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DENTAL Care MENU
SMILE Maintenance
DENTAL Hygiene
In a typical dental hygiene appointment, you can expect these procedures to be performed: An update of the medical and dental history, periodic x-rays, a light therapy treatment (if desired) scaling and polishing of the teeth, oral cancer screening, dental examination, periodontal examination, and review of home care.
Why do you need it? Plaque and calculus (tartar) that sits on the teeth provides an environment that allows bacteria to thrive and multiply, leading to gingivitis, a condition that causes the gums to bleed and become red and inflamed. Gingivitis is easily treated by having the hygienist scale and polish the teeth. If gingivitis is left untreated, the plaque on the teeth hardens into tartar and progresses down the roots of the teeth. When this occurs, the bone, which is the supports for the teeth, starts to deteriorate. Left untreated, periodontal disease can result in loss of teeth. It is a common, and sometimes silent condition in many adults.
How is it done? Treatment for periodontal disease involves scaling and root planing, which is designed to remove the toxins and bacteria from the root surfaces of the teeth, thereby allowing the body's immune system to begin the healing process. Calculus will be removed from the root surface which is then planed smooth so that the gum tissue can heal and reattach to the root surface. The procedure can be done in conjunction with another Laser procedure, which removes and infected tissue from the periodontal pocket.
What’s the aftercare like? After being treated for periodontal disease, a standard cleaning and checkup recall is no longer appropriate. While a standard cleaning addresses scaling and polishing above the gum line, a person who has experienced periodontal disease requires meticulous below the gum line maintenance at more frequent intervals, usually every 3-4 months.
How does it affect my overall health? Periodontal disease has a significant negative impact on the overall health of the body, especially in people whose health is compromised by heart disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and osteoporosis. Increased risk of stroke and pre-term birth weight babies is also attributed to periodontal disease. By treating the disease with scaling and root planing you can be sure your overall health will improve!
Our LBR procedure is not something you’ll find many offices offering, but our patients RAVE about it! This laser light therapy is performed in conjunction with your regular hygiene visit and helps to reduce inflammation and bleeding, improve gum health overall, reduce tooth sensitivity both during and after the cleaning, and it’s COMPLETELY PAINLESS! It takes about 5 minutes to perform, and patients notice a huge difference immediately.
prevention
Many people are afflicted with grinding or clenching. Some people may do this consciously during the day, but it is a larger problem at night while you are asleep. Grinding/clenching your teeth can damage enamel, wear down teeth, cause jaw pain, or irritate your gums.
Nightguards help prevent this damage by creating a barrier between your teeth. All night guards are custom fitted for comfort. We take a 3D digital scan of your teeth and have the night guard created by a dental lab. Night guards are very durable and can be used for up to 10 years.
Mouth guards are an essential piece of equipment in contact sports. They should be worn by athletes of all ages who participate in sports such aFootball, Hockey, Lacrosse, Wrestling, Basketball, Baseball/Softball, Soccer or any sport where contact is a possibility.
Wearing a mouth guard helps prevent against structural damage to your teeth and jaw. Mouth guards have also been shown to help decrease the risk of concussions.
Unlike an OTC mouthguard, a custom mouth guard is created specifically for the optimal protection of YOUR mouth. It is created with thin plastic that is hardened to protect your teeth. The thinness of the custom mouth guard allows for easy breathing and also allows for easy communication.
Sealants are a great way to protect against tooth decay and cavities on your back teeth (molars). These are the teeth that are most vulnerable to cavities and decay because they are used in the chewing process and are the most difficult to reach and clean. Molars first come in at around 5-7 years of age, with a second set coming in between the ages of 11-14. It is best to have a sealant placed when the molars first come in to ensure they are protected early.
Flouride Varnish helps prevent tooth decay. It is usually applied every 6 months for children between the ages of 3-14 and can also be applied on adults that are at higher risk for tooth decay. Flouride varnish can also help reduce tooth sensitivity caused by gum recession.
In our office we fabricate Clear Retainers that resemble and Invisalign aligner. Wearing a retainer every night helps ensure that your teeth don’t shift and keeps them in an optimal healthy position.
SMILE Repair
RESTORATIVE
If you have tooth decay, we use white colored fillings to repair the tooth and bring back the natural appearance and structure of the tooth.
If your tooth is decayed or seems weakened and/or fractured, a crown may be necessary to make sure that there are no additional problems with the tooth. To maintain the natural look and feel of your teeth we match the shade of the crown to your other teeth so that it will blend in and appear to be one of your own natural teeth.
The process of fabricating a crown takes 2 visits. On the first visit the tooth will be reshaped by filing down the enamel so that the crown can be placed over it. Once the tooth has been reshaped, a scan will be taken of that tooth and the surrounding teeth and sent to a dental lab so that your new crown can be fabricated. Before leaving, your dentist will place a temporary crown on the tooth until your permanent crown is ready.
The crown takes about 2-3 weeks to be returned to your dentist. At this time you will have another appointment to cement the permanent crown. Crowns are durable and will usually last about 10-15 years. You should care for it as you would any of your other teeth with regular brushing and flossing. Call us today if you would like to learn more about how crowns can help restore your smile.
Dental bridges are a great way to replace missing teeth. The bridge consists of two crowns on the teeth on either side of the missing tooth and a pontic, which is the new tooth that replaces your missing tooth.
We will fit you with a temporary bridge while we wait for the lab to craft your permanent bridge. When the permanent bridge has been created, you will have a follow up visit to insert the bridge about 3 weeks later.
Dentures are a replacement for missing teeth that can be removed and put back into your mouth as you please. Depending on each individual patient case, they may receive full or partial dentures. Full dentures are used when all of the natural teeth are removed from the mouth and replaced with a full set of dentures. Partial dentures are another option when not all of your teeth need to be removed. This is similar to a bridge, but it is not a permanent fixture in your mouth.
Dental implants are a permanent and appealing solution to replace missing or extracted teeth. They are better than other alternatives like bridges because no additional teeth need to be altered to place the new tooth. The entire implant process is performed over the course of a few months. The first part of the process is to place the implant itself. This is typically done by either a periodontist or an oral surgeon, which we can refer you to. The implant must be allowed about 2-4 months to heal, and during this time the jawbone will form around the implant in a process called osseointegration.
After the implant has healed our office can schedule you to have the crown made. This process consists of two appointments, the first where we take an impression, and the second where we insert the crown.
SURGERY
We do simple extractions in our office and refer complex extractions and wisdom teeth extractions to one of our amazing local oral surgeons.
When removing a tooth, it is important to consider what will be done with the empty space after that tooth is removed. If you want to fill the space with a dental implant, a sturdy jawbone is necessary to place the implant. If you opt for a dental bridge, the bridge must be molded and placed before the teeth shift.
SMILE Transformation
Veneers are an excellent way to redesign and reshape your smile. Veneers are a very thin ceramic shell that covers your existing tooth structure. In placing these new veneers on your teeth, you are able to address issues such as staining, cracked teeth, spaces, misaligned teeth, and chipped teeth.
Placing veneers is a process that takes approximately two to three visits. In the first visit, the new shape and look of your teeth will be discussed. Once we have put a plan in place, we will carefully prepare the teeth for the placement of the new veneers and a scan will be taken. While the new veneers are being fabricated at the lab, we will provide you with a beautiful set of temporary veneers.
As the veneers are finalized, we will make every effort to ensure that your new veneers feel just like your natural teeth. We will bond them into place ensuring that you can enjoy your new smile for a very long time!
Composite veneers are a popular treatment to enhance the aesthetics of your smile. Similar to porcelain veneers, composite veneers can be used to correct shape, color, and position of the teeth, and also cracks or gaps in teeth. The difference is that the teeth generally don’t need to be prepared or “shaved down” in order to do this procedure.
A color stable white filling material is used on the affected tooth or teeth. It is molded and sculpted over an adhesive gel that is placed on the tooth. After the filling material has been applied, an LED light is used to harden it. It is then polished to give you a fresh, new smile.
With the advancements in dental technology, composite veneers usually last for over 10 years. They are a safe and attractive solution for many dental problems.
Teeth whitening is an excellent way to restore the natural color of your teeth or even make them whiter than your natural color if you would like. At our office we have multiple different whitening options to choose from!
We have two in-office whitening systems in our office:
- The first system is called GLO. This procedure is typically about 1 hour, during which we are typically able to whiten your teeth about 5-8 shades! This option comes with our Glo at home whitening kit as well so that you can touch up or continue whitening on your own.
- The second system is called SMYLE. This procedure takes only 30 Minutes and is awesome for patients who are nervous about sensitivity. We usually see a change of 3-5 shades with this procedure and it comes with some “Maintenance Pens” to helps your results last longer!
We have three at-home options for our patients as well:
- For patients that know they will be diligent on their own, we typically recommend our Glo at home whitening system, which is also great for patients with sensitive teeth! This system provides up to 10 days of whitening and we also have refill packs available in the office if you need more gel!
- A second option is our Custom Whitening trays. This option is awesome for patients that want to whiten just one arch or specific teeth. We first take an impression of your teeth to fabricate custom whitening trays. These trays are specifically fitted to your teeth and designed with a well for the whitening gel to be placed in without overflowing onto the gum tissue. The whitening process takes between a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on both the starting natural shade of your teeth and the desired brightness you would like to achieve.
- Finally, we offer Opalescence Go professional strength whitening strips for those patients that want an inexpensive option to whiten before an upcoming event, or just want to touch up their smile. These are similar to Crest White strips, but the gel is about 3x stronger!
For all whitening options, it is very important to DISCONTINUE use of any sensitivity toothpaste for AT LEAST 2 weeks prior to the treatment, as it will significantly decrease the results.
Please contact us today to see if you are a candidate whitening and if you have questions on which type might be best for you!
Invisalign is a new system of straightening teeth without the use of conventional braces. A series of clear plastic aligners are utilized to create tooth movement. Moving teeth with removable aligners is not new. However, the computer program, which can generate a series of aligners with small changes is the new part. Invisalign is recommended for orthodontic situations with mild to moderate spacing or crowding. They are virtually undetectable, easy to use and comfortable to wear.
Our gum lift procedure is a quick and painless way to correct a gummy smile! We use our laser with a little numbing to reshape the gum tissue and make the teeth appear larger! Healing takes 3-5 days and the gums will stay at their new height permanently.
Our amazing new Icon White Spot removal treatment quickly and conservatively removes white spots or calcium deposits from your front teeth. In just 30-40 minutes a gel is used to painlessly remove the spots and a clear resin material is used to fill in the area of tooth structure removed. No numbing or drilling needed!
OUR Technology
We added laser technology to our office this year and the response has been AMAZING. I was literally blown away by how much our patients love it. We use the laser light in a therapy called LBR (see Smile Maintenance) during regular hygiene visits to help reduce inflammation and kill bacteria hiding below the gumline. We also use the same laser in a different way to do our Smile Design Gum Lifts (See Smile Transformations).
We don’t use outdated film x-rays at our office. With digital x-rays the dose of radiation to the patient is a fraction of what it used to be, and the image comes up on the computer in just a second. We have digital imaging capability in all our treatment rooms!
We recently purchased an Intra-oral Camera to help our patients see what we see. We use this during any oral exam to show patients areas of their mouth that may need attention and to help educate our patients on ways to improve their oral health.
This is the newest addition to our practice! The ONSET buffering system allows for a more pain-free injection, creates a faster working anesthetic, and works really well for patients that are particularly difficult to numb! It does this by raising the pH of the anesthetic from an acidic pH to a neutral pH before it is even injected. The body no longer needs to do the work of neutralizing it before it can go to work!
This is probably our most-loved piece of technology. Our intraoral scanner creates a 3D digital model of your mouth with a series of photographs taken at a speed of hundreds of images per second. The 3D color image of your teeth can be enlarged and moved around to see all aspects of the teeth. We use this to fabricate crowns, bridges, aligners, retainers, and nightguards. We love it for Invisalign because it actually allows our patients to see a simulated before and after of their smile as well!
RESULTS To
Smile ABOUT
Take a moment to look through our smile gallery of our actual patients and imagine the possibilities when it comes to your own smile!
Invisalign Treatment (20 Weeks)
Whitening + 8 Composite Veneers
Gum Lift + 6 Composite Veneers
2 Composite Veneers + Implant
8 Composite Veneers
8 Composite Veneers and Gum Lift
