Conservative or restorative dentistry is that which is responsible for treating diseased teeth (caries), at all stages, from initial caries to significant destruction or fractures.
There a various causes of caries, from excessive consumption of sugars, to insufficient or defective cleaning or simply due to a genetic predisposition. So that caries does not lead to severe problems, it is essential to treat it early.
Caries starts by affecting the surface of the tooth, the enamel and the dentin. If it is treated in time with a dental filling (obturation), the disease can be cured. If this is not the case, caries evolves damaging the deeper structures, in which case endodontic work will be necessary.
Fillings were traditionally carried out with silver amalgam, but they are currently made with materials that are harmless to the patient and are very resistant and attractive (composites - white fillings).
On some occasions, when the tooth cannot be repaired with a filling only, as the damage is too extensive or it is causing a significant weakness within the dental architecture, restorative odontology must look to other treatments for example: inlays (fragments of porcelain or resin that are cemented into the tooth, replacing the lost tissue), porcelain veneers or crowns.