Restorative Dentistry - Dr. Heffelfinger

Restoring Your Smile For Your Overall Health

If dental injury or decay has left you with missing teeth, you may find that eating, speaking, and socializing with your friends and family have become difficult. What’s more, missing teeth can put you at risk for complications including bone loss. Rather than hide your smile away and put your dental wellness at stake, our restorative dentist can help not only give you your confidence back but also keep your oral health protected. If you have missing teeth, Dr. Heffelfinger has solutions to make your smile look and feel like new with our restorative dentistry services.

At Smiles for Life, we proudly help Indiana patients in Waterloo, Garrett, Butler, and the surrounding areas revitalize their smiles. Read on to learn more about restorative dentistry and how it can help you.

What is Restorative Dentistry?

Restorative dentistry is aimed at making your smile whole again by repairing or replacing any number of missing teeth. These procedures are designed to restore your oral health to full function so your smile can work the way it’s supposed to. Additionally, restorative dentistry is also designed to take the aesthetics of your smile into account. In other words, we want you to look and feel your best with natural-looking restorations that protect your oral health.

If the damage to your smile is extensive, Dr. Heffelfinger can even provide full mouth rehabilitation, meaning he can fix multiple smile issues in a comprehensive treatment plan. Giving you a smile you can be proud of is a major goal of any restorative dentistry procedure.

General Dentistry

Dental Implants

Smiles for Life

1210 East 7th Street
Auburn, IN 46706

Get Directions

Office Hours

Mon

8am – 1pm | 2pm – 5pm

Tue

8am – 1pm | 2pm – 5pm

Wed

8am – 1pm | 2pm – 5pm

Thur

8am – 1pm | 2pm – 5pm

Request Appointment

Our Tooth Loss Solutions

Missing teeth can be detrimental to your oral health and overall wellness if left alone, which is why it’s important to fill the gaps and restore the function of your smile. Minor damage can typically be treated with a general dentistry procedure such as a filling, onlay, or crown, but if tooth decay or dental trauma has led to tooth loss, Smiles for Life can help. Whether you’re looking to restore one tooth, multiple teeth, or even a whole arch, Dr. Heffelfinger has an implant solution for you including dental bridges, dental implants, and dentures from Zircobite.

A dental bridge is a viable option when the patient wants to restore one or more adjacent missing teeth. This restoration consists of one or more attractive prosthetic teeth, called pontics. The pontics are held in place by dental crowns that anchor the bridge to the adjacent natural teeth at each end of the gap.

Learn More

Partial dentures, commonly referred to as partials, can be used to restore one or more missing teeth. They’re designed to match the shape, color, and size of your natural teeth, and they’re easy to remove for cleaning.

For patients who are missing a full arch of teeth, Dr. Heffelfinger is happy to provide them with his patented Zircobite® dentures. Recognizing a need for a better denture, Dr. Heffelfinger teamed up with Stoller Dental Lab to create this denture system, which doesn’t wear down as quickly as traditional acrylic dentures.

Zircobite® uses high-quality zirconium, which is much stronger than acrylic. Many patients who get a Zircobite® denture say they can eat foods that were too difficult to eat before treatment. Patients also report that they look and feel much more like natural teeth and they don’t wear down as quickly compared to their traditional dentures.

Learn More

Dental implants are a beautiful, permanent, and natural-feeling tooth replacement option. There are several implant options available depending on how many teeth you need replacements for, including a single implant, an implant-supported bridge, and a full-arch fixture.

Our natural-looking dental implants are designed to replace the full tooth, from root to crown, and are surgically attached to your jawbone by Dr. Heffelfinger. This provides your smile with remarkable comfort and a stable fixture that’s sure to last a lifetime. Additionally, dental implants look, feel, and function like natural teeth so you can maintain them the same. Dental implants don’t just replace your teeth, though. They’re the only tooth replacement option that keeps your jawbone strong and can restore your jawbone strength.

Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

Your teeth fit together in a way that helps you break down food efficiently. Even a single missing tooth can throw things off. Gaps in your smile give bacteria easier access to your gums and surrounding teeth, which means you’re at a higher risk of developing cavities, oral infections such as periodontal (gum disease), heart disease, and more. Additionally, missing teeth can put a strain on the muscles and joints responsible for chewing, which can mean the development of TMJ issues if left unaddressed.

Your natural teeth roots also ensure your jawbone is properly stimulated and without them, jawbone deterioration can occur. Loss of jawbone tissue can lead to a sunken facial appearance, further tooth loss, and a host of other oral health issues that can go on to affect the rest of your body. Restoring your smile to full function can not only improve the aesthetics of your smile but can also offer protection against more serious issues associated with tooth loss.

While your natural teeth can’t be regrown, restorative dentistry can replace your missing teeth so that your smile remains strong and protected. There are several ways we can restore your teeth, depending on how much of your tooth needs to be rebuilt.

We can provide small and large restorations for teeth that have suffered cavities using fillings, onlays, and crowns. Dr. Heffelfinger can also replace entire teeth and multiple teeth with natural-looking implants and non-implant restoration options that can fully restore your smile.

Most dental insurance plans do cover at least a portion of the cost of restorative dental treatment. Each insurance plan is different. We work with each patient to maximize the benefits of his or her plan, and also offer a number of payment and financing options to help make sure you get the care you need.

Restorative Dentistry in Auburn, IN

Restoring Your Smile For Your Overall Health

What is Restorative Dentistry?

Related

Smiles for Life

Office Hours

Our Tooth Loss Solutions

Dental Bridges

Dentures

Dental Implants

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the risks of tooth loss?

Can dentists rebuild teeth?

Is restorative dental work covered by my insurance?

Missing or Damaged Teeth? We’ve Got Solutions

Contact Us

Smiles For Life

Call Us:

Office Hours