4000 Church Street Skokie, IL 60076

Dentist in Chicago, IL

Quality dental care is one of the most important things for your health. The mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body, so keeping it healthy is important. The Stein Center for Advanced Dentistry welcomes patients seeking a good dentist in Chicago, IL. Our Skokie dentist office is open to all of the surrounding communities.dentist in chicago, illinois

Restoring Smiles With Prosthodontics

Prosthodontics is a specialized branch of dentistry focused on diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating oral function, comfort, and aesthetics through artificial dental restorations. Prosthodontists are highly trained dental specialists who create customized solutions to restore missing or damaged teeth, improving appearance and functionality.

The Role of a Prosthodontist

Prosthodontists undergo additional years of training beyond general dentistry, specializing in complex restorative procedures. Their expertise covers many treatments, including crowns, bridges, dentures, dental implants, and full-mouth reconstructions. These specialists work closely with general dentists, oral surgeons, and periodontists to provide comprehensive dental care.

Types of Prosthodontic Treatments

  1. Dental Crowns
    Crowns are tooth-shaped caps placed over damaged or weakened teeth to restore their shape, strength, and function. They are commonly made from porcelain, ceramic, metal, or a combination of materials and offer durability and a natural appearance.
  2. Dental Bridges
    A dental bridge replaces one or more missing teeth by anchoring artificial teeth to adjacent natural teeth or dental implants. This solution helps maintain facial structure, prevents shifting of remaining teeth, and improves chewing and speech abilities.
  3. Dentures (Full and Partial)
    Dentures are removable prosthetic devices designed to replace multiple missing teeth. Full dentures are used when all teeth are missing, while partial dentures are recommended when some natural teeth remain. Modern dentures are designed to be comfortable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing.
  4. Dental Implants
    Dental implants are a permanent solution for missing teeth. They consist of titanium posts surgically inserted into the jawbone, which serve as artificial tooth roots. A prosthodontist then places a custom-made crown, bridge, or denture onto the implants, providing a stable and long-lasting restoration.
  5. Full-Mouth Reconstruction
    Patients with severe dental issues, such as extensive tooth loss, severe decay, or jaw misalignment, may require full-mouth reconstruction. Prosthodontists develop personalized treatment plans that may involve a combination of crowns, implants, bridges, and other prosthetic solutions to restore function and aesthetics.

The Benefits of Prosthodontic Care

Prosthodontic treatments offer numerous benefits, including:

  • Enhanced Aesthetics: Custom restorations improve the appearance of teeth, leading to a more confident smile.
  • Restored Functionality: Replacing missing or damaged teeth allows patients to chew, speak, and bite properly.
  • Improved Oral Health: Restorations help prevent further dental issues, such as shifting teeth and bone loss.
  • Long-Lasting Results: Advanced materials and techniques ensure durable, high-quality restorations.

Porcelain Veneer Smile Transformations

Porcelain veneers are one of the most popular cosmetic dental treatments. They’re thin dental ceramic shells covering the front and sides of your teeth. Depending on your needs, you can get a single-tooth veneer or a full set to completely transform your smile. 

One of the biggest benefits of porcelain veneers is that they’re extremely stain-resistant. They’re better than your natural teeth at combatting staining agents and discoloration. This allows you to continue eating and drinking all your favorite things. 

Veneers can treat almost any cosmetic dental concern that you have. You choose the shade of white that your veneers are. They completely cover the front surface of your discolored tooth, hiding it from view. This is also true with teeth with cosmetic chips, cracks, and wear. They can even provide a non-orthodontic solution to straighten crooked teeth and balance your bite.

Porcelain veneers are considered a permanent restoration because we remove a layer of enamel to make room for them. This means you’ll have to have some sort of restoration on these teeth forever. The veneers usually last around 10-15 years before you have to change them for new ones.

The Porcelain Veneers Process

To get porcelain veneers, you start with a consultation with one of our dentists. We’ll discuss your teeth and examine them to determine if veneers are your best option. When we move forward, we’ll remove a minimal amount of tooth structure from the front of the teeth that are getting veneers. This allows the veneers to lay flat and flush with your natural teeth.

Once this is complete, we take impressions of the prepared teeth to send to a lab, where they’ll create the permanent restoration. We place a temporary restoration to protect your teeth until the permanent one is ready.

When it is, you come back into our office so that we can fit the veneers. We make any last-minute adjustments to ensure that they fit properly. When satisfied with the fit, we permanently bond them to your prepared teeth.

Schedule an Appointment With Your Chicago, Illinois-area Dentist

Get the dental care that you deserve. Call us or schedule an appointment online.