Another type of bridge consists of the replacement tooth attached to the adjacent teeth with wing-like appendages. Bridges can also be supported by dental implants. 
Crowns and bridges can be made entirely of tooth-colored material, metal, or a combination to provide optimal aesthetics.

Inlays and Onlays
Inlays and onlays are used to replace silver fillings. They are usually made from composite resin material, porcelain, or even gold. Once placed, they are virtually undetectable in the mouth if they are tooth colored, and conserve much of your natural tooth structure.

White Composite Restorations
Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-colored filling. They are sometimes referred to as composites or filled resins. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Composites can also be "bonded" or adhesively held in a cavity, often allowing the dentist to make a more conservative repair to the tooth.

Hygiene/Periodontal Therapy
Periodontal treatment is an investment in your health. Treating periodontal problems will help you achieve a healthy mouth and help prevent tooth loss. In fact, with prompt treatment, proper home care, and regular dental visits, a great majority of patients can keep their teeth for a lifetime.

After evaluating your periodontal health, we will work with you to determine the treatment options that best meet your needs. If periodontal disease is the problem, the treatment can vary widely depending on how far the diseases have progressed. If caught in the early stages, simple procedures are done that will remove the plaque and calculus from below the gum line and disrupt the infection-causing bacteria. If these diseases have advanced to the point where the periodontal pockets are deep and the supporting bone is lost, further treatment might be necessary.

Implants
Dental implants enable dentists to create healthy, attractive smiles in an innovative way. Implants are used to replace one or more missing teeth, and should be considered as a first choice before conventional bridges and dentures.  In essence, dental implants act and look like natural teeth.  Because they maintain bone mass, dental implants can also help prevent additional tooth loss as well as the sunken facial appearance associated with missing teeth. 

A dental implant restoration consists of a bio-compatible titanium screw and post topped by a crown bridge or denture.  The implant is surgically replaced into the jawbone where it replaces the natural tooth root.  In a few months, the implant securely attaches to the bone (called "osseointegration"), allowing it to withstand biting and chewing forces just like a healthy, natural tooth.

Linda Lewis, DDS | Cosmetic & Restorative Dentist | 35252 County Road 3, P.O. Box 548, Crosslake, MN 56442 | 218-692-1522
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Dr. Linda Lewis is a general dentist skilled in all aspects of general and restorative dentistry. She provides a wide variety of procedures including
porcelain veneers, whitening, bonding, crowns and bridges, inlays and onlays, white composite restorations, hygiene/periodontal therapy and implants
to patients in and around Crosslake, MN. Dr. Lewis is licensed as a general dentist in the state of Minnesota