Our Services
Comprehensive Exam:
At your first visit to our office, we will perform a comprehensive dental exam. At this appointment, we will be collecting much information about your past dental history, your current state of dental health and ask you about your concerns, and desires. We do this by taking a detailed medical history (forms available from this website) including all medications you are taking. By using digital radiography (which substantially reduces radiation exposure) , we are able to diagnose tooth decay, abscessed teeth, bone loss and periodontal disease, impacted teeth and possible anomalies of the jaws. The doctor will perform an extra oral and intra-oral dental exam which includes a cancer detection exam. We will then create a digital chart of your mouth .We also use an intra-oral camera to photograph and show the patient existing conditions in the mouth. You will be very educated about your dental health after this appointment and for the first time, have a crystal clear picture of what your needs are today as well as 10, 20 or more years down the road.
Emergency Visits:
We offer emergency appointments to patients in pain, whether you have been to our office before or not.
Hygiene Therapy:
Each patient’s dental hygiene needs are evaluated by the dentist and hygienist. Probing measurements are taken on all patients to measure bone levels or periodontal disease. Since periondontal disease (or gum disease) is rarely painful or symptomatic, patients are usually unaware of destructive bone loss under the gums. Root planning (or scaling) with or without local anesthetic may be indicated in areas of heavy tartar buildup. Plaque, bleeding and Inflammation or gingivitis is also recorded and this information is used as a baseline to plot your progress in future hygiene visits in a digital perio chart. An oral cancer screen, Topical fluoride treatments and Oral Hygiene Instruction is offered to all patients and reiterated to our child patients at each visit.
Conscious Sedation:
Many patients have varying degrees of dental anxiety and that is common and understood. Some may have had bad dental experiences in the past,some fear the loss of control, fear of pain and sometimes it is just fear of the unknown. Modern dentistry offers a much more comforting solution for patients with this anxiety. Conscious sedation is offered at our office as two alternatives. Oral conscious sedation is the administration of a sedative drug to be taken by mouth before your dental procedure. The patient is not able to be alone for the next 24 hours and transportation from the office must be arranged. This is most effective in the management of mild to moderate degrees of dental anxiety. Although the patient is not unconscious, oral sedation will induce a state of relaxation and sleepiness, yet the patient is able to talk and communicate with the dentist. Very little of the procedure will be remembered the following day. This form of sedation is often recommended for adults for multiple extractions including wisdom teeth surgery. Inhalation conscious sedation is very popular with children and allows us to perform many dental procedures, sometimes without anesthetic on children (or adults). Nitrous oxide is most effective with mild to moderate degrees of dental anxiety. Sometimes it is recommended on young children to help them to become less focused on the procedure, so they may enjoy some cartoons and therefore not develop a negative reference of the dental office. It also helps patients relax and feel good. Nitrous oxide also has a mild analgesic (numbing) effect which means that most often, the patient does not feel the needle at all. Another benefit of nitrous oxide is that the patient recovers promptly and is permitted to leave the dental office unescorted and perform normal activities immediately.
Restorations:
We do not use silver amalgam fillings in our office as we feel there are superior materials available. Larger silver fillings tend to expand and cause cracks in healthy tooth structure. We offer bonded composite resin (white) fillings as well as porcelain inlays. For teeth that need more support than a filling can offer, crowns ( or “caps”)of porcelain or gold are available to cover the outer tooth surface on all sides for superior strength and longevity.
Cosmetic Dentistry:
For aesthetic “makeovers”, we offer porcelain crowns and veneers which can improve the color, shape, size and position of anterior teeth. For teeth that are worn down, discolored, uneven, cracked or spaced, porcelain veneers offer a strong beautiful result while preserving your own teeth underneath. Veneers are very thin facings of porcelain (0.2-0.7 mm thick) that are bonded on to your own teeth permanently for a beautiful result. Models of your teeth as well as photos are taken so that we may discuss with you in detail the smile you would like designed for yourself. Consultation appointments are available for patients who wish to seek advice or a second opinion about cosmetic solutions for their smile.
Tooth Whitening:
We offer at-home whitening kits to patients who wish to brighten their smiles. We will make you custom-fitting whitening trays (which are very thin and comfortable) to ensure the best results possible. Tooth whitening is completely safe when under the supervision of a dentist. You can choose to whiten your teeth at home while you sleep or for ½ hour intervals during the day.
Tooth Replacement:
Where teeth are missing, titanium dental implants can be permanently placed to act as anchors for crowns, bridges or dentures. Thanks to many technical advances over the past 20 years, dental implants are very successful, easily cared for and feel strong and natural. Implants can be used to replace a single tooth, or placed to secure a denture for a very confident and strong fit. Implants also maintain the strength of the jawbone and help prevent bone loss where teeth have been removed.
Porcelain bridges are also available to replace one or more missing teeth. The healthy teeth on either side of the space are used as abutments and a permanent fixed bridge is cemented on. The bridge is designed to feel and look like natural teeth.
Dentures are removable, unlike implants and bridges. Partial dentures are supported by the remaining teeth with clasps. Immediate complete dentures are also available at our office which means that your dentures are placed at the same appointment as your extractions. As mentioned above, dentures can be supported by implants to secure the denture right to your jaw bone. Every effort is made to design your dentures together with you to give you the most comfortable, natural and aesthetic result.
Root Canal Therapy:
Contrary to popular belief, root canal treatment is not painful. An abscess is painful, which is why this treatment is indicated. Antibiotics may be prescribed first to help the tooth “settle down” and become comfortable. Of course with local anesthetic, the procedure should not be uncomfortable at all. Most root canal procedures can be completed in one appointment. When teeth have abscessed, most teeth can be saved instead of extracted. A root canal procedure is the removal of the tooth’s pulp which consists of blood vessels and nerves. After the diseased pulp is removed, the space is cleaned and filled (which looks white on an x-ray). A crown is most often recommended to strengthen the tooth permanently. It is important to keep all of our teeth to prevent the rest of our teeth from tipping and shifting and over-erupting. Keeping your teeth also preserves the strength of your jaw bone; therefore, saving a tooth with a root canal is better for your long-term dental health.
Extractions:
Dental extractions for patients of all ages are performed at our office including impacted wisdom teeth. The utmost care is taken, as with all dental procedures to ensure that you are comfortable during your appointment. Patients may choose to be sedated for multiple extractions.
Appliances:
Our office can provide custom-made sports guards, snoring appliances and bruxism (or night-grinding) appliances for patients of all ages. A simple impression is required and your appliance can be picked up in a few days.