disorders.

Replacing lost teeth is essential to maintain proper mouth function, regardless of whether age or another cause leads to tooth loss.

Fortunately, there are options for correcting tooth loss. These options include dental bridges, dental implants, and removable partial and full dentures.

Dental Bridges

One of the worst side effects of missing teeth is an increased risk of gum disease, which can be minimized with a dental bridge, a device used to replace missing teeth. The bridge attaches artificial teeth to natural teeth adjacent to the gap resulting from the missing tooth. We can make dental bridges using porcelain, gold, or a combination of these materials.

A fixed bridge involves the placement of crowns on the abutment teeth, or by bonding the artificial teeth directly to the abutment teeth. Fitting a dental bridge usually takes two appointments to complete. Dr. Nelson will first prepare the teeth on either side of the gap by removing a portion of the enamel and dentin. We take impressions of the teeth and send them to a lab to construct the bridge precisely, ensuring it matches the opposing tooth and guarantees a correct bite. Between appointments, a temporary bridge will be provided to protect the teeth.

Crowns, which are cemented onto the natural teeth, provide support for the bridge. We cement fixed bridges to the natural teeth next to the space left by the missing tooth. A pontic (false tooth) replaces the lost tooth.

A strict regimen of brushing and flossing will keep the bridge and surrounding teeth clean. Good dental care of these teeth is critically important, as the bridge relies on the neighboring teeth for support.

Dental Implants

Dental implants in Vancouver are an increasingly popular way to replace missing teeth. They not only support crowns, bridges, and dentures, but they also take the place of the roots themselves.

We surgically place dental implants, made of titanium, into your jawbone. The implant acts as an anchor for a crown or denture to fit over. When we place a crown on an implant, most people can’t tell it’s an implant because it looks so natural.

While dentures and removable partials are usually loose and unstable, implants provide you with dental replacements that are natural looking and very functional. Implants look and feel better than removable options and provide the same biting force as fixed bridges. Best of all, they will last a lifetime if properly maintained.

A dental implant requires no alterations to the adjacent teeth. You need to maintain diligent daily oral hygiene to keep your implants clean and healthy. It’s also important to regularly visit Dr. Nelson for routine follow-up appointments and cleanings to keep your new smile healthy and bright!

Removable Dental Appliances

We can use complete or partial dentures to replace missing teeth, depending on your personal needs:

Complete Dentures – We custom-fit a complete denture to your mouth, replacing natural teeth and providing support for your cheeks and lips. Complete dentures replace upper and lower teeth, resting directly on your jaw. These require multiple appointments, allowing Dr. Nelson to take impressions of your mouth and comfortably adjust the custom-made dentures based on your unique needs.
Immediate Dentures – We place immediate dentures on the same day we extract your teeth, allowing the bone and tissue to heal.
Partial Dentures – A removable partial denture attaches to your natural teeth with clasps that keep them in place, completing your smile by filling out the spaces created by missing teeth. We construct partial dentures with replacement teeth attached to pink or gum-colored plastic bases, connected by a metal framework. We use your natural teeth as stable supports for removable partial dentures.
Implant Retained Dentures – We place an overdenture over dental implants to provide more stability and a better fit, typically allowing it to “snap” onto the implants. An overdenture offers security and stability when little bone remains in the upper or lower jaw.

The alignment of your jaw will slowly change as the bone and gum ridges shrink due to teeth extraction. Over time, dentures will wear down and require replacement or realignment to maintain proper jaw alignment. Denture wearers should still have regular dental examinations to check for changes in oral tissues or potential gum disease.

Oral Surgery/Tooth Extractions

Dr. Nelson may determine with you that one of your teeth needs to be extracted, which can occur for a variety of reasons. Some teeth are extracted because they are poorly positioned in the mouth (such as impacted teeth), in preparation for orthodontic treatment, or have broken and cannot be repaired. A tooth may also be severely decayed or have advanced periodontal disease.

The removal of a single tooth can lead to problems involving your other teeth shifting, your ability to chew, and problems with your jaw joint. To avoid these complications Dr. Nelson will discuss alternatives to extractions as well as replacement of the extracted tooth.

Periodontal Treatment

Periodontal diseases progressively destroy the gums and jaw bone, which support your natural teeth. Bacterial plaque, the yellowish film that sticks to your teeth along the gum line, causes both periodontal disease and decay..

Bacteria found in plaque irritate your gums, which may cause them to turn red, swell and bleed easily. Prolonged irritation causes the gums to separate from the teeth, leading to the formation of pockets. As periodontal diseases progress, gum tissue and bone that hold teeth in place deteriorate, which leads to tooth loss if left untreated.

Plaque hardens into a rough, porous substance known as calculus (or tartar) if not consistently removed each day. Periodontal disease is best prevented by thorough daily brushing and flossing of your teeth.