General Treatment
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 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 services for restoring mouths that have been damaged by dental disease and 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 material. We will replace old, broken-down amalgam/metal fillings that contain traces of mercury with white fillings (composites) to restore your smile and teeth to a more natural look and feel.
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.
Comparing White Fillings Versus Silver Amalgam Fillings:
- White fillings bond to the tooth; they strengthen the tooth by restoring most of its original shape. Silver amalgams, on the other hand, weaken the teeth and make them more susceptible to breaking. Broken teeth can be very expensive to replace; white amalgam can actually save time and money in the long run.
- White filling composites are preferred by most patients. This is due to the natural color, strength and overall appearance and feel. Composites are naturally more comfortable.
- Hot and cold sensitivity is greatly reduced with 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. Dramatically smaller holes are needed with a composite.
- White fillings are healthier because no traces of mercury are used, unlike silver amalgams.
Tooth Extractions
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.
Root Canal
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 burrow into the deeper reaches of 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.
Procedure:
- The patient undergoes anesthesia.
- A dental dam is used to isolate the tooth.
- 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 reshapes the canals.
- The tooth is filled again with cutting edge biocompatible filling material.
- A temporary covering is used to cover the access opening.
- Patients MUST see their regular dentist quickly for a permanent restoration of the tooth.
BIOLASE
We proudly use BIOLASE laser technology in our office. BIOLASE has developed a variety of dental lasers to enhance patient comfort and improve visibility. The new techniques use laser-energized water to cut the teeth instead of other drilling methods. There is no heat or vibration associated with their laser systems as opposed to regular drilling methods; thus, it may ease the tension from even the most anxious person. The BIOLASE lasers can aid in hard and soft tissue procedures. Ask us for more information about this new technology in our office.
Digital X-Rays
We offer one of the latest technological advances in dentistry with digital radiography (X-rays). A wireless sensor is placed in the mouth, and a computer generates an image in 30 seconds as opposed to the general 4-6 minute wait time for images taken on dental film. These X-rays can also be enhanced on the computer and enlarged.
Not only are they friendly to the environment, they are much safer than traditional X-rays. Digital radiographs reduce radiation exposure by 90 percent!
The WAND
Many patients may get apprehensive when visiting the dentist, especially when an anesthetic is necessary to perform treatment. The sight of a needle or syringe can make the patient very uneasy, which is why we use a groundbreaking new technique called the WAND.
Oftentimes, the discomfort a patient feels comes from the flow of the anesthetic rather than the needle itself. The WAND makes the injection more comfortable for the patient as it emits a balanced flow of anesthetic through the tissue.
The comfort of our patients is important to us, so we are proud to offer this latest technology in our office.
DIAGNOdent
Did you know that half of cavities found in your teeth could go undetected by current diagnostic techniques? However, our office now offers a new diagnostic method that can more accurately define caries in teeth.
We offer a unique service that can detect caries at the earliest stage. The DIAGNOdent Laser Caries Detector is over 90 percent accurate in detecting even the smallest lesions that don’t even appear on X-rays! Early detection enables us to better preserve and protect your teeth.
The DIAGNOdent Laser Caries Detector boasts a high patient acceptance and satisfaction with its quick, simple and painless nature.
Air Abrasion
Many patients' fear of the dentist stems from the drill used to treat tooth decay. In our office, we use the gentle process known as air abrasion. This decay-removing process is virtually pain-free as the dentist can control the speed of the spray of air/powder mix as well as the intensity. There is generally no need for shots with this new technology. It's also free of the noise and vibration associated with the old drill.
When the decay is removed, the dentist places a white filling that is barely noticeable! The process allows us to treat the decay immediately and restore your tooth before more damage can be done. Air abrasion can also repair fractured teeth, old fillings, sealants or broken restorations.
