Services

A composite filling is a tooth-colored resin material used to restore decayed teeth. Composite or “white filling” materials are also used for cosmetically changing the shape and size of your teeth. Aesthetics are the main advantage of composites and they work by bonding to the tooth structure itself.

A dental implant serves as a tooth root that is surgically placed into your jaw and anchored by your own bone growth to hold a replacement tooth or bridge in place. The benefit of using dental implants is that they don’t rely on adjacent teeth for support and they are permanent and stable. Implants are a good solution to tooth loss because they look and feel like natural teeth.  Implants can take anywhere for 2-12 months to complete depending upon the materials used.

A dental sealant works like a raincoat for a tooth. A thin, clear or white coating covers the surface, sealing up the grooves of your child’s permanent back teeth and sealing out things that cause decay.

Veneers or lumineers are very thin shells of ceramic (porcelain) which are bonded to the front of teeth. This procedure requires little or no anesthesia and can completely enhance your smile. Veneers are placed to mask discolorations, damage, misalignment of teeth and also serve to brighten teeth and improve your smile.  We use veneers to close gaps between the teeth and cosmetically enhance the shape of your teeth.

Dental amalgam (silver filling) is a mixture of mercury, silver, tin and copper. Mercury, makes up about 50 percent of the amalgam and is used to bind the metals together and helps to provide a strong, hard, long lasting filling. Much research has been done and mercury has still been found to be the only element that will bind these metals together such that they can be easily manipulated into a tooth preparation.

A crown is a cover for a tooth that has been weakened by decay or recurrent fillings.  A crown may also be required after a root canal treatment has been performed or when a tooth cracks or breaks.  The most common materials are porcelain, metal alloys and gold. During your first visit, the dentist removes the decay and a small amount of the enamel from the surface of the affected tooth. The tooth is then shaped into the base for the crown to fit over. An impression is made of the tooth so that the crown will be an exact fit. Next, a temporary crown is temporarily cemented over the bare tooth. On your return visit a few weeks later the temporary crown is removed and the permanent crown is cemented to the original tooth. This visit is generally shorter and may not require anesthetic.

If a tooth’s pulp, which contains nerves and blood cells, becomes infected or damaged because of deep decay or an injury, root-canal treatment may be the only way to save the tooth. The procedure cleans out the pulp chamber and repairs the damage. After the affected tooth has been numbed the dentist makes an opening in the tooth to reach the pulp chamber. The pulp is then removed, and the chamber and the root(s) are cleaned out.  Once the root canal system is cleaned out and free of infection, these areas are filled with a rubber-like material. Finally, the tooth is crowned or filled to seal the opening to the pulp chamber.

Dental cleanings in our office are customized to the individual conditions in your mouth.  Our doctors spend time diagnosing what type of cleaning you will need based upon measurements that are taken at your initial comprehensive exam visit.  Our hygienists then reevaluate these measurements at each of your cleanings to monitor any changes.

We perform smile makeovers by addressing your needs and desires and incorporating a variety of techniques to improve upon what can be done to enhance your smile.