DENTAL CLEANINGS AND CONTINUING CARE

We recommend that every member of your family visit the dentist at least twice a year for exams and continuing care with the dental hygienist. These regular visits help reduce incidences of gum disease and tooth decay, which are common oral health problems that can be hard to avoid with brushing and flossing alone.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE TREATMENT

Periodontal diseases are infections of the gums. If allowed to progress without treatment, they gradually destroy the support of your natural teeth. Dental plaque is the primary cause of gum disease. Bacteria found in plaque produce toxins or poisons, which irritate the gums. When your gums become unhealthy, they can either recede or become swollen and red. In later stages, the supporting bone is destroyed and your teeth may shift, loosen, or fall out. These changes affect the appearance of your smile as well as your ability to chew and speak.

We pride ourselves on being very conservative in our treatment recommendations, limiting surgery to the areas where it is absolutely necessary. Many times, the early stages of periodontal disease are best treated with non-surgical periodontal therapy. Even in severe cases, surgical therapy is often preceded by nonsurgical periodontal therapy. This is done to improve the overall tissue quality prior to surgery and also to help limit the areas requiring surgery.

SEDATION WITH NITROUS OXIDE

Do you ever feel nervous about visiting the dentist? Does your upcoming treatment make you feel anxious? If so, you may benefit from nitrous oxide sedation at our office. Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a gas that you inhale through a nose mask during your treatment. As you breathe in the nitrous oxide, which is mixed with oxygen, you will experience a relaxed, euphoric sensation. Nitrous oxide can help you feel calm and at ease throughout your treatment. Nitrous oxide sedation is very safe; the effects will wear off within just a few minutes after we remove your nose mask.

FIXED BRIDGES

Missing teeth can lower confidence, but they can also contribute to other dental problems. If missing teeth are not replaced, remaining teeth shift and bone loss may occur. Patients with missing teeth have many options; there’s no reason to just live with the gaps.

A fixed bridge (non-removable) can be an ideal option for replacing missing teeth, literally bridging the gap where one or more teeth are missing. Usually made of porcelain (with gold underneath), a fixed bridge is permanently placed between two healthy teeth. Held in place by porcelain crowns, fixed bridges have a beautiful, natural appearance.

CHILDREN’S DENTISTRY

We provide comprehensive children’s dental care in a family-friendly and professional environment. Our team is dedicated to providing the highest quality dental care in the most appropriate way for your child’s age, personality, medical history, and social development.

We are dedicated to the oral health of children from infancy through the teen years, caring for your child’s teeth, gums, and mouth throughout the various stages of childhood. We understand both the child’s needs and the parent’s concerns. Here everyone can relax, feel safe and respected.

SLEEP APNEA

Sleep apnea should be taken seriously. It can affect your personal relationships, overall health, and sense of well-being.

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that causes breathing to stop frequently for 10 to 30 seconds during sleep. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea where the upper airway becomes blocked.

Untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems such as congestive heart failure, increased or decreased heart rates, increased blood pressure, respiratory failure and angina. Besides constant weariness and irritability, sleep apnea can lead to poor memory, depression and acid reflux.

It’s very important for patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea to have routine visits with their family physician or a sleep-disorder clinic for monitoring.

The dental appliance we use for is intended to reduce snoring and apnea events. It is designed to move the lower jaw forward and thus open the airway space, the appliance improves breathing, which in turn reduces snoring and sleep apnea.

ENDODONTIC TREATMENT

The hollow space inside a tooth contains soft tissue called the dental pulp. Decay, repeated dental procedures, cracks or trauma to the mouth can cause the pulp to become irritated, inflamed or infected. When this occurs, endodontic treatment is needed. If left untreated, the result can be pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, discoloration of the tooth, swelling, and loss of tooth.

ROOT CANAL

Root Canal Therapy is routinely done in one or two visits. After an examination and x-ray, a diagnosis will be made. If endodontic treatment is necessary, a local anesthetic is then administered. During endodontic treatment, the damaged or infected pulp is removed. After carefully cleaning and shaping the inside of the tooth, this space is then filled and sealed. Following a root canal, a crown or other restoration will be placed to protect and restore it to full function.

APICOECTOMY

When a tooth does not respond to root canal therapy, endodontic surgery may be necessary. This procedure is called an apicoectomy or root-end surgery. After local anesthesia, a small incision is made in the gum near the tooth and removes inflamed or infected tissue surrounding the root. The tip of the root is also removed and a small filling is placed to seal off the canal.

Why Lumineers? They are the only veneers that can be applied without drilling or the loss of tooth enamel. That means that most patients experience no discomfort, and that means … no needles.

Since your smile transformation can take only one or two dental visits, Lumineers are a wonderful option for people who want a beautiful smile, but are a little anxious about dental visits, or who have a too-busy schedule for multiple appointments.

Could Lumineers be for you? We’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Full mouth rehabilitation may be necessary due to an accident, illness, birth defect, or perhaps years of neglect. With today’s advancements in technology, techniques and materials, we are able restore most patients to optimal dental health while providing them with a beautiful and functional smile.

The treatments can include crowns, bridges, porcelain veneers, root canals, dental implants and/or dentures that will essentially provide not only a “smile makeover”, but improved chewing efficiency for the patient.

PORCELAIN VENEERS AND LUMINEERS

Are your teeth discolored, chipped or uneven? You don’t have to hide your smile any longer! If you want a beautiful, natural smile, porcelain veneers may be the solution for you.

Porcelain veneers can truly transform your smile by camouflaging flaws like discoloration, chips, gaps between your teeth, an uneven gum line or irregular teeth lengths. Veneers can sometimes replace braces by instantly straightening the appearance of your teeth. We’re proud that we can now offer Lumineers™ by Cerinate®

Why Lumineers? They are the only veneers that can be applied without drilling or the loss of tooth enamel. That means that most patients experience no discomfort, and that means … no needles.

Since your smile transformation can take only one or two dental visits, Lumineers are a wonderful option for people who want a beautiful smile, but are a little anxious about dental visits, or who have a too-busy schedule for multiple appointments.

Could Lumineers be for you? We’ll be happy to answer your questions.

PORCELAIN CROWNS

Crowns look and function just like natural teeth. A crown may be recommended if your tooth has enough decay that it cannot hold a filling, or if your tooth is cracked or broken and in danger of fracturing into the root if left unattended. Placing a crown on a compromised tooth will restore its strength, and prevent unnecessary tooth loss and/or expense. A crown covers your tooth completely and fits snugly at the gum to protect what remains of the natural tooth.

Crowns restore the appearance of your teeth, and also help stabilize your facial structure. Being the same size and shape as the natural tooth, they keep your jaw and bite aligned. This helps ensure that other teeth don’t shift locations or take on a greater share of the work of biting and chewing.

TOOTH-COLORED BONDING AND FILLINGS

Bonding refers to tooth-colored restorative material that can be used to treat teeth in many different ways. The bonding material is a resin that strongly adheres to tooth structure and comes in many different shades to match the tooth. Modern bonding materials are long-lasting and blend in so well that they can hardly be detected.

A bonded filling also requires the removal of less tooth structure. Bonding can be used to repair fractured front teeth or in cases where cosmetic improvement is desired. The entire bonding procedure can usually be accomplished in one appointment and in some instances without using any anesthetic.

TEETH WHITENING

How about a safe, simple way that can give you dramatically whiter teeth? With age and/or consumption of staining substances such as coffee, tea, colas, tobacco, red wine, etc., your teeth may become discolored. There are many products on the market designed to help restore your teeth to their former whiteness. Professional whitening systems, available only in dental offices, provide the most effective and reliable results. We offer a professional home whitening system.

DENTAL IMPLANTS

Embarrassed about missing teeth? Tired of wearing a partial or denture? Dental implants are an ideal and affordable solution.

Dental implants offer a more secure alternative for replacing teeth. You are going to love having implants. They are one of the greatest advances in the history of the dental profession and the success rate has been over 90%. In fact, there is nothing we do that improves the quality of life of our patients more.

Dental implants are pure titanium posts that are placed in the jawbone where the roots of the natural teeth once were. Bone loves titanium and anchors firmly to it. After surgical placement, the implants need to remain undisturbed for a period of time before the final restoration can be completed.

Lower denture patients benefit tremendously at any age. The traditional lower denture tends to float or come out when smiling, talking, laughing, kissing, and especially eating. With implants, the denture is firmly anchored so that the denture no longer slips out. Patients can enjoy eating a variety of foods, and their dentures can still be removed for regular cleaning.

Removable partial denture patients, who are tired of always having something in their mouth, will benefit by placing implants followed by a non-removable prosthesis that will feel and act just like permanent teeth.

Patients with a single missing tooth, who do not like the thought of trimming down good adjacent teeth to place a bridge, will find that an implant, followed by a single crown, is an excellent and conservative approach.