Dental Treatments and Services

Click the "+" to learn more about our dental treatments and services:

• Crowns

  A crown is placed to make your tooth stronger and/or improve its appearance. A crown typically takes two visits. In the first visit, the tooth is prepared by slimming it down and removing any weak, undermined, or decayed tooth structure. A temporary crown is seated in place after taking an impression, or mould, of your teeth. On the second visit, the temporary is removed and the permanent crown is put in place.

  Crowns can be made of gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of both. They can cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't enough tooth left. It can be used to attach a bridge, protect a weak tooth from breaking or restore one that's already broken. A crown is a good way to cover teeth that are discolored or badly shaped. It's also used to cover a dental implant.

  Our primary concern, like yours, is helping you keep your teeth healthy and your smile bright -- literally, your crowning glory!

• Veneers

  There's no reason to put up with gaps in your teeth or with teeth that are stained, badly shaped or crooked. Today a veneer placed on top of your teeth can correct nature's mistake or the results of an injury and help you have a beautiful smile.

  Veneers are thin, custom-made shells crafted of tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front side of teeth. They're made by a dental technician, usually in a dental lab, working from a model provided by in impression, or mould, taken at the office.

  You should know that this is usually an irreversible process, because it's necessary to remove a small amount of enamel from your teeth to accommodate the shell. With proper care and regular checkups, veneers can last a lifetime. Just like natural teeth, sometimes a veneer might chip or fracture. Veneers can be a very satisfying and conservative way to brighten your smile!

• Bridges

  If you're missing one or more teeth, you may notice a difference in chewing and speaking. There are options to help restore your smile.

  Bridges help maintain the shape of your face, as well as alleviating the stress in your bite by replacing missing teeth.

  Sometimes called a fixed partial denture, a bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth, looks great, and literally bridges the gap where one or more teeth may have been. The restoration can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials and is bonded onto surrounding teeth for support.

  Unlike a removable bridge, which you can take out and clean, a fixed bridge can only be removed by a dentist.

  An implant bridge attaches artificial teeth directly to the jaw or under the gum tissue. The long-term success of a bridge depends on its foundation. So it's very important to keep your remaining teeth healthy and strong.

• Root Canal

  Once upon a time, if you had a tooth with a diseased nerve, you'd probably lose that tooth. Today, with a special dental procedure called a root canal therapy you may save that tooth. Inside each tooth is the pulp which provides nutrients and nerves to the tooth, it runs like a thread down through the root. When the pulp is diseased or injured, the pulp tissue dies. If you don't remove it, your tooth gets infected and you could lose it. After removing the pulp, the root canal is cleaned and sealed off to protect it. Then a crown is placed over the tooth to help make it stronger.

  Most of the time, a root canal is a relatively simple procedure with little or no discomfort involving one to three visits. Root canals have developed a much worse reputation than they deserve these days. The newest techniques make the speed and comfort of a root canal comparable to a filling! Best of all, it can save your tooth and your smile! Your restored tooth could last a lifetime, if you continue to care for your teeth and gums. However, regular checkups are necessary. As long as the root(s) of a treated tooth are nourished by the tissues around it, your tooth will remain healthy.

• Composite Fillings

  Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-colored filling. They are sometimes referred to as composites or filled resins. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the tooth is prepared, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Composites can also be "bonded" or adhesively held in a cavity, often allowing us to make a more conservative repair to the tooth.

  The cost is moderate and depends on the size of the filling and the technique used to place it in the prepared tooth. It generally takes longer to place a composite filling than what is required for an amalgam filling. Composite fillings require a cavity that can be kept clean and dry during filling and they are subject to stain and discoloration over time.

• Tooth Extraction

  Although permanent teeth can last a lifetime, teeth that have become damaged or decayed may need to be removed or extracted. Other causes of tooth loss could be from periodontal disease, trauma, or radiation treatment. Most of the time these teeth can be removed painlessly in the office using local anesthetic. There is a misconception that this procedure will hurt, however with the latest techniques there should be no pain felt during the procedure at all.

• Whitening

  There are several types of products available for use at home, which can either be dispensed at our office or purchased over-the-counter. A common myth is that bleaching actually weakens the tooth, however there is no good research or evidence that this is true.

  Bleaching solutions contain a form of peroxide, which has been used as a oral cleanser for generations. Bleaching solutions. These products contain peroxide(s), which actually bleach the tooth enamel. These products typically rely on percent carbamide peroxide as the bleaching agent, carbamide peroxide comes in several different concentrations (10%, 16%, 22%).

  Peroxide-containing whiteners typically come in a gel and are placed in a mouthguard. Usage regimens vary. Some products are used for about twice a day for 2 weeks, and others are intended for overnight use for 1-2 weeks. If you obtain the bleaching solution from your dentist, he or she can make a custom-fitted mouthguard for you that will fit your teeth precisely. Currently, only dentist-dispensed home-use 10% carbamide peroxide tray-applied gels carry the ADA Seal.

  You also may want to ask should any side effects become bothersome. For example, teeth can become sensitive during the period when you are using the bleaching solution. In many cases, this sensitivity is temporary and should lessen once the treatment is finished. Some people also experience soft tissue irritation—either from a tray that doesn't fit properly or from solution that may come in contact with the tissues. If you have concerns about such side effects, please let us know.

  Toothpastes - All toothpastes help remove surface stain through the action of mild abrasives. "Whitening" toothpastes in the ADA Seal of Acceptance program have special chemical or polishing agents that provide additional stain removal effectiveness. Unlike bleaches, these ADA Accepted products do not alter the intrinsic color of teeth. When selecting a whitener or any dental product, be sure to look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance—your assurance that they have met ADA standards of safety and effectiveness.

• Implants

  Crowns and conventional bridges or dentures may not be your only options when replacing missing teeth. For some people, dental implants offer a smile that looks and feels very natural. Surgically placed below the gums over a series of appointments, implants fuse to the jawbone and serve as a base for individual replacement teeth, bridges or a denture.

  Implants offer stability because they fuse to your bone. Integration of the implants into your jaw also helps your replacement teeth feel more natural and some people also find the secure fit more comfortable than conventional substitutes.

  Candidates for dental implants need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant. A thorough evaluation will help determine whether you are a good candidate for dental implants.

• Xrays

  Dental radiographs, or X-rays, are for your benefit. They can make the difference between good dentistry and blind dentistry! Not only are they necessary for proper diagnosis of the conditions in your mouth and teeth, but they can verify the quality of the work we did and guarantee form, function, and aesthetics. Prevention and verification ultimately save you time, money, and discomfort by finding and solving simple problems before they turn into complex disasters. We use the most modern, safe, digital equipment.

• Safety concerns with X-rays

  We are bombarded with radiation constantly throughout our day. The sun’s radiation affects us silently throughout the day. The higher elevation we live in, the more exposure we get. A flight in an airplane across the USA actually exposes us to 2.4 times more radiation than we would normally receive in a day, although even this dose is very small. Naturally occuring radiation in the earth such as radon gas also doses us daily. Four digital xrays is about equal to the amount of natural radiation we get in a typical day, which is also about twelve times less than a chest x-ray, and eighty-five times less than a mammogram.

  Here is an interesting comparison of what each dose is equal to in days or years.

  • Airport Scanner: 0.024 days
  • Transcontinental flight: 2.4 days
  • Television, Cell Phone: 0.03 days
  • Single X-Ray: 0.25 days
  • 4 Bitewing: ~1 days
  • Panoramic X-Ray: 2.3 days
  • Full Mouth X-Rays/FMX 18 (digital): 5.5 days
  • Medical Chest X-Ray: 12.2 days
  • Medical Mammogram: 85.4 days
  • Medical Abdominal CT Scan: 3.3 years Dose required to cause radiation sickness: 334 years
  • Dose required to cause death: 2003-2671 years