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General Treatment

Teeth Cleanings | Fillings | Crowns & Bridges | Root Canals | Tooth Extractions | Dental Implants | Dentures | Digital Imaging

h-patient2.jpgOur practice offers a wide range of dental services. 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. We provide quality services for restoring mouths that have been damaged by dental disease, injury and other common problems. Please see our before & after photos.


 

Teeth Cleanings

You should schedule routine dental cleanings as recommended by your dentist. Generally, two visits are recommended each year. These visits consist of exams, cleanings and necessary X-rays. Some of our patients are seen more frequently because we customize each patient's recall according to her dental needs. During visits, one of our dental hygienists will remove plaque from your teeth, especially from places where your brush can't reach, such as underneath the gum line and between teeth. We then will polish your teeth and apply fluoride to help protect your teeth once you leave the office.

Fluoride is an important advancement in dental and oral health. Studies consistently show that moderate but consistent exposure of teeth to fluoride helps strengthen and rebuild tooth structure, and helps prevent future decay.

If you are due for your dental cleaning, please call our hygiene coordinator Nicole or a member of our staff to schedule an appointment.


 

Fillings

A "filling" is a repair of lost tooth structure due to decay or fracture. Fillings are made of composite, porcelain or metal. Depending on the particular situation, our staff will discuss and recommend the best option for you and your oral health.


 

Crowns & Bridges

Crowns

A crown is a custom-made 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 a mix of these materials. We use a CEREC machine to custom-fabricate ceramic crowns for our patients.

The treatment plan for a patient receiving a crown involves:

  1. Numbing the tooth to remove the damaged tooth structure. 
  2. Re-sculpting the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown.
  3. Using our CEREC machine, we picture, design and fabricate your crown while you wait. The CEREC system has revolutionized the dental field by meeting the needs of our patients in a more convenient manner. Gone are the days where the patient must return for multiple visits to complete a crown restoration. CEREC technology allows us to place a ceramic crown in just one visit.
  4. Applying the custom-made CEREC crown and verifying fit on the tooth. 
  5. After ensuring that the crown has the proper look and fit, the dentist cements it into place.

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.

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.

Root Canals

A root canal is a procedure that extracts decayed pulp from the central part of the tooth, reshapes the canal and replaces it with strengthening filler.

A cavity is the result of superficial decay of the enamel of the tooth. Left long enough, this decay can advance deeper into the tooth, causing extensive damage to tooth structure. When the damage goes beyond what can be treated with a filling, dentists can perform a root canal (or endodontics), preserving the tooth and retaining its original integrity; thereby, saving a tooth that in the past would have to have been pulled.

A root canal procedure includes the following steps:

  • The patient receives anesthetic.
  • A dental dam is used to isolate the tooth.
  • The tooth is opened to allow for removal of infected non-vital dental pulp.
  • The tooth is comprehensively cleaned, including any cracks and canals.
  • With special instruments, the doctor reshapes the canals.
  • The canals are filled with biocompatible filling material.
  • A temporary covering is used to cover the access opening.
  • Patients MUST schedule appointment for final restoration of the tooth.

Tooth Extractions

General Extractions

An extraction is the complete removal of a tooth. Extractions are sometimes necessary if a primary tooth is preventing the normal eruption of a permanent tooth, if the tooth has suffered extensive tooth decay or trauma that cannot be repaired, if the patient has gum disease, or if the tooth is impacted (usually the wisdom teeth). Depending on the complexity of the case, an extraction can be performed surgically or non-surgically.

Wisdom Teeth

Third molars are more commonly called "wisdom teeth." Usually appearing in the late teens or early 20s, 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 can 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. To prevent the previous mentioned conditions, an extraction of one, several or all of the wisdom teeth may be advised.


 

Dental Implants

Dental implants are artificial tooth replacements. Implants arose from the patient's need to secure
loose-fitting dentures. Since the advent of the implant, engineering and enhancements to the implant have enabled dentists to expand the implant's usefulness, including the replacement of missing or lost teeth. Today, implant techniques provide a wide range of tooth replacement solutions including:

  • Single tooth replacement
  • Multiple tooth replacement

If the missing tooth space has no surrounding teeth, the dentist may decide an implant is the most appropriate treatment choice or option.

Post Implant Care

Although proper oral hygiene always is recommended for maintaining good dental health, it is especially important when a patient has received a dental implant. Bacteria can attack sensitive areas in the mouth when teeth and gums are not properly cleaned. Patients are advised to visit their dentists as recommended to ensure the health of their teeth and implants. Dental implants can last for decades when given proper care.


 

Dentures

Periodontal disease, injury and tooth decay all can cause loss of your natural teeth. However, we can bring back the smile on your face with dentures to restore your missing teeth. With improved technology and updated materials, dentists can now make them appear more natural and more comfortable for the patient.

A denture is an artificial substitute for some or all of the natural teeth and adjacent tissues. There are two types of dentures: complete and partial.

  • Complete dentures cover the patient's entire jaw.
  • Partial dentures, with their metal framework, replace multiple missing teeth.

To know which type is best for you, be sure to ask your doctor.

It may take some time to adjust to your dentures. Speaking and eating may feel different at first, but these regular activities will resume normally once you are accustomed to your dentures.


 

Digital Imaging

We are proud to use the latest technology available to ensure our patients enjoy the best results. We use high-resolution digital imaging to capture detailed images of your mouth, thus enabling us to maintain accurate records and keep you thoroughly informed of your treatment progress.

The digital radiography machine we use to take X-rays of your mouth releases much less radiation than traditional X-ray machines while providing crisp, clear images for more efficient diagnoses and treatment. We feel our modern practice and cutting-edge techniques ensure you are receiving the quality care you deserve.