Repairing tooth damage
This is what most people imagine when they think of the dentist, and indeed it forms the bulk of activity going on in a general dental practice.
Fillings
Indicate removal of damaged tooth structure, and decay if present, and rebuilding a tooth to its original appearance. In private dentistry tooth-coloured composite materials are mostly used, although amalgam might be used in exceptional circumstances, and always with patient consent.
Crowns
Where too much tooth structure has been lost, an impression may be taken and a crown manufactured in a dental laboratory which is then fitted over the entire tooth as a way of restoring it to its former shape/appearance. This could be made from metal, metal and porcelain, or more often ceramic only.
Inlays
The process is as for a crown, with an impression taken and the restoration manufactured in a laboratory, but it does not cover the entire tooth. It is limited to the missing part/s.
The inlay could be gold or all ceramic.
Veneers
Used mostly on anterior teeth as an aesthetic solution where a patient may not be happy with the appearance of their teeth. A thin layer of enamel is removed and replaced with a thin ceramic jacket manufactured in the laboratory. It is less destructive than full crowns, but also more susceptible to damage and failure.
Root canal filling
Root canal treatment is necessary to save your tooth if the nerve tissue (pulp) has become infected. With local anaesthetic it is a painless procedure, similar to having a filling. The purpose of root canal filling is to remove dead nerve tissue from the small canals which run down inside the roots of a tooth. Once the nerve has died off, infection will set in unless the canal is cleaned and sealed off. The only alternative would be extraction of the tooth.