What Is Restorative Dentistry?
Repair, Replace, Preserve; The Most You Can, With the Least Intervention
Restorative dentistry addresses teeth that have been damaged by decay, fracture, wear, or loss—returning them to full function, health, and appearance. The procedures range from a simple filling to a complex full-mouth reconstruction. What they share, at this practice, is a guiding philosophy: replace what was lost without removing what remains.
Dr. Hovden is one of only 80 practicing dentists worldwide who are AACD Accredited Fellows. The artistry and precision he brings to cosmetic work are inseparable from the restorative work that underpins it. A crown that looks beautiful but does not fit precisely will fail. A restoration that fits precisely but neglects the bite will cause problems over time. Every restoration at this practice is planned with both aesthetics and function built in from the start.
Operating microscopes are used throughout for diagnosis, preparation, placement, and evaluation. Kois Center occlusal training means the bite relationship is assessed before any restoration is designed. The result is restorative work that serves patients well for 10+ years when done correctly the first time by Dr. Hovden. Dentists from across the Bay Area and beyond refer their most complex cases here.
Restorative Dentistry at a Glance
Key facts for your consultation
Longevity
10+ years for crowns, onlays & inlays with proper care
Philosophy
Additive—onlays before crowns, implants before bridges, least intervention always
Precision
Operating microscopes at every stage—diagnosis through final placement
Occlusion
Kois-trained bite analysis is built into every restoration plan
Credential
AACD Accredited Fellow—1 of 80 worldwide, Direct Bonding Gold Medal
Investment
Financing available—clear quote provided before treatment begins
AACD Accredited Fellow
One of 2 in the Bay Area—highest cosmetic credential
DSD Master & DSD Clinic
See your smile before treatment begins
Operating Microscopes
Precision at every stage of preparation
Kois & Spear Faculty
Visiting Faculty, Spear Institute
Financing Available
Financing available; 3–4 week process
The Most Important Distinction in Restorative Dentistry
Onlays Are Better for Your Teeth and offered by Very Few
When a tooth is too damaged for a filling but still has a healthy structure that can be preserved, most dentists recommend a crown. A crown covers the entire tooth, including the healthy portions, requiring significant removal of natural tooth structure to make room for it.
An onlay covers only the damaged or missing portion of the tooth. It preserves significantly more natural, healthy tooth structure. Onlays are more conservative and better for the long-term health of the tooth than crowns. Less removal of natural tooth means less disruption to the tooth’s structural integrity and a better prognosis over time.
Why Very Few Dentists Offer Onlays
Onlays require significantly more skill and time to prepare and place correctly than crowns. The preparation is more technically demanding. The fit must be more precise. The bonding requires more care. For these reasons, most practices default to crowns even when an onlay is the more appropriate restoration. Dr. Hovden’s additive philosophy and operating microscope precision make onlays a reliable standard offering instead of a rare exception.
This principle extends beyond crowns and onlays. It governs every restorative recommendation: implants before bridges, conservative fillings before onlays when appropriate, and monitoring before treating when that is the right clinical choice.
Restorative Services
Every Restorative Solution Delivered at an AACD Standard
From a single tooth-colored filling to complex full-mouth reconstruction — every treatment delivered with operating microscope precision and Kois-trained bite planning.
Dental Crowns
Full coverage restorations for teeth with extensive damage, after root canal treatment, or where an onlay cannot provide sufficient protection. Every crown is precision-crafted—prepared under an operating microscope to achieve a margin fit that minimises gap, maximises seal, and produces a result indistinguishable from a natural tooth. Custom-shaded to complement your existing teeth.
Longevity: 10+ years with proper care
Learn About Crowns & Onlays →
Onlays & Inlays
The more conservative alternative to a crown, placed when there is sufficient remaining healthy tooth structure to support a partial restoration. Onlays and inlays require significantly more skill than crowns; very few dentists offer them routinely. At this practice, they are a standard recommendation whenever clinically appropriate. Placed with the help of an operating microscope for a fit that maximises longevity.
Longevity: 10+ years, and more tooth preserved
Learn About Onlays →
Dental Implants
The most conservative solution for a missing tooth: replacing only what is missing without altering any adjacent teeth. Dr. Hovden handles most implant placements and final restorations in the same Daly City office. Kois-trained occlusal planning ensures the bite is correct before the implant is placed. AACD-level crown artistry ensures the final restoration looks and feels like a natural tooth.
Learn About Dental Implants →
Implant-Supported Dentures
For patients missing all or most teeth in an arch, implant-supported dentures — including All-on-4 and full-arch fixed prostheses — restore a complete, permanent smile anchored to the jawbone. The prosthesis is stable for eating and speaking, preserves jawbone, and does not require removal. Dr. Hovden’s full-arch cases are planned with occlusal precision and fabricated to AACD aesthetic standards.
Learn About Implant-Supported Dentures →
Tooth-Colored Fillings
Composite resin fillings match the natural colour of the tooth, bond directly to tooth structure (requiring less removal than amalgam), and are mercury-free. Placed under operating microscope, composite achieves a level of marginal adaptation and surface finish that significantly extends service life. For small cavities and early decay — the most conservative restorative option available.
Longevity: 10+ years with good home care
Dental Bonding
Composite resin bonding repairs chipped, cracked, or slightly misshapen teeth — often in a single visit. The composite is sculpted and shaded to match surrounding teeth. Dr. Hovden is a Direct Bonding Gold Medal recipient from the AACD — recognised for bonding results that achieve the highest aesthetic and technical standard. For cases that qualify, bonding is a beautifully conservative option.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal treatment removes infected pulp tissue, cleans and seals the canal system, and saves a tooth that would otherwise require extraction. Dr. Hovden served as a Former UOP faculty member for 39 years in the Department of Endodontics at Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. Operating microscopes throughout means cleaner canal identification, more complete cleaning, and more accurate sealing.
Learn About Root Canals →
Full-Mouth Restoration
When multiple teeth across both arches require treatment, a comprehensive restorative plan coordinates crowns, onlays, implants, and other procedures around a correct bite—established through Kois Center occlusal analysis before any irreversible treatment begins. These cases are where Dr. Hovden’s combination of restorative precision and cosmetic artistry is most evident. Dentists refer their most complex cases to this practice for this reason.
Digital Smile Design for Complex Cases
For cases where restorative and cosmetic goals intersect: full-mouth restorations, smile makeovers involving multiple crowns, or veneers. Digital Smile Design maps the outcome across both objectives before any preparation begins. DSD + Kois/Spear training + AACD Fellowship + decades of proven results: the best of all worlds in one practice.
Learn about DSD →
Why Operating Microscopes Change Everything
The Restoration That Fits Precisely From Day One Lasts Significantly Longer.
The margin of a crown or onlay — where the restoration meets the natural tooth — is the most clinically important interface in restorative dentistry. A gap at that margin allows bacterial ingress, secondary decay, and eventually restoration failure. Under operating microscope magnification, the preparation is more precise, the margin is evaluated more accurately, and the final seating is confirmed at a level of detail impossible with the naked eye.
Dr. Hovden uses operating microscopes throughout his restorative practice, not as an occasional supplement but as a standard of care. He has trained other dentists in microscope-enhanced restorative dentistry at IDEA—the Dental Education Academy—for over 20 years. The results reflect it. He has only ever replaced two restorative cases at the 8–10+ unit level in his entire career.
The Additive Dentistry Approach
Every Restorative Decision Guided by One Question: What Is Best for This Tooth?
Dentistry’s incentive structures sometimes produce treatment recommendations that are more aggressive than the clinical situation requires. A crown takes less skill than an onlay and generates the same fee. A bridge can be recommended when an implant — more conservative, better for the patient — would serve them more appropriately. More treatment is not always better treatment.
Dr. Hovden’s philosophy — do the least dentistry possible to keep you healthy — runs counter to this. His additive approach means every restorative recommendation is governed by what genuinely preserves the most tooth structure while restoring full function and health. He is well-known for recommending against treatment when monitoring or a more conservative approach is appropriate — and patients notice it immediately.
He completes well over 200 hours of continuing education per year since 2020 — as Visiting Faculty at the Spear Institute and Clinical Instructor at the Kois Center. He is also a Former UOP Faculty Member for 39 years — Department of Endodontics — and the founder of the Bay Area Aesthetic Masters study club, committed to raising the level of care of local dentists for over 20 years.
Why Refer Your Complex Cases Here
Restorative Expertise at a Teaching Level.
Dentists from across the Bay Area refer their most complex restorative cases to Dr. Hovden. Here is why.
AACD Accredited Fellow — 1 of 80 Worldwide
The highest credential in cosmetic dentistry—awarded after peer-reviewed evaluation of clinical cases. One of only two in the Bay Area. The aesthetic outcome of every restoration reflects this standard: every crown, onlay, and filling is crafted to complement the natural teeth around it.
Direct Bonding Gold Medal — AACD
Multiple AACD Gold Medals, including recognition for direct bonding—the most technique-sensitive restorative procedure in cosmetic dentistry. Gold Medal recognition means the work has been evaluated and recognized as among the best in the field.
Visiting Faculty — Spear Institute
One of the visiting faculty at Spear Institute in Scottsdale, AZ: dentistry’s most prestigious continuing education institution. Advanced restorative and aesthetic expertise at a teaching level is built into every clinical recommendation at this practice.
Clinical Instructor — Kois Center
Evidence-based occlusal and restorative training. The Kois approach to bite analysis underpins every treatment plan—ensuring that restorations function correctly within the bite system and do not create or exacerbate occlusal problems over time.
Former UOP Faculty Member — 39 Years, Endodontics
Department of Endodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. Teaching root canal therapy at the university level for 39 years reflects a clinical depth and technical standard that benefits every patient who needs this critical restorative treatment.
Well Over 200 CE Hours Per Year Since 2020
Constantly updated with the latest in restorative materials, digital workflows, microscope-enhanced techniques, and occlusal science. Founder of the Bay Area Aesthetic Masters study club—raising the level of care of local dentists for over 20 years.
What Patients Say
The Dentist Who Restores Honestly — Even When It Costs Him.
The same integrity that defines his cosmetic work defines his restorative recommendations.
“I came in expecting to spend $20–30k on veneers. Dr. Hovden talked me out of it. That alone tells you everything about his integrity. His philosophy is ‘do the least amount of dentistry possible to keep you healthy.’ He clearly cares more about long-term outcomes than billing. If you want a dentist who will be honest with you even when it costs him money, this is the guy.”
Lance W. — Prepless Veneer Patient
“For the first time in memory, my teeth aren’t too small for my mouth, and I really like my smile. The work was done perfectly — Dr. Hovden is clearly a consummate professional who enjoys his work and takes great pride in doing it well. I couldn’t be happier.”
Arch — Smile Makeover Patient
Your Questions, Answered Honestly
Restorative Dentistry FAQs
Something not covered? Call 650-755-6000 or book your consultation.
Restorative Dentistry Done Right the First Time
A consultation with Dr. Hovden gives you an honest assessment of what your teeth actually need—no more, no less. Clear options, clear costs, and a treatment plan built around preserving as much healthy tooth structure as possible.
901 Campus Dr, Suite 202, Daly City, CA 94015 · Mon–Thu 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Financing Available
