Services

We offer the latest techniques and technology available to provide you with a treatment plan to fit your specific needs and desires.

Impants

Dental implants are artificial tooth replacements that were first developed half a century ago by a Swedish scientist named Per-Ingvar Branemark. 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
Anterior Replacement
Posterior Replacement
Full Upper/Lower 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 is always 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, thus causing gums to swell and jaw bones to gradually recede. Recession of the jawbone will weaken implants and eventually make it necessary for the implant to be removed. Patients are advised to visit their dentists at least twice a year to ensure the health of their teeth and implants. Dental implants can last for decades when given proper care.

Porcelain Crowns

A crown is a custom-made covering that fits over an original tooth that is either decayed, damaged or cracked. Though crowns can be made from a variety of materials, our office uses porcelain crowns to provide our patients with the most natural appearance.

The treatment plan for a patient receiving a crown involves:

1. Numbing the tooth to remove the decay in or around it.
2. Re-sculpting the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown.
3. Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown (usually takes two to three weeks).
4. Making a temporary crown out of acrylic resin and fitting it onto the tooth during the interim period when the custom-made crown is being created.
5. Applying the custom-made crown (when received from the lab) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the custom-made one onto the tooth.
6. 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 two to three 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. Given proper care, your crowns can last a lifetime.

Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers are thin, semi-translucent “shells” typically attached to your front teeth. They are customized from porcelain material that is bonded to your teeth. Porcelain veneers are a great alternative to otherwise painful dental procedures to improve the appearance of your smile.

Common problems that porcelain veneers are used for:

Spaces between the teeth
Broken or chipped teeth
Unsightly, stained or discolored teeth
Permanently stained or discolored teeth
Crooked or mishapen teeth

Porcelain veneers are a great aesthetic solution to your smile that may even help you avoid orthodontic treatment. Subtle changes to your smile can be achieved with veneers, and in most cases, veneer application is completed in only two office visits.

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. A mild anesthesia is used to ensure your child is as comfortable as possible throughout the procedure.

Wisdom Teeth

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.

To potentially stave off this result, an extraction of one, several or all of the wisdom teeth may be advised. Ask our staff for more information regarding tooth extractions if you feel you may need one.

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:

A fixed bridge is the most popular and consists of a filler tooth that is attached to two crowns, which fit over the existing teeth and hold the bridge in place.
The “Maryland” bridge is commonly used to replace missing front teeth and consists of a filler that is attached to metal bands that are bonded to the abutment 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 filler tooth is then connected to the two crowned teeth, which extend into the missing tooth space or end.

Bonding

Bonding is a common solution for:

Fixing or repairing chipped or cracked teeth
Reducing unsightly gaps or spaces between teeth
Hiding discoloration or faded areas on the tooth’s surface

Often, composite bonding is used to improve the appearance of your teeth and enhance your smile. As the name indicates, composite material, either a plastic or resin, is bonded to an existing tooth. Unlike veneers or crowns, composite bonding removes little, if any, of the original tooth.

Composite bonding has many advantages:

It is a quick process, which typically lasts less than one hour.
It does not reduce the tooth’s original structure and is relatively inexpensive.
Composite resins come in many different shades and provide better matching of shades to the natural color of your teeth.
Composite bonds, however, are not as durable and long-lasting as veneers and crowns and may need to be re-touched or replaced in the future.

Composite bonds stain more easily and therefore require proper care and regular cleaning. In order to ensure the longest possible duration of the bonding, composites should be brushed and flossed daily. Common staining elements include coffee, tea, tobacco, foods and candy.

Digital Imaging

We are proud to utilize 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 up to 90% 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!

Periodontics

The term “periodontal” means “around the tooth.” Therefore, periodontal disease affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth. Gum, or periodontal, disease can cause inflammation, tooth loss and bone damage. The infection starts when the gums become inflamed due to bacteria in plaque, a sticky, colorless film that forms on your teeth. While this is often the main cause of periodontal disease, other factors can also be attributed to affecting the health of the gums and bone, including:

Smoking or Tobacco Use
Stress
Genetics
Pregnany
Medications
Diabetes
Poor Nutrition

Periodontal disease comes in many forms. Gingivitis is perhaps the mildest form of gum disease. While the gums become red, swollen and bleed easily, there is very little to no discomfort associated at this stage of the disease. Through a good oral hygiene regimen and treatment from your dentist, the results of gingivitis can be reversed.

Periodontitis is another form of periodontal disease and can be aggressive or chronic. Aggressive periodontitis displays rapid bone destruction and attachment loss in clinically healthy patients. Chronic periodontitis is one of the most common forms of periodontal disease and is frequently seen in adults. The stages progress slowly and can be recognized by gum recession and pocket formation.

Treatment and Prevention

In certain cases, periodontal surgery may be recommended to treat periodontal disease when non-surgical treatment is ineffective. We may advise procedures such as pocket reduction, soft tissue grafts or bone regeneration to treat periodontal disease. If a tooth has been lost due to periodontal disease, dental implants are always an option for permanent tooth replacement.

Good oral hygiene and regular visits with your dentist and periodontist can prevent periodontal disease. Daily brushing and flossing can keep plaque to a minimum and, in conjunction with professional cleanings 2-4 times a year, can keep your teeth healthy for life.

Teeth Whitening FAQ

How will whitening affect my teeth?

Professional teeth whitening solutions can make your teeth whiter and brighter, many times dramatically so, but it is important to get a complete dental examination first. Teeth whitening solutions will not whiten any dental work you have, such as crowns, bridges or fillings, so you may want new restorations done after your whitening to match the new shade of your teeth. Also, teeth whitening may not be recommended for patients with dental decay, cracks or leaky fillings because the whitening solution may irritate the tooth’s nerve and cause discomfort or even the need for more extreme procedures such as endodontic treatment.

Can I whiten my own teeth?

Yes, there are many over-the-counter teeth whitening solutions available, however, all of these products are either only slightly effective or completely ineffective, since the concentration of ingredients in these solutions have to be low enough for general use. Because professional whitening products are applied and overseen by dental professionals, they are allowed to be of a higher concentration, and are therefore much more effective. Having your teeth whitened by a dentist also ensures that you are in the most safe and comfortable environment for your teeth whitening procedure.

What should I do before my whitening appointment?

All other needed restorative dental work, such as fillings, should be completed before your teeth are whitened to ensure that there is no risk to your teeth’s nerves. If you have teeth with fractures or microscopic cracks, your whitening appointment should be closely overseen by a dentist. If any teeth with fractures or cracks experience sensitivity during whitening, treatment of those teeth should be discontinued until the tooth is restored.

What should I do after my whitening appointment?

Tooth whitening is usually not an instant process, and your entire whitening program may take up to two weeks to complete. After completing your teeth whitening program, you should see a noticeable color change in your teeth. After this point, it usually takes one to two weeks for that color change to “set in”, so especially for the first two weeks, you should be careful of the types of food and drink you consume, as well as other tooth-staining habits like smoking. You should also not have any composite bonding done in these first few weeks to ensure good bonding strength and perfect color match. After these first few weeks, be aware that consuming coffee and tea, smoking, and other habits can re-stain your teeth, so you may want to minimize these habits and visit your dentist regularly for touch-up appointments.

Lumineers®

We now have LUMINEERS® by Cerinate® available in our office! LUMINEERS can make everyone’s smile more beautiful without the painful removal of tooth structure. LUMINEERS are a painless, custom-made cosmetic solution for stained, chipped, discolored or misaligned teeth. LUMINEERS are porcelain veneers that can be made as thin as a contact lens and are placed over existing teeth without drilling or requiring removal of painful tooth structure, in most cases (unlike traditional veneers). And in most cases, no anesthesia shots are needed!

Many patients with minor orthodontic problems happily correct their smile with LUMINEERS. These special porcelain veneers are also notorious for their longevity. They are clinically proven to last up to 20 years and even include a 5-year warranty! They are also quite different from traditional veneers as the procedure can be reversed since the tooth structure is still intact after placement.

LUMINEERS are almost as natural as your real teeth. You should continue visiting your dentist regularly for cleanings and check-ups and also continue a good oral hygiene regimen. You can continue eating and drinking everything you normally did before the procedure!

Each patient’s case is different. Therefore, fees often vary. Your dentist will determine the cost for your treatment plan after a thorough examination. Contact us for more information on LUMINEERS and how they can improve your smile!

Snap-On Smile

Snap-on Smile is a custom-made restorative appliance is an affordable solution to extensive restorative and cosmetic dentistry. This appliance has the look and feel of your natural teeth and is easy to use. There are no shots, no drilling and no adhesives – it simply fits right over your teeth, giving you a beautiful smile. You can wear it all day, every day and can eat and drink wearing it. The only time you need to take it out is when you sleep at night.

Made of high-tech dental resin, Snap-on Smile is durable and can last for 2 – 5 years with proper cleaning and care. It can be used for many aesthetic applications, including as a cosmetic removable partial denture, cosmetic smile enhancement and temporary implant restoration.

Ask us today if you might be a candidate for Snap-On Smile.