Prosthodontics is the part of dentistry concerned with restoring and replacing teeth that are damaged or missing. It matters for more than appearance: teeth hold each other in position, carry the force of chewing, and support the shape of the lower face. When one is lost or badly broken, the others gradually take on work they were not built for.

At Nest Dental Clinic our dentists provide crowns, bridges, dentures, veneers and implant restorations, using digital imaging and high-quality materials so each restoration is durable, functional and closely matched to your natural teeth.

CEREC same-day restorations

CEREC lets us design and mill a crown in the practice rather than sending an impression to an outside laboratory. The tooth is scanned digitally, the restoration is designed on screen, and a milling unit cuts it from a ceramic block while you wait.

The practical difference is the number of visits. A conventional crown means a first appointment to prepare the tooth and fit a temporary, then a second appointment a couple of weeks later. A same-day crown is prepared and fitted in one. There is no temporary crown to come loose, and no second round of freezing.

Lab-made crowns

Some cases are still better sent to a laboratory. A technician working by hand has more control over the layering and translucency that make a front tooth convincing, and certain materials and multi-unit cases need laboratory fabrication. Which route suits your tooth depends on where it sits in the mouth, how much structure is left and how much the shade has to be matched to its neighbours. We will tell you which we recommend and why.

Inlays and onlays

An inlay or onlay sits between a filling and a crown. Where a cavity is too large for a filling to hold reliably but the tooth is otherwise sound, a crown removes more healthy structure than necessary. An inlay fits within the cusps of the tooth; an onlay extends over one or more of them. Both are made to fit precisely and bonded in place, preserving more of the original tooth.

Veneers

Veneers appear here as well as under cosmetic dentistry because they are often restorative in purpose, covering a tooth that is worn or chipped rather than simply discoloured.

Bridges and implant restorations

A bridge replaces a missing tooth by anchoring a replacement to the teeth either side. It is fixed, so nothing is removed at night, but it requires the neighbouring teeth to be prepared.

An implant replaces the root as well as the crown and leaves the adjacent teeth untouched. Where a tooth is already missing and the teeth beside it are healthy, an implant is usually the more conservative choice. See our dental implants page for how the procedure runs.

How we decide

• Large cavity, tooth otherwise sound: an inlay or onlay.
• Tooth cracked or heavily filled: a crown, same-day or lab-made.
• Front tooth worn or chipped: a veneer or crown.
• One tooth missing, neighbours healthy: an implant.
• One tooth missing, neighbours already need work: a bridge.
• Several teeth missing: a bridge, partial denture or implants.

We will examine the tooth and set out the options with their trade-offs.