Dental Services
giving you the best of smiles
First Visit
Thank you for choosing our office, where we have created a comfortable environment in which you can feel confident about the dental care you receive. During your first visit, our objective is to get to know you better, to become familiar with your past dental experiences and to establish a treatment plan that will best meet your dental needs.
When you arrive, please be prepared to complete all insurance and health information forms that will get you acquainted with our office.
Also, please assist us by providing the following information:
Any current films from your previous dental office, so they can be here for your appointment.
If you have dental insurance have our staff assist you in making sure we take your plan to avoid any unexpected cost to you.
Your initial appointment will last approximately one hour. Our dentist will perform a comprehensive exam, update any x-rays, perio charting, and intra oral photos for your records, which help in diagnosing tooth decay, periodontal problems, jaw problems and any signs of oral cancer.
We believe that good dental care begins with open communication, and we promise to speak candidly with you. Working together, we can achieve a true partnership with one common goal – keeping your teeth, gums and jaw joints healthy!
Crowns
Crowns are used to repair and protect damaged teeth. They can make a broken-down tooth look and feel as good as new.
Tooth-colored ceramic crowns are very popular. Out technician will take measurement and prepare your replacement to be delivered in 5-7 days. With subsequent visits made to ensure that they properly fit and comfortable for you.
Dental implants
Tooth fillings
Dental implants are a great way to replace missing teeth and fix loose dentures more firmly in place. If you have gaps in your smile, don't like the way your denture falls down when you try to eat or when you kiss, then this could be the solution for you.
Dental implants can replace a single tooth, a group of teeth or even a whole jaw of teeth. When properly looked after they can be more hygienic than standard dentures and cause less damage to the surround teeth than traditional bridgework.
Implant placement itself is quick and pain-free. Often the procedure is complete within 20 minutes! Once the implant is in place and is firm in the bone, crowns, bridges or dentures can be created to fit into the implant.
All of the fillings we provide are tooth-colored or "white". These are made of a composite/amalgam/Gic materials that is bonded to the tooth. The bonding allows us to prepare cavities as minimally as possible leaving healthier tooth tissue remaining.
If the filling is very large, we often suggest having an on lay instead. On lays can be made in durable, aesthetic ceramic materials using our CEREC CADCAM equipment in one appointment or precious metal.
As well as being more hard-wearing, on lays can be shaped to perfectly fit the space. This can be very important for gum health because tooth cleaning will be easier and more effective.
Bridges/dentures
Veneers
Besides having dental implants, there are two main ways to replace missing teeth. The first is with a removable false tooth or teeth – a partial denture. The second is with a fixed bridge.
A dental bridge is usually used where there are fewer teeth to replace, or when the missing teeth are only on one side of the mouth. Bridges are usually made of a precious metal base.
If the bridge will show, porcelain is then bonded to the base. Sometimes, there are other non-precious metals used in the base to reduce the cost.
You should replace missing teeth for a number of reasons. Your appearance is one reason. Another is that the gap left by a missing tooth can mean greater strain is put on the teeth at either side.
A gap can also mean your ‘bite’ is affected, because the teeth next to the space can lean into the gap and alter the way the upper and lower teeth bite together. This can then lead to food getting packed into the gap, which causes both decay and gum disease.
If your front teeth are stained, chipped, or mal-aligned, veneers will give you a good life-like appearance with minimum tooth adjustment.
A veneer is a porcelain facing on the front of your teeth usually your top teeth rather like a false finger nail.
Veneers are made out of porcelain and are used mainly for aesthetic reasons.
Veneers make teeth look natural and healthy, and because they are very thin and are held in place by a special strong bond (rather like super-glue) very little preparation of the tooth is needed.
Oral surgery
Dental Exams & X-rays
There are several types of radiographic images that can be taken of the head and neck.
In our office, the three most common are bitewing, periapical, and panoramic radiographs.
Bitewings allow us to detect cavities that have developed between the teeth that are not usually able to be detected clinically. Generally, we take four bitewings every year for one of the two comprehensive exams patients receive during their dental hygiene appointments.
Periapical radiographs allow us to see the entire tooth, including the root and bone and supporting structures surrounding it. These are most often taken as needed, rather than routinely.
Panoramic radiographs are very informative as they provide information on the entire oral cavity at once. These are typically taken about once every two to five years.
If you are a new patient and have radiographs you would like to have transferred to our office, it is worthwhile to do so if the bitewings are less than one-year-old and if the panoramic film is less than 5 years old.
Oral surgery in the general practice setting most often refers to dental extractions, implant placement, and bone grafts.
We perform these types of oral surgeries, including the extractions of erupted 3rd molars. We perform these types of oral surgeries, including the extractions of erupted 3rd molars.
Tooth whitening
Tooth whitening is also known as bleaching, although we don't use bleach! We prefer patients to use the home bleaching method. At the first appointment we take impressions so that very small 'trays' can be made. These look like minimal transparent gumshields that just fit over the teeth and are filled with the bleaching material and worn at home for either two hours a day or overnight. At the second appointment we show you how to do this.
You are then in control over the extent of the whitening effect you want. We usually recommend that you just do the upper teeth first so the difference between 'before' and 'after' is obvious. You can then do the lowers to catch up.
The trays can be kept for any 'top-ups' that you might want, and will probably need, after about 18 months.
If you have any fillings in front teeth that show, you may find that these will not be affected by the process and will look darker than before. These will then need to be replaced for an additional cost.
Pediatric Dentistry
Your child won't keep his or her first teeth forever, but that doesn't mean those tiny pearly whites don't need conscientious care. Maintaining your child's dental health now will provide health benefits well into adulthood, as primary (baby) teeth serve some extremely important functions.
For one thing, primary teeth serve as guides for the eruption of permanent (adult) teeth, holding the space into which these new teeth will erupt. The crowns (tops) of the permanent teeth actually push against the roots of the baby teeth, causing them to resorb, or melt away. In this way, the adult teeth can take their proper place.
What's more, your child's primary teeth will be there for most of childhood, helping your child to bite, chew and speak. For the first six or so years, he or she will be relying on primary teeth exclusively to perform these important functions. Until around age 12, your child will have a mix of primary and permanent teeth. You will want to make sure those teeth stay healthy and are lost naturally — when it's time.
Preventive dentistry- Dental Hygiene
Dental hygiene treatment includes professionally cleaning the teeth for the patient. This is usually called scaling and polishing. However, perhaps our most important role is showing the patient the best way to keep the teeth free of plaque.
The dentist also plays an important role in treating gum disease.
Gum Disease Treatments
Screening for gum disease forms an integral part of your routine examination.
What is gum disease?
Gum disease describes swelling, soreness or infection of the tissues supporting the teeth. There are two main forms of gum disease: gingivitis and periodontal disease.
What is gingivitis?
Gingivitis means inflammation of the gums. This is when the gums around the teeth become very red and swollen. Often the swollen gums bleed when they are brushed during cleaning
Pediatric Dental Treatments
Topical Fluoride — Fluoride incorporates into the enamel of teeth, making it harder and more resistant to decay. Although there is a small amount of fluoride in toothpastes and in some drinking water supplies, we can apply a higher concentration onto your child's teeth for maximum protection (Watch Preventing Cavities in Kids Video).
Dental Sealants — We can apply a plastic coating that prevents cavities by sealing the little grooves on the chewing surfaces of back teeth known as “pits and fissures.” These little crevices become the perfect environments for decay-causing bacteria. Immature tooth enamel is more permeable and therefore less resistant to tooth decay. Dental sealants are easy to apply and provide years of protection (Watch Dental Sealant Video).
Root Canal Treatment — Perhaps you have had a root canal treatment yourself, to save an injured or severely decayed tooth. Well, sometimes children need root canals, too. As mentioned above, baby teeth are important guides to the permanent teeth that are already forming beneath your child's gums. Therefore, saving them from premature loss can help prevent a malocclusion (“mal” – bad; “occlusion” – bite) that requires orthodontic treatment.