General Dental Services

Porcelain crowns

Dental crowns are effective way to improve the appearance of your smile and strengthen week teeth. They cover discolored, badly shaped, not well aligned teeth as well as teeth with space between.

Crown, sometimes called "cap", is tooth cover placed over carefully prepared existing teeth. Crowns repair teeth that cannot be restored with fillings or veneers. However, dental crowns cover the entire surface of the tooth, repair and protect your natural tooth.

Crown serves many reasons. One of the most common is to support a tooth when there is no enough tooth structure left and prevent any further damage or decay.

Other reasons to do a crown:

Tooth that has a root canal treatment.
Broken or cracked tooth.
Worn or chipped tooth.
Fractured or tooth with large fillings.

Crowns are made from superior materials such as porcelain, gold or a combination of these materials. When complete, the tooth is stronger and looks and feels natural

Dental bridge

Dental bridge is a long term solution that will restore lost tooth or teeth, support remaining teeth and maintain your normal chewing. When a tooth is lost, ignoring the space it leaves can cause serious problems. When one tooth is missing others can shift, decay and bone loss may occur, affecting your appearance and jaw movement.

Bridge is a custom made restoration that replaces one or more missing teeth and permanently anchored to neighboring teeth. Dental bridge

The bridge is a small prosthesis made from metal covered with porcelain. It includes an artificial tooth that replaces the missing one and crowns that are fitted over the adjacent existing teeth on either side of the gap to hold the artificial tooth in place.

The procedure takes two appointments.

First visit: We will shape the abutment teeth and take an impression of the area. This impression goes to our lab where your new restoration is crafted. While this new tooth is fabricated, we will provide you with a temporary restoration that will resemble your natural teeth so that you can continue eat and smile.

Second visit: The Bridge will be fitted and cemented. Some adjustments may be made to ensure that the new bridge feels exactly like your natural teeth.

Benefits of bridge treatment:

Restores bite and chewing
Improves your smile and speech
Prevents shifting and tilting of adjacent teeth
Distributes pressure between the teeth
Keeps opposing teeth in their proper place
Prevents further dental decay and bone loss

Dental Implants are permanently and fully replace missing tooth or teeth. Implants allow us more conservative, not shaving adjacent teeth, approach. They are also great anchor for complete or partial denture when more stability is needed.

Implants are titanium "tooth roots" that are planted in the bone. Once the process of healing is completed, usually between three to five months, crown portion can be attached. Results are great - incredible esthetic, healthy smile, comfort, good chewing ability. With proper oral hygiene implants can last lifetime.

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Partial dentures and complete dentures

Replacing your missing teeth improves chewing and speaking function. New teeth are designed to better support cheeks and lips, which in addition creates more youthful appearance and smile. Denture fabrication takes few appointment and impressions. On the first visit we design your denture taking in consideration esthetic and function. Then we find and record the most comfortable path of closing your jaw. Adaptation to the new teeth varies from person to person. Dentures aren't what they used to be. Today's techniques and materials allows for more comfortable fit and natural appearance.

Root canal treatment

If you have been told that you need a "root canal", that's not a bed news. This only means that your tooth can be saved.

Why is root canal necessary?

Root canal therapy is necessary when the nerve inside the tooth becomes damaged or infected. This is usually due to harmful bacteria that causes infection in the tooth and sometimes the surrounding bone

Bacteria can enter the nerve in the center of the tooth from:

Large cavity or filling that involves or is close to the nerve.
Trauma that disconnected the blood supply to the tooth and caused necrosis (dead tooth).
Severe gum disease.

With modern techniques and anesthetics the procedure is much faster and with less discomfort than there has ever been. First, after anesthesia is placed we carefully clean out the infected nerve under constant irrigation of medication. Than the canal is shaped, enlarged and filling material, called gutta percha, is placed. Sometimes additional medication appointment may be necessary. You may experience mild discomfort that will last for several days after treatment. Taking over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, Advil, Motrin, or Aleve usually relieves this discomfort. After the tenderness goes away the tooth will be fully restored with porcelain crown.

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Gum disease

If you have been told you have periodontal (gum) disease, you're not alone. An estimated 80 percent of American adults currently have some form of the disease and is a major cause of tooth loss in adult.

The bacteria that cause gum disease have been linked to some serious health problems including heart disease, osteoporosis, pregnancy problems (premature and low birth weight babies), poor circulation and diabetes. (http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.top2.htm)

Periodontal diseases range from simple gum inflammation to serious disease that affects your jawbone and its ability to support your teeth. In the worst cases, teeth are lost.

Periodontal (gum) disease is often silent, meaning symptoms may not appear until an advanced stage of the disease.

Warning signs of periodontal disease:

Red, swollen or tender gums
Bleeding gums while brushing, flossing, or eating
Gums that are receding or pulling away from the teeth, causing the teeth to -look longer than before
Tooth sensitivity to hot or cold
Persistent bad breath or taste
Loose or separating teeth
Pus between your gums and teeth
Sores in your mouth
A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
Changes in how a partial denture fits

Talk to us if you have any of these signs or you are concern about the connection between gum disease and your overall health.

Tell us if you have a family member with gum disease. It is often genetic and possible for the bacteria that cause gum disease to be transferred through close contacts.

Retaining your teeth directly dependents on your proper periodontal care and maintenance. Regular check-ups and cleanings every three to six months will stop gum disease and related health problems.

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Night guard

Do you sometimes wake up and feel you can’t open your mouth wide or your jaw is stiff and the muscles hurt? If so, you may be grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw during the night, without being aware of it. This problem is called bruxism and is a pretty common these days.

When you put that pressure and friction on your teeth night after night for months or years, the enamel wears down. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body, but it can still wear away over time, and that leaves your teeth unprotected. As a result, you may notice that they are more sensitive to hot and cold. When the enamel is worn down, the dentin, next layer will show through .The dentin is yellow and that gives a yellow color to your teeth. The dentin is also softer and wears way faster then the enamel which leads to nerve exposure and tooth fractures. When left untreated for long enough, your teeth may be destroyed to the point that you need to remove them.

The chronic grinding or clenching creates muscle tension in the face, head, neck, and shoulders. Patients often complain of headache and migraine. Due to the wearing of the teeth, your bite may collapse, the jaw muscles become inflamed and all this can lead to a condition known as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. Repairing worn or damaged teeth, or replacing them, can require fairly extensive dental work involving dental crowns, bridges, dentures, and dental implants

Solution:

We offer a custom-designed device called Night guard that will be worn at night. Since it’s made from impression of your mouth, this appliance fit perfectly, feel comfortable and will not inter

fere with your good night’s rest. It’s designed to give you relief from the pressure during the grinding and clenching, and protect your teeth from wearing.

We leave extraction (removing the tooth) as your last option after any other has been considered. We will make every effort to ensure your comfort during this procedure and any other performed in the office.

If you have questions or concerns not covered here, please contact us and we will be happy to answer them.

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