Keep Your Smile Healthy With Our General Dentistry Services
Dental Exam
The secret to a bright, healthy smile is no secret: brush, floss, and get a professional dental exam at least once every six months. Professional dental exams are all about preventing existing problems from worsening and preventing dental problems from developing in the future. Regular dental exams make it possible to identify and treat a problem in its earliest stage – which is good for your oral health and your budget!
There's nothing to fear with a dental exam. Your teeth will be visually examined for signs of plaque, tartar, and tooth decay. We'll also examine your gums for puffiness or discoloration, which are signs of gum disease. A full set of Digital Dental X-rays may also be taken during your dental exam to enable your dentist to see below the surfaces of your teeth. Dental exams typically end with a dental cleaning to remove surface stains and buildup.
Teeth Cleaning
No matter how often you brush and floss, plaque and tartar deposits can still build up on your teeth. A professional teeth cleaning is the single most effective way to remove these deposits and prevent them from causing more serious problems in the future. While traditional teeth cleaning involves manually scraping away these deposits with special dental tools, advances in dental technologies now give you more options for teeth cleaning.
Laser teeth cleaning, also known as ultrasonic cleaning, is a popular alternative to traditional teeth cleaning. With laser teeth cleaning, an ultrasonic scaler (rather than a manual probe) is used to remove deposits, kill harmful microbes, and eliminate bacteria around the teeth and gums through high-frequency sound waves. Many patients find laser teeth cleanings more comfortable than traditional teeth cleanings because they are quicker, quieter, and pain-free.
A deep cleaning may be recommended if excessive plaque and tartar deposits have developed below the gum line. Deep cleanings, also known as scaling and root planing, involve a two-part process: first, the stubborn deposits are removed, and then the root surfaces are smoothened. A deep cleaning helps prevent periodontal disease and restores gum tissues to a healthy state.
Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer affects nearly 35,000 Americans every year. The keys to surviving oral cancer are early detection and early treatment. This starts with a regular oral cancer screening – at least once every six months. An oral cancer screening takes just minutes, is pain-free, and can be performed during regular dental exams. If you are male, a regular oral cancer screening is especially critical: Oral cancer is more than twice as common in men as it is in women. Other people at high risk of oral cancer include people over the age of 60, tobacco smokers, and heavy drinkers.
Tooth-Colored Fillings
If your silver fillings make you feel self-conscious when you smile, or it's simply time to replace them, consider tooth-colored fillings. Tooth-colored fillings are just as durable as they are attractive! Made of composite resin, tooth-colored fillings match the natural color of your teeth and are an excellent option for small to mid-sized cavities. Tooth-colored fillings are strong, stain-resistant, and require less removal of your tooth structure than amalgam fillings.
Dental Crowns
A dental crown may not make you feel like royalty, but it is one of the premiere treatments for teeth with extensive decay or damage. Dental crowns can also used to hold a dental bridge in place, cover misshapen or severely discolored teeth, or cover a tooth after a root canal procedure. Made of either porcelain-fused-to-metal, ceramic or gold, dental crowns are placed during a multi-step process and sometimes require more than one dental visit. The first step is a dental impression. A temporary crown is then placed to protect the tooth while the impression is sent to an offsite laboratory to create the final restoration. In some cases, same-day crowns are possible, so be sure to inquire. With good oral hygiene and minimal wear and tear, your beautiful new dental crowns can last up to 15 years.
CEREC Crowns
CEREC crowns are one of the most innovative dental technologies ever to emerge. With CEREC crowns, you don't have to worry about messy impressions, temporary dental crowns, or multiple dental visits. CEREC crowns are made right in the dentist's office and are placed in just one visit. CEREC crowns look great, too. CEREC crowns look and feel like your real teeth and are made of pure porcelain and no metal.
Porcelain Dental Crowns
Although dental crowns can be made of a variety of materials, including stainless steel, gold, and silver, nothing looks better than a porcelain dental crown. Porcelain dental crowns match the natural color of your teeth and are virtually undetectable by the naked eye. And because they're metal-free, porcelain dental crowns are an excellent option for patients with metal allergies. Best of all, porcelain crowns don't just look beautiful – they're long-lasting, too!
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges have been used for centuries to replace missing teeth. Dental bridges are still considered one of the most durable, conservative, and cost-effective options for bridging the gap between a missing tooth and surrounding teeth. Comprised of two anchoring teeth and a replacement tooth, dental bridges help prevent surrounding teeth from drifting out of position, improve chewing and speaking, and help keep your natural face shape intact.
There are three types of dental bridges: 1) traditional dental bridges, 2) cantilever dental bridges, and 3) Maryland bridges. Traditional bridges have dental crowns or implants on either side of the missing tooth, plus a replacement tooth, which is held in place by a post-like structure called a dental abutment. Cantilever dental bridges are used when surrounding teeth are only on one side of the missing tooth. Maryland bridges are made of a specialized resin that is cemented to a metal framework and cemented to the enamel of surrounding teeth.
Dental bridges typically take 2-3 weeks to complete and are less invasive than other options, such as dental implants. With good oral hygiene and regular dental visits, dental bridges can last up to 30 years.
Dentures
Using dentures to replace missing teeth is excellent for oral health and a great way to look and feel younger! Today, there are a variety of natural-looking and comfortable dentures for patients who need to replace missing teeth. Dentures are custom-designed to fit your mouth and made of a gum-colored plastic resin or acrylic base and either resin or porcelain replacement teeth. Full dentures may be your best option if you have several or all teeth missing on the upper or lower jaw. Partial dentures, which can be fixed or removable, are great for patients with several missing teeth scattered along the upper or lower jaw.
Just as with your natural teeth, dentures require daily maintenance. With regular wear and tear, your dentures can last 5-7 years. During that time, you may need periodic denture relines to accommodate changes in the contours of your mouth. Regular denture relines involve resurfacing the base to ensure that your dentures fit and function perfectly. If you break your dentures, bringing them to your dentist for professional denture repair is critical. Home denture repair kits can cause more damage and be even more costly.
Orthodontics
Orthodontics has come a long way – today's Orthodontics look, feel, and function better than ever. Along with traditional metal braces, there are now a variety of Orthodontics to fit every need and budget. Clear dental braces use an innovative sliding technology instead of wires and have small, clear brackets that are virtually invisible. Invisible dental braces don't use brackets; they include a customized set of clear plastic aligners that can be removed while eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing. If a beautiful, straight smile is what you're after, you can't go wrong with Orthodontics – no matter your age!
Gum Disease Treatment
Red, swollen gums are a red flag for one thing: gum disease. If you have the symptoms, you're not alone. More than 80% of adults have some form of gum disease. Fortunately, there are many effective and pain-free gum disease treatments. For gingivitis, the mildest form of gum disease, treatment typically involves a thorough dental cleaning followed by daily brushing and flossing. Advanced gum disease, or periodontal disease, requires scaling and root planing to remove stubborn deposits below the gum line. Laser gum surgery, a new alternative to scaling and root planing, uses beams of high-speed light to remove plaque and tartar buildup. If non-surgical methods of gum disease treatment are ineffective, a gingivectomy or periodontal surgery may be necessary.
Endodontics
Root canals get a bad wrap. But don't believe the rumors; the dreaded root canal isn't dreadful! Root canals are needed when either decay or an injury infects the inner tooth (the pulp). In the earliest stages of infection, you may not feel any pain. But when it progresses, you could have a toothache and swelling, or a dental abscess might form. Root canals remove the infection and prevent it from spreading. Pulp capping is an alternative to root canals that are used when the infection has yet to penetrate the pulp. Pulp capping can also prevent a large dental filling from getting too close to the nerve.
Oral Surgery
Oral surgery is an umbrella term for surgical treatments such as dental implants, wisdom teeth extractions, and bone grafting. Dental implants, an excellent solution for missing teeth, are surgically placed tooth roots that hold dental crowns in place. A wisdom tooth extraction may be recommended if there isn't enough room in your mouth to accommodate wisdom teeth and they become impacted, partially erupted, or infected. Bone grafting transfers bone from one part of the jaw to another, usually to accommodate a dental implant.
TMJ Treatment
If you've been living with persistent jaw pain, ear pain, and headaches, you could have TMJ – temporomandibular jaw disorder. TMJ can often be traced back to an improper bite, misaligned jaw joints, or an injury to the jaw or face. TMJ treatment from a dentist can relieve the discomfort. Although TMJ treatment varies from patient to patient, it typically involves one or several procedures, including the use of an orthotic splint, enamel reshaping, dental crowns, dental braces, or night guards. The goal of TMJ treatment is to stabilize your bite so that your teeth, jaw muscles, and jaw joints work properly together without strain and pain!
Sedation Dentistry
Ever wish you could sail through dental visits without anxiety or fear? Would you rather endure an agonizing toothache than go to the dentist? Answering "yes" to these questions could mean that you're a perfect candidate for sedation dentistry. With sedation dentistry, you can forget about fear and focus on pure relaxation.
There are different levels of sedation to accommodate every patient. Minimal sedation involves inhaling nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Nitrous oxide helps you relax and wears off quickly. Conscious sedation is a moderate level of sedation that causes drowsiness and is taken in pill form. IV deep sedation is typically administered intravenously and works very quickly. With IV deep sedation, most patients fall asleep but can be easily awakened. Total sedation could be the only solution for people with an intense fear or phobia of dentistry. With full sedation or general anesthesia, you are completely unconscious and cannot be easily awakened.
Call us today at (419) 885-1115 to schedule your appointment and experience our quality dental services.