Our practice can provide a wide range of dental services. We can typically provide every type of dental service without having to refer you to other specialties. This flexibility saves you time and money and keeps your total dental care within one practice. Our emphasis is on total preventive care for our patients. Total care begins with regular hygiene visits, regular checkups and continued home oral health routines.
Our practice also provides the highest-quality treatment for restoring mouths that have been damaged by dental disease or injury and common problems that require cosmetic dentistry. Our primary goal for our patients is to achieve and maintain optimum oral health through advances in techniques, technologies and by maintaining their scheduled dental exams.
Fillings
The concept of a "filling" is replacing and restoring your tooth structure that is damaged due to decay or fracture with a composite material. We will also offer to replace old, broken-down amalgam/silver fillings that contain traces of mercury with white fillings (composites) which will enhance your smile.
With today's advancements, no longer will you have to suffer the embarrassment of unsightly and unhealthy silver/mercury fillings or metal margins of the past. Eliminate the dark, black appearance in your teeth with new-age, state-of-the-art, tooth-colored resin or porcelain materials and have a beautiful smile.
Comparing White Fillings Versus Silver Amalgam Fillings:
- White composite fillings bond to the tooth; they strengthen the tooth by restoring most of its original shape. Amalgam/silver fillings on the other hand, weaken the teeth and make them more susceptible to breaking. Broken teeth can be very expensive to replace and might result in the loss of the tooth.
- White composite fillings are preferred by most patients. This is due to the natural color, strength and overall appearance and feel. Composites will give you a beautiful smile.
- Hot and cold sensitivity is greatly reduced with white composite material compared to the silver/mercury amalgams.
- Restorations with composites require less removal of tooth, less structure to place than those with amalgams and especially with new cavities.
- White composite fillings are healthier because no traces of mercury are used, unlike silver amalgam fillings.
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Composite Bonding
The process of composite bonding is the result of many years of dental research and the development of sophisticated dental materials to provide safe, effective, tooth-colored restorations and cosmetic improvements. Bonding involves the application of a resin material to an existing anterior (front) tooth to cover stain, rebuild the shape of a tooth, or change the shape of a tooth for a more pleasing appearance. It may also be used on posterior teeth (molars) for tooth colored fillings. Composite bonding is often used to close gaps in the teeth, provide a more pleasing shape, or to rebuild a chipped tooth. Sometimes old discolored fillings are replaced with composite to provide a lighter brighter general appearance.
Composite bonding stain more easily and therefore require proper care and regular cleaning. In order to ensure the longest possible duration of the bonding, composite bonding should be brushed daily. Common staining elements include coffee, tea, wine, tobacco and some foods.
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Root Canal
A root canal is a procedure that extracts decayed pulp from the central part of the tooth, and replaces it with a strengthening filler.
A cavity is the result of superficial decay of the enamel of the tooth. Left long enough, this decay can burrow into the deeper reaches of the tooth, causing extensive damage to tooth structure and the root system. When damage occurs in the root system root canal therapy is needed. Our dentist can perform root canal therapy for preserving the tooth and retaining its original integrity; thereby, saving a tooth that in the past would be extracted.
Procedure:
- The patient undergoes anesthesia.
- The tooth is opened to allow for removal of infected or dead dental pulp.
- The tooth is comprehensively cleaned, including any cracks and canals.
- With special tools, the doctor prepares the canals.
- The tooth is filled with cutting edge biocompatible filling material.
- A temporary covering is used to cover the access opening.
- Patients should quickly schedule for a permanent restoration of the tooth.
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Tooth Extractions
Extractions of decidious (baby) teeth or primary (permanent) teeth usually can be done at our office after an x-ray is used to evaluate the root system. We also can provide (upon request) Nitrous Oxide gas which enables the patient to become calm and relaxed. The Nitrous Oxide gas is safe and is administered by the dentist in small increments. This gas is delivered to the patient through a nasal hood and makes the patient feel more weightless.
Your third molars are more commonly called "wisdom teeth." Usually appearing in the late teens or early twenties, third molars often lack the proper space in the jaw to erupt fully or even at all. This common condition is called impaction. When any tooth lacks the space to come through or simply develops in the wrong place of your jaw and becomes impacted, problems can arise. Primarily, damage to adjacent teeth and crowding occur.
In certain cases, the wisdom tooth that cannot come through becomes inflamed under the gums and in the jawbone, causing a sac to develop around the root of the tooth that then fills with liquid. This can cause a cyst or an abscess if it becomes infected. If either of these situations goes untreated, serious damage to the underlying bone and surrounding teeth and tissues can result. After a careful evaluation and x-ray the dentist will schedule you for an extraction or may refer you to an oral surgeon.
Non Surgical Periodontal Treatment
Years ago, if you suffered from periodontal disease, the only definitive treatment was surgery. This procedure was often painful and costly. With advances in periodontal treatment it is now possible to treat even severe periodontal disease with non-surgical methods. If you have a mild or moderate infection under your gum tissues, we may advise a more definitive course of treatment known as root planing and deep scaling. A routine hygiene visit or prophylaxis (cleaning) appointment will not treat this problem. The recommended treatment will help to prevent loss of bone and gum tissues and the supporting structures of the teeth. A periodontal evaluation including periodontal charting will define the places where this infection exists. Your treatment may include:
- Local anesthesia
- Analysis of your home care routine and development of a specific personal program for your needs.
- Thorough, deep scaling of the infected areas with smoothing and polishing of the root surfaces (aslo called root planing).
- Application of fluorides and desensitizing solutions.
- Antibiotic subgingival medication.
- Periodontal maintenance (subgingival cleaning).
- Purchase of professional, powered toothbrush and/or irrigating appliance
The complete control of this problem requires your cooperative efforts at home on a daily basis. Your periodontal health will be re-evaluated during the course of treatment and if significant infected sites still remain, additional treatment will be discussed. At the end of the program we will determine whether further treatment is necessary. Once the program is completed, it is absolutely necessary to maintain regular continuing care and health screening appointments to avoid repeated flare-ups.
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Crowns/Bridges/Onlays
Crowns
A crown is a permanent covering that fits over an original tooth that is either decayed, damaged or cracked. Crowns are made of a variety of different materials such as porcelain, gold, acrylic resin or silver. Porcelain has the most natural appearance while gold or silver is sometimes preferred for molar teeth due to durability.
The treatment plan for a patient receiving a crown involves:
- Numbing the tooth to remove the decay.
- Re-sculpturing the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown.
- Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown (usually takes one to two weeks).
- Making a temporary crown out of acrylic resin and fitting it onto the tooth during the interim period when the permanent custom-made crown is being created.
- Applying the permanent crown (when received from the lab) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the permanent one onto the tooth.
- After ensuring that the crown has the proper look and fit, the dentist cements it into place.
This process generally consists of a minimum of 2-3 visits over a three to four week period.
Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and crowns. This helps in the prevention of gum disease.
Cerec - One-visit dentistry
We are pleased to offer our patients Cerec restoration services - a superior method of creating precisely-designed, color-matched and highly durable ceramic restorations right in our practice. From onlays to full crowns, Cerec delivers the results you need in a single appointment.
Digital Impression - After examining the tooth and determining if a Cerec is the course of treatment, we will prepare the tooth for restoration, similarly to traditional treatment methods. Your prepared tooth will be coated with a safe, tasteless powder. Cerec then uses a state-of-the-art digital 3D camera to create an optical impression. This digital image replaces the physical impression required in traditional procedures. No impression trays used.
Computer Aided Design (CAD) - State-of-the-art CAD software allows us to design every precise detail of your restoration with accuracy. The software allows us to customize the shape of the restoration to exactly fit your specific dental needs.
Mill and Place - While you wait, exact design specifications are sent to our on-site milling machine to create your restoration. About 15 minutes later, your all-ceramic, color-matched restoration is ready for placement. Your new restoration is then fitted, polished and bonded for permanence. Your tooth is restored back to its natural form, function and beauty.
Once your Cerec is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain your restoration.
Bridges
A bridge is a dental device that fills a space that a tooth previously occupied. A bridge may be necessary to prevent:
- Shifting of the teeth that can lead to bite problems (occlusion) and/or jaw problems and resultant periodontal disease.
- Bridges safeguard the integrity of existing teeth and help maintain a healthy, vibrant smile.
There are three main types of bridges, namely:
- Fixed bridge- this is the most popular and consists of a pontic (fake) tooth that is attached to two crowns, which fit over the existing teeth and holds the bridge in place.
- The “Maryland” bridge is commonly used to replace missing front teeth and consists of a pontic (fake) tooth that is attached to metal bands that are bonded to the abutment (adjacent) teeth. The metal bands consist of a white-colored composite resin that matches existing tooth color.
- The Cantilever bridge is often used when there are teeth on only one side of the span. A typical three-unit cantilever bridge consists of two crowned teeth positioned next to each other on the same side of the missing tooth space. The pontic (fake) tooth is then connected to the two crowned teeth, which extend into the missing tooth space or end.
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