Services

Click on a service below to learn more about it:

Preventative
Digital Radiography (X-Rays)
Periodontics
Teeth Whitening
Cosmetic
Diagnodent
Fillings
Root Canal Treatments
Crowns and Bridges
Oral Cancer Screening
Intraoral camera
Implants
Restoration
Dentures
Bridal

Preventative

Good oral hygiene and a healthy diet prevent the start of dental disease and costly dental treatments. Prevention includes seeing us for regular checkups and cleanings. For children, we provide sealants and fluoride treatments to protect developing teeth. Fluoride comes in two different mechanisms: topically and systemically.

• Topical Fluoride is applied in the office as a varnish or foam and is done on children during their annual checkups. Topical Fluoride is also available in most toothpaste and mouth rinses and we recommend our patients to check the labels to make sure fluoride is an ingredient.
• Systemic Fluoride is available in our drinking water and provides another vehicle to introduce fluoride into children's diet. It is also available in the form of liquid drops or tablets and is sometimes prescribed by the pediatrician if fluoride levels in the drinking water a low or not available. The downside to fluoride is that if too much is introduced into the body when teeth are developing, a condition called Fluorosis occurs on teeth and appears as white spots on teeth.

This added fluoride strengthens teeth and prevents future decay when good oral hygiene is implemented as well.

Digital Radiography

The newest technology provides quicker captures and up to 90% less radiation than traditional analog X-Rays. With digital radiography X-Rays we are able to visualize:

• Tooth decay
• Bones Loss
• Pathology such as cysts and abscesses
• Abnormalities in tooth structure
• Impacted teeth

For new patients, a full mouth set of radiographs will be taken, with follow-up X-Rays annually.

Periodontics

Periodontics means "around the tooth" and what's around the tooth is gingiva (gum tissue) and bone. On a daily basis, everyone has plaque (sticky white film that you scratch off on your tooth), but with brushing and flossing twice a day, the plaque gets removed. However, if plaque doesn't get removed, it sticks to the tooth, bad bacteria begin to grow around it and over time turns into calculus (tartar) which is mineralized and becomes impossible to remove with brushing and flossing. Once calculus develops, gum tissue becomes red, swollen and bleeds as the body tries to fight off this foreign substance. After a while, gum and bone shrink away from the tooth and cause recession (bone loss), where teeth begin to get loose. Patients also begin to notice a persistent bad breath and spaces between teeth.

• Most adults have gum disease due to aging, but with regular checkups and cleanings this can be controlled.
• Periodontal disease can manifest itself through health diseases as well. Diabetes and heart disease can make a patient more prone to gum disease when proper oral hygiene is not established. Pregnancy can also cause swollen and red gums due to the hormones being involved. Dental treatment for pregnant patients is usually held off until the patient delivers, but checkups and cleanings can prevent gum disease.
• Treatment for gum disease includes a deep cleaning followed by using a prescription mouthwash (Peridex) and antibiotics to help remove the bad bacteria that has taken over around the gums. Patients are then placed on a scheduled checkup plan that has them seeing us more than twice a year to monitor the progress of the treatment.

Teeth Whitening

We offer both take-home and in-office teeth whitening treatments. Both are safe and non-invasive and help enhance your beautiful smile.
Tooth staining occurs through many ways and includes:

• Normal staining due to coffee, tea and wine drinking, as well as age
• Fluorosis (from ingestion of too much fluoride during childhood)
• Smoking
• Stain due to medications, such as tetracycline

Bleaching treatments cannot change the color of current fillings or crowns, so those will need to be evaluated prior to beginning treatment. We offer group discounts for special events.

Fillings

We provide only composite (white) fillings at our office. Fillings are used to close cavities once the tooth has been cleaned out of bacteria and diseased tooth structure. Fillings are also used to close small gaps between teeth and may also be placed over teeth as veneers in cosmetic cases.

Root Canal Treatments

Once tooth decay has progressed far beyond the limits of placing a filling and has entered the pulp chamber (root canal space) a root canal treatment will be warranted. A root canal is a step-wise cleaning and shaping of the root canal area with constant irrigation treatments to clean and open the root canal space and eliminate infected tooth structure. This ensures that the entire tooth is irrigated of the bacteria that causes tooth decay and is then filled with Gutta Percha (root canal filling) to seal off bacteria from entering again. Antibiotics are usually prescribed to help get rid of the bacteria faster, especially if an abscess is present. Once root canals are completed, a crown will be necessary to protect the tooth from damage, since most of the tooth structure has been lost to the cavity.

Crowns and Bridges

Crowns are placed when a filling is too big and therefore will not be able to withstand biting forces. Crowns are also placed following root canal treatments to protect the remaining tooth structure from fracturing and for cosmetic cases to beautify your smile. Bridges are used when there are missing teeth and therefore bridge the gap between the teeth by placing crowns on teeth adjacent to the space and placing a pontic (holding tooth) where the space is.

Implants

Implants are an alternative to bridges in replacing gaps between teeth. Patients are referred to a Periodontist (gum specialist) for an implant evaluation to make sure they are appropriate candidates for treatment and have excellent oral hygiene, as well as good bone density, height and width. Implants involve many stages and take a year or longer to complete, especially if there is inadequate bone present at the space, in which the Periodontist will need to place a bone graft into the site to provide additional bone. This may take up to six months for bone to incorporate into the patient's bone tissue. Once the patient is set for implant surgery, the first appointment involves drilling into the bone where the space is and placing the implant. After this surgery, a healing time of 4-6 months will be required to facilitate Osseointegration (bone growth) around the implant. The implant is then uncovered at the next appointment and the patient then returns to us to place the crown over the implant.

Dentures

When multiple spaces exist in a patient's mouth due to tooth loss, dentures may be required to hold the space. We offer metal and non-metal partial dentures and full dentures, which provide extra comfort to patients without losing their natural appearance.

Bridal

We offer free cosmetic consults for the soon-to-be wedded and their wedding party.