Services

Exams

Dental exams are important for protecting your oral health. Common oral health problems, such as tooth decay (cavities) and gum disease (periodontal disease), can lead to pain, infection, and tooth loss. Periodic exams will help your dentist to find these problems before they become more serious, painful, expensive to fix, or possibly even not fixable.

X-rays

Dental x-rays are a type of image of the teeth and mouth. They can be either digital or developed on film. X-rays help diagnose disease and injury of the teeth and gums as well as help in planning the appropriate treatment. Dental x-rays can reveal cavities before they are clinically visible, even to the dentist. Many dentists will take x-rays periodically to look for early development of cavities in between the teeth as well as other problems. Radiation from dental x-rays is very low, and should not discourage you from having periodic x-rays taken.

Scaling and Polishing

Hard deposits on your teeth, called tartar or calculus, can build up around and under your gums causing inflammation and an unsightly appearance. Scaling uses special hand instruments to remove these deposits which your brush and floss can't. Polishing uses a soft rubber cup to gently remove stain and plaque from the teeth, leaving them their whitest and smoothest, giving that 'just been to the dentist' clean feeling!

Fillings

Fillings are a common way to treat cavities in your teeth. The dentist will remove the decayed or damaged part of the tooth, and then rebuild it using any of a number of materials. Silver amalgam was commonly used in the past, but composite resins which are white and match the color of your teeth are more commonly used today. 

Crowns

A tooth that is too damaged from decay or breakage to hold a filling may be fixable with a crown. A crown is a ceramic (white) or metal material which is shaped like the outside of your tooth. Your tooth is reduced in size and the crown is cemented onto it. A crown can provide an very high degree of strength and durability to a damaged or decayed tooth.

Bridges

 If you have a missing tooth, it can sometimes be replaced with a bridge. A bridge is simply a crown on the teeth on each side of the empty space, with a false tooth in between them. The teeth are all connected together, so it 'bridges' the gap. Like crowns, bridges can be made of white tooth colored ceramic or metal materials, depending on the patient's needs and desires.

Implant Restorations

Replacement of a missing tooth or teeth with an implant is the most like natural teeth of anything we can offer, and is state of the art. A typically titanium implant is surgically placed in the jaw. After the surgical site has healed and the bone has attached securely to the implant, an abutment and crown is attached to the implant, restoring the missing tooth to a very high level of function and longevity.

Appliances

Dental appliances are devices that you place in your mouth or on your teeth, like orthodontic retainers, athletic mouthguards, occlusal guards to protect your teeth from clenching and grinding, sleep apnea devices to open your airway while sleeping, and even dentures to replace missing teeth, among others. Dental appliances can have many different designs and serve a wide range of functions.

Bleaching

Bleaching is very popular today, especially in the spring and summer months. There are several methods available, including over-the-counter, at-home professional, and in-office professional approaches. The bleach, typically a carbamide peroxide material, is applied to the teeth and the teeth will become lighter over time. The bleaching methods differ primarily in how they hold the bleach on the teeth, its strength, and how long it is in contact with the teeth.

Periodontal (Gum) Therapy

Periodontal disease is a condition of the gums and bone typically caused by plaque and tartar buildup between your teeth and under your gums which has not been adequately removed on a daily basis. This can result in loss of gum tissue, bone, and ultimately the teeth. Scaling and root planing is often a first step in treating gum disease. In more advanced cases, other treatments such as antibiotics or even surgery may be necessary.

Simple Extractions

Our mail goal is to help you retain and maintain your natural teeth for a lifetime. However, sometimes that is not possible, and a tooth or teeth must be removed.  This can be either a simple process or more involved. In simple cases, we may be able to remove a tooth for you in our office. Other cases may require that you see an oral surgeon. We can set that up for you if necessary.

Specialist Referrals

For treatment needs that our office is not equipped to address, we maintain close professional relationships with specialists in all areas of dentistry. If referral is appropriate, our staff can set it up for you while you are in our office. The specialist will provide only the services which we have requested, and you will return to us for followup or additional procedures as needed.