Services

Professional cleanings (dental prophylaxis) are performed by a registered dental hygienist. In a professional cleaning, your hygienist will:

• Remove plaque from the teeth
• Polish and remove stains from teeth
• Remove calculus (tartar) above the gum line

Dental examinations help to diagnose disease before it becomes hazardous to your health. In addition, regular examinations can save you money by alleviating problems while they are small and before they become expensive to repair, or in some cases, impossible to repair. Your dental examinations generally include the following:

• Oral cancer screening
• Gum disease evaluation
• Visual examination of tooth decay
• Examination of diagnostic x-rays
• Evaluation of status of current restorations

We cannot express enough how important it is to see your dentist regularly. Remember, preventing disease is always better than treating disease.

Digital X-rays or radiographs are very important. They allow the dentist to see things about your oral health that cannot be seen by the naked eye. These items include cysts (sacks of fluid that form on the roots of teeth), cancerous and non-cancerous tumors, invisible decay that occurs between teeth, and the location of teeth that haven’t grown all the way in. By using an x-ray to diagnose these problems, we can help save you money in the long run from surgeries or other treatments that might become necessary if we didn’t find the problem. In some cases, where dental x-rays show the location of tumorous growths, x-rays can be responsible for saving your life.

Senior Care

As you age, certain changes to the teeth, gums, and salivary glands commonly occur:

• Receding gum lines
• Damage to fillings
• Dry mouth (which can, also, be caused by certain medications or health conditions)

Before the first tooth appears, it is recommended that your child should see a dentist. Before your child’s first dental appointment, wipe your baby’s gums with a soft cloth, and brush emerging teeth with a soft brush, using no toothpaste or toothpaste with no fluoride. Never allow your child to suck toothpaste off the toothbrush and swallow it. Toothpaste contains fluoride. If ingested, fluoride can be harmful to young children.

Periodontal disease also known as gum disease, is an infection of the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth, which can result in tooth loss. As it is generally painless, you may not know you have it. The main cause of periodontal disease is bacterial plaque. This plaque causes your gums to become swollen and tender. In the early stage it is known as gingivitis and can be reversed with proper hygiene. Untreated gingivitis can become periodontal disease.

Three out of four Americans have some form of periodontal disease. Are you one of them?

• Do you smoke?
• Are you pregnant?
• Do you have diabetes?
• Do you grind or clench your teeth?
• Are you currently taking oral contraceptives?
• Are you under a great deal of stress?
• Do you have bad breath?
• Are your gums red and swollen?
• Do your gums bleed when brushing and/or flossing?
• Are your gums pulling away from your teeth or receding?
• Do you have teeth that appear to be loosening?
• Have you noticed a change in the way your teeth fit together?
• Have you recently lost a tooth?

If you answered YES to 2 or more of these questions, you might be at risk or you may already have Periodontal Disease. See your dentist or hygienist for a complete periodontal diagnosis.

An inexpensive way to restore a small amount of tooth decay.

A silver (or amalgam) filling is a mixture of approximately 50% silver/tin alloy and 50% mercury. After tooth decay is removed and cleaned, this gray colored material is packed into the tooth and shaped.

Though silver fillings contain some mercury, current studies indicate what appear to be no measurable health risks to patients.

The clear alternative to traditional mercury fillings.

A composite filling is a tooth colored quartz-like material. After tooth decay is removed and cleaned, this tooth colored material is layered into the tooth. Each layer is hardened or cured with highly intense visible light, and the final surface is shaped and polished to match the tooth. The final restoration is virtually invisible.

Protect and keep badly decayed or fractured teeth.

A crown (often called a cap) covers the tooth and restores it to its original shape and size. Decay is removed and cleaned from the tooth and a highly accurate impression or mold is made of the prepared surface. This mold is used to create a model of the tooth which is then sent to a special laboratory that will create a gold or porcelain (tooth colored) crown. The crown is then cemented onto the prepared surface of the tooth.

Fixed Bridges are a great way to replace missing teeth.

A bridge is a single appliance that is generally attached to two teeth on each side of the space where a tooth is missing. An artificial tooth attached in the middle of the bridge fills in the gap where the missing tooth was. The teeth on either side of the gap are prepared for crowns (see crowns) and a highly accurate impression or mold is made of the prepared area. This mold is used to create a gold or porcelain (tooth colored) bridge in a special laboratory. The bridge is then cemented onto the prepared surface of the teeth, effectively creating the appearance of a “new” tooth.

Dental Implants acts as an anchor for a replacement tooth or crown or a set of replacement teeth. It begins with a metal placed surgically into the jawbone. While healing, the bone continues to grow around the implant. After a few weeks, a crown is placed on the metal screw, restoring a natural look to the tooth. As they are a specialty procedure, only a qualified oral surgeon can perform the task. If done properly, they have a success rate as high as 98-100%.

Protect and keep a sick or dying tooth.

Inside each tooth is a pulp chamber that contains the nerves and blood supply for the tooth. When the pulp becomes infected due to decay or injury to the tooth, the pulp must be removed from the center of the tooth and the canals of each root. Once the infected pulp is removed, the remaining chamber is filled with a rubber-based material to seal it off.

Removable dentures or partial dentures is a removable dental appliance replacement for missing teeth and surrounding tissue. They are made to closely resemble your natural teeth and may even enhance your smile.

There are two types of dentures – complete and partial dentures. Complete dentures are used when all of the teeth are missing, while partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain. A partial denture not only fills in the spaces created by missing teeth, it prevents other teeth from shifting.

Dentures are very durable appliances and will last many years, but may have to be remade, repaired, or readjusted due to normal wear.

Repositioning of teeth and jawbones, generally through the use of braces.

Braces apply tension to slowly reposition teeth within the jawbone. After the initial application, the orthodontist adjusts the tension of braces over a number of visits, spaced over a period of one and a half to three years.

Braces are used for both practical and cosmetic reasons. In adults, braces may be required in preparation of certain dental procedures. New options like clear braces provide a more convenient alternative to traditional braces. Each patient’s needs are different. See your dentist to determine is braces are right for you.

Invisalign® is the invisible way to straighten teeth using a series of custom-made, nearly undetectable aligners. It’s been proven effective in both clinical research and in practices nationwide. So whether your teeth are crowded, too far apart, or have shifted since wearing braces, you’ll have a new reason to smile.

Procedures that improve the appearance of the teeth, including tooth whitening, porcelain fillings, bonding, and porcelain veneers.

LUMINEERS® can make smiles more beautiful without painful tooth removal! Patented Cerinate® LUMINEERS, due to their superior strength, can be made as thin as a contact lens and may be placed over existing teeth without removing tooth structure. This procedure is perfect for stained, chipped, misaligned, or spaced teeth.

Tooth Whitening (or bleaching) is a simple, non-invasive dental treatment used to change the color of natural tooth enamel and is an ideal way to enhance the beauty of your smile. Because having whiter teeth has now become the number one aesthetic concern of most patients, there are two ways to whiten teeth. Since tooth whitening only works on natural tooth enamel, it is important to evaluate replacement of any old fillings, crowns, etc. Replacement of any restorations will be done after bleaching so they will match the newly bleached teeth.

Tooth whitening is not permanent. A touch-up maybe needed every several years, and more often if you smoke, drink coffee, tea, or wine.

This is the most popular method that will whiten teeth dramatically. This type of tooth whitening usually requires two visits.

Zoom! Advanced Power Whitening-enables us to significantly brighten your smile in just one, one hour visit. An 8-shade shift in whiteness is excellent and can be achieved with Zoom! Advanced Power Whitening.