Achieving a natural, attractive smile can take work, especially if you are self-conscious about the appearance of your teeth. Most dentists recommend restorative dentistry as a solution to provide that aesthetic appeal. However, this goal can present a real challenge for patients with multiple dental problems, especially if you have misaligned teeth alongside poor enamel strength, heavy discoloration, and excessive plaque buildup. Patients in this scenario may have difficulty choosing what problem to treat first. For dentists, this means deciding on whether or not a restorative treatment or orthodontic treatment will work best.
If your dentists recommend restorative dentistry, then know you’re in great hands, as restorative dentistry can provide numerous benefits to your oral health and can be an excellent way to prep your mouth for orthodontic treatment. Below, we’ll list some of those benefits and give you some ideas on how to best cooperate with your dental team for the smile you want.
Why Restorative Treatment Before Orthodontics?
For many people, orthodontic treatment prior to restorative treatment is necessary for some patients. Patients who often require orthodontics first tend to experience severely misaligned teeth that prevent dentists from performing restorative procedures. But some cases, restorative treatment can provide better benefits beforehand. Those faced with mild issues such as slightly crooked teeth, discoloration, and poor enamel strength can be corrected more directly with restoration. These benefits include:
- Restoration vs. Alignment: Restorative treatments tend to focus more on aesthetic appeal rather than alignment, and for those faced with mild alignment issues, restorations can correct the immediate problems preventing orthodontic treatment, including cavities, gum disease, and severe tooth decay.
- Costs vs. Results: Orthodontic treatments often require longer time periods for patients to see results and can also increase costs long-term if proper care isn’t placed. While some restorative treatments can be costly, they can also provide a shorter time frame for better results, especially if patients choose treatments such as porcelain veneers and crowns. Restorative treatments tend to focus on quicker results with an aesthetic appeal, while orthodontics focuses on alignment with long-term care.
- Alone vs. Combined Treatment: Many orthodontic treatments tend to be treatments that don’t require the cooperation and effort of multiple dentists and often lack aesthetic intervention within those plans. Patients with multiple dental problems need the cooperation of restorative and orthodontic dentists to achieve the best results because combining aesthetic restorations with surgeries can fix internal problems related to the patient’s smile. Having multi-faceted treatment plans ultimately provides better results in helping patients achieve both alignment and aesthetics.
Talk With Your Dentists For Restorative-Orthodontic Options
Many advancements have been made to help combine certain specialties to increase treatment opportunities for patients. Restorative and orthodontic dentistry can go hand in hand to provide patients with a multi-faceted experience that treats both alignment and aesthetics. By visiting either your restorative or orthodontic dentist, you can expand your care and find ways to get the smile you desire most from your life. Through these efforts, patients can gain better care by cooperating with their dental team for the most optimal results.