Dental Exam | Routine Teeth Cleaning | Fillings | Tooth Extractions
Dental Exam
Your initial exam will last approximately one hour. Your dentist will thoroughly exam your teeth and gums, specifically looking for any potential problems. Depending on the patient, X-rays may be taken. If there are any signs of decay or other problems, your dentist will recommend treatment options and make notes of any conditions that may need future observation. Oral hygiene instructions will also be provided along with suggestions to help you care for your teeth. In most cases, your hygienist will also clean your teeth on this visit.
Back to Top
Routine Teeth Cleanings
At minimum, you should schedule a routine dental cleaning and exam twice per year. During this visit, our dental hygienists will remove plaque from your teeth, especially from places where your brush can’t reach, such as underneath the gum line and in-between teeth. We will perform an oral cancer screen and check for signs of dental cavities, periodontal disease, recession, inflammation, abscesses or tumors. You will be given thorough oral hygiene instructions on how to keep your mouth healthy and keep your teeth for a lifetime. Some patients require a tighter cleaning schedule and may need to be seen in our office 3-4 times per year for routine maintenance. If deep cleanings are needed for gum disease, you will be informed and treated in our office by our capable hygienists. A customized cleaning schedule will be given to you.
We also provide periodontal therapy and management of periodontal disease. Nutritional consultation for gum disease is available by appointment. Our doctors have wonderful professional relationships with local periodontists should your jaws or gums require a periodontal surgery referral.
If you are due for your dental cleaning and exam, please call our office to schedule an appointment.
Back to Top
Fillings
The concept of a “filling” is replacing and restoring your tooth structure that is damaged due to decay or fracture with a material. We offer various metal free options to restore your tooth. The location, type of cavity, patient expectations and finances will help determine which type of filling would be most suitable for you.
Composite White Fillings – Tooth colored fillings are ideal for patients wishing to maintain the natural beauty of their smile. Composite fillings are closely matched to the natural color of your teeth and bond well to the tooth. Tooth colored fillings are durable and should last up to 6-12 years. Composite fillings are used throughout the mouth, both front and back teeth.
We do not use "silver' mercury fillings in our office. We are proud to only use metal free and biocompatible filling materials. Your dentist will determine which filling material is best for you.
Diagnostic Dentistry -
Laser dental technology can assist us in detecting cavities while still small. Kavo's Diagnodent uses light flouresence to aid our dentists in finding hiden cavities in the grooves and pits of teeth.
We also provide intra-oral photographs of your teeth to help you understand your dental needs.
Our digital and "green" x-rays provide high quality images while protecting you from excessive radiation.
Back to Top
Tooth Extractions
General Extractions
An extraction is the complete removal of a tooth. Extractions are sometimes necessary if a primary tooth is preventing the normal eruption of a permanent tooth, if the tooth has suffered extensive tooth decay or trauma that cannot be repaired, if the patient has gum disease, or if the tooth is impacted (usually the wisdom teeth). Depending on the complexity of the case, an extraction can be performed surgically or non-surgically and are often referred out of our office to the comfortable care of an Oral Surgeon.
Wisdom Teeth
Your third molars are more commonly called "wisdom teeth." Usually appearing in the late teens or early twenties, third molars often lack the proper space in the jaw to erupt fully or even at all. This common condition is called impaction.When any tooth lacks the space to come through or simply develops in the wrong place of your jaw and becomes impacted, problems can arise. Primarily, damage to adjacent teeth and crowding occur.
In certain cases, the wisdom tooth that cannot come through becomes inflamed under the gums and in the jawbone, causing a sac to develop around the root of the tooth that then fills with liquid. This can cause a cyst or an abscess if it becomes infected. If either of these situations goes untreated, serious damage to the underlying bone and surrounding teeth and tissues can result.
To potentially stave off this result, an extraction of one, several or all of the wisdom teeth may be advised. Our dentists can advise you if your wisdom teeth need to be extracted.
Back to Top