Common Dental Procedures
Regular Exams and Cleanings
Regular dental exams and cleanings are extremely important in maintaining a healthy oral life. Each regular exam includes:
- checking for cavities or decay
- inspecting your teeth and gums for gingivitis and signs of periodontal disease
It is very important to visit our office every six months which gives you the chance to talk to the doctor about any questions you may have about your oral health. Regular exams and cleanings are offered by appointment only, so please contact our practice today to schedule your appointment with us.
Bonding
In today’s time, many offices use the bonding technique to repair slightly chipped, discolored, or crooked teeth with composite filling rather than the old traditional amalgam “silver” filling. The composite filling comes in a variety of tooth-colored shades and matches the appearance of your natural teeth.
Bridges
A bridge may be used to replace missing teeth, help maintain the shape of your face, and alleviate stress on your bite.
Bridges done at our office are beneficial to anyone that has at least two adjacent teeth with missing teeth in the middle. Bridges replace the missing tooth with an artificial tooth and bridges the other adjacent teeth together to maintain an esthetically pleasing smile. Success in bridges can last as long as your general oral health is well maintained.
Crowns
Crowns are useful for protect your natural tooth structure or improve the tooth shape. Crowns can protect teeth that are broken, worn down, decayed, or root cannel treated. Onlays are partial crowns that cover part of the tooth structure that’s damaged. They are created in a lab form your own tooth impression.
Dentures
Dentures are removable replacement teeth that looks natural within your mouth. There are two types of dentures: full and partial. Full dentures are for edentulous (no teeth) patients. Partial dentures are attached to a frame that is connected to your natural teeth.
Extractions
Extractions are removal of a tooth from your oral cavity. Extractions may be performed on the day of a regular checkup or may have to reschedule another visit for the procedure. During the extraction procedure the dentist must expand the socket of the tooth from the ligament that’s holding the tooth in place and than extract “pull out” the tooth. Some ways extractions may be caused due to a baby tooth may prevent a path of a permanent tooth to erupt, problems with wisdom teeth, orthodontic corrections, and major decay on or around the tooth.
Fillings
The tooth fillings may include medal, porcelain, or composite. In today’s dental world composite are more frequently used because it is more like your natural tooth. The composite is a direct filling placed into a prepared cavity. Indirect filling such as inlays is fabricated with ceramics or composites in lab.
Fluoride
Fluoride treatment is an effective way in preventing cavities and tooth decay in children. This treatment can be done in a few minutes. After this fluoride treatment the child must not eat, drink, or rinse for 30 minutes to allow the teeth to absorb the fluoride.
Implant Restoration
It is very important to replace a missing tooth. If you do nothing, chewing and eating can be a problem; teeth may shift, and even cause your face to look older. When replacing missing teeth, Implant is an effective natural looking way to restore that missing area. If maintained properly this implant restoration can last a lifetime. Implants are made to look exactly like a natural tooth and is made of metal and porcelain. It’s composed of two main parts: one part is the titanium implant body that takes the place of the missing root, and the second part is the tooth-colored crown that is cemented on top of the implant.
Mouthguards
If you participate in any kind of full-contact sport, the American Dental Association recommends that you wear a mouthguard. Mouthguards help protect your teeth and gums from any injury that may occur.
Nightguards
Nightguards are an easy way to prevent the wear and damage caused by teeth-grinding. Knowing the term “Bruxism” is very important. This term means waking up with jaw pain, earaches, or headaches, and/or you find yourself grinding or clenching your teeth too hard. Many people don’t notice they grind their teeth but it tends to occur most when one is sleeping. Nightguards is a noninvasive treatment that can correct the bruxism. The dentist will create a custom nightguard made from soft material to fit only your teeth.
Root Canals
Root canal treatment is a special dental procedure that can save a tooth instead of having the tooth extracted. When a tooth is cracked, or has a deep cavity, bacteria enters the pulp tissue and germs will cause an infection inside the tooth. This treatment can removed the affected tissue, clean and seal the interior of the tooth. A crown may be suggested to cover the root canal treated tooth to prevent crack. Once the procedure is done and you continue to take good care of your teeth your root canal treated tooth can last a lifetime.
Sealants
Sealants give your teeth extra protection against decay and help prevent cavities. Sometimes it is difficult to brush those hard to reach small pits and grooves on your teeth so this procedure will help. Dental sealants are plastic resins that bond and harden in the deep grooves on your tooth’s surface. When a tooth is sealed, the small pits and grooves become smooth and are less likely to harbor plaque. Sealants are typically used on children’s permanent teeth once they have erupted. However, some adults can use sealants on their healthy permanent teeth.
Veneers
Veneers are a perfect option for patients wanting to make adjustments to the gaps, chips, stains, or misshapen teeth. These veneers are made of thin tooth colored materials and designed to cover the front side of your teeth. The dentist may need to conservatively prepare your tooth and prepare an impression of your natural tooth for the dental lab to create your veneers.
Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth are the molars found all the way in the very back of your mouth. Wisdom teeth may be impacted (failure to erupt), partially impacted (halfway erupted) and may be fully erupted. These teeth are very difficult to clean and may cause some tooth decay, swelling, pain or even gum disease. In such cases, these wisdom teeth may need to be extracted
