Restorative dentistry is the study, diagnosis and integrated management of diseases of the teeth and their supporting structures and the rehabilitation of the dentition to functional and aesthetic requirements of the individual. Restorative dentistry encompasses the dental specialties of endodontics, periodontics and prosthodontics and its foundation is based upon how these interact in cases requiring multifaceted care. In the UK restorative dentistry is legally recognized as a specialty under EU directive, with voices from the British Society for Restorative Dentistry and the Association of Consultants & Specialists in Restorative Dentistry.

There are only very few people who manage to avoid having cavity. If you’re like majority of people you probably have experienced a cavity. A cavity calls for your dentist to remove the decay and to fill in the tooth area that was removed in order to prevent further decay and strengthen the affected tooth. There have been lots of advances in modern dentistry that make this process much more comfortable and use materials that are safer and more esthetically pleasing.

People with cavities in teeth as a result of tooth decay or possibly damaged teeth as a result of, for example, an accident, can usually be treated with a drilling and filling procedure. Cavities that have not developed too far down into the teeth and pulp of the tooth can be drilled. If the pulp has been reached by a cavity, infection might occur and a drilling procedure and tooth fillings cannot be applied. Lots of people still have had amalgam fillings (silver) or gold filling restorations. Lots of these fillings contain mercury which was said to be poisonous to the body as well as the environment. The amounts of mercury in the fillings however are not significant enough to be a real threat but amalgam fillings are generally not as advantageous as composite fillings because they demand more of a tooth removal, are susceptible to corrosion.