PREVENTATIVE & DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

A professional dental exam is recommended at least once every six months to identify and treat a problem in its earliest stage. Professional dental exams are all about prevention – preventing existing problems from getting worse and preventing dental problems from developing in the future.

Your teeth will be visually and clinically examined for signs of plaque, tartar, and tooth decay. Your gums will also be examined for puffiness, redness, or discoloration, which are signs of gum disease. A full set of dental X-rays may also be taken during your dental exam to enable your dentist to see below the surfaces of your teeth.

Today's dental X-rays are safer, faster, more comfortable and informative than the X-rays of years past. Digital X-rays, one of the latest and most advanced dental technologies, produce high-quality images of your teeth that can be viewed instantly. Digital X-rays reduce radiation by up to 90% and provide exceptional diagnostic information to diagnose potential problems before they worsen.

Intraoral photography is another alternative to traditional dental X-rays. With intraoral photography, problems such as cavities, fractures, and discolorations in the teeth are captured through clear and sharp photographic images that are taken with a 35mm camera.  

No matter how often you brush and floss, plaque and tartar deposits can still build up on your teeth. A professional teeth cleaning is the single most effective way to remove these deposits. While a traditional teeth cleaning involves manually scraping away these deposits with special dental instruments, advances in dental technologies now give you more options for teeth cleanings.

A laser teeth cleaning, also known as an ultrasonic cleaning, is a popular alternative to traditional cleanings. With a laser teeth cleaning, an ultrasonic scaler (rather than a manual probe) is used to remove deposits, kill harmful microbes, and eliminate bacteria around the teeth and gums through high-frequency sound waves. Laser teeth cleanings are more comfortable than traditional cleanings because they are quicker, quieter, and pain-free.

Fluoride Treatment:

• Fluoride is a gel or paste that is applied to the surfaces of your teeth after a dental cleaning. After we polish and clean your teeth, the enamels, or pores of your teeth are exposed, which is the perfect time to apply fluoride. The benefits of fluoride helps to strengthen your enamel, reducing the risk for cavities, and helps with teeth sensitivity.

Deep cleanings, also known as Scaling and Root Planing, helps prevent periodontal disease, bone loss, and restores gum tissues to a healthy state. Periodontal disease involves the soft tissue surrounding the teeth, gums, and bone. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, bleeding gums, swelling, infection, bad breath, tooth and root sensitivity, gum recession, loosened teeth, and possible loss of teeth. The purpose of this procedure is to reduce some of the causes of periodontal disease to improve your dental health.

• SiroLASER: Laser is utilized during Scaling and Root Planing to eradicate the bacterial pathogens within periodontal pockets. Treatment risks may result in unintended consequences, including, but not limited to: bleeding, infection, tissue swelling or bruising, increased sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweets, esthetic changes, exposure of crown margins, exposed root surfaces due to recession of the gum line, pain in the associated teeth, including roots, temporary or permanent numbness, and tooth mobility or loss.  

Dental fillings are the recommended treatment for treating cavities. Dental fillings can be made of silver amalgam, composite, porcelain, or even gold. Amalgam fillings are still the most common and cost-effective type of dental filling, but composite fillings, which are made of a tooth-colored plastic and glass composite, are quickly becoming the preferred dental filling due to their natural appearance and durability. The type of dental filling used is determined by a number of factors, including size and location of the cavity, as well as your budget.

White Fillings (Composite)

White fillings are just as durable as they are attractive and natural-looking! Made of composite resin, white fillings match the natural color of your teeth and are an excellent option for small to mid-sized cavities. White fillings are strong, stain-resistant, and require less removal of your tooth structure than amalgam fillings.

• SOLEA Laser Technology: Solea is an advanced new dental laser technology that is virtually replacing the needle, drill, and scalpel in the dental office. This technology is a pain-free and pediatric-friendly option that most of our patients love. 90% of our patients do not require injections of anesthetics or need to be anesthetize. Solea is a dental laser that uses a precise wavelength of light to cut, reshape, and contour tissue in the mouth. It's used for a variety of procedures, including cavity prep, crown lengthening, and soft tissue surgeries without bleeding or sutures. 

Root canals are needed when either decay or an injury infects the inner tooth (the pulp). In the earliest stages of infection, you may not feel any pain at all but when it progresses, you could have a toothache and swelling, or a dental abscess might form. Root canals remove the infection and prevent it from spreading. Pulp capping is an alternative to root canals that are used when the infection has yet to penetrate the pulp. Pulp capping can also prevent a large dental filling from getting too close to the nerve.  

Oral surgery is an umbrella term for surgical treatments and may be recommended for many reasons. While a general dentist can perform some oral surgery procedures, an oral surgeon is typically required for others. But you are in luck! We have all the resources and the highest technologies to take care of you in one visit without having to refer you out!

Dental bridges have been used for centuries to replace missing teeth. Today, dental bridges are still considered one of the most durable, conservative, and cost-effective options for bridging the gap between a missing tooth and the surrounding teeth. Comprised of two anchoring teeth and a replacement tooth, dental bridges help prevent surrounding teeth from drifting out of position and improves the ability to chew and speak. Dental bridges typically take 2-3 weeks to complete and are less invasive than other options, such as dental implants. With good oral hygiene and regular dental visits, dental bridges can last up to 30 years!

There are three types of dental bridges: 

1. Traditional dental bridges have either dental crowns or dental implants on either side of the missing tooth, plus a replacement tooth, which is held in place by a post-like structure called a dental abutment. 
2. Cantilever dental bridges are used in cases where there are surrounding teeth only on one side of the missing tooth. 
3. Maryland bridges are made of a specialized resin that is cemented to a metal framework and cemented to the enamel of surrounding teeth.

Dentures are custom designed to fit your mouth comfortably and are made of a gum-colored plastic resin or acrylic base, and either resin or porcelain replacement teeth. If you have all missing teeth on the upper or lower jaw, full dentures may be your best option. Partial dentures, which can be either fixed or removable, are great for patients who have several missing teeth scattered along the upper or lower jaw. 

The process of getting dentures may take a few months and several dental visits. In some cases, however, same-day dentures are also possible if they are created right in the dentist's office instead of at an offsite laboratory. Same-day dentures aren't for everyone, though. If your dentures require a lot of customization, same-day dentures may not be right for you.

Just as with your natural teeth, dentures require daily maintenance. With regular wear and tear, your dentures can last anywhere between 5-7 years. During that time, you may need periodic denture relines to accommodate changes in the contours of your mouth. Regular denture relines involve resurfacing the base to ensure that your dentures fit perfectly and function properly. If you break your dentures, it's critical to bring them to your dentist for professional denture repair. Home denture repair kits can cause more damage and be even more costly to fix.

Dental implants is an excellent and popular solution for replacing missing teeth and are surgically placed into the jawbone where they act as an anchor to hold dental crowns in place. A dental implant looks and feels like a natural tooth. If you want a solution that is sturdy, long-lasting, and permanent then dental implants may be for you!

If you want the best that teeth whitening has to offer, ZOOM! whitening could be perfect for you! With ZOOM! whitening, you can achieve, bright, white teeth in about an hour. Using light activated whitening gel, ZOOM! whitening is fast, safe, and more effective than take-home whitening kits. 

A dental cleaning is highly recommended prior to a whitening session to remove any plaque and tartar deposits. After your cleaning, the tooth enamels are opened, allowing the bleaching gel to absorb more effectively to achieve better results. Fluoride is also highly recommended during the whitening session to help with the sensitivity levels.

Porcelain veneers are ultra thin shells made of translucent porcelain that can be bonded to your teeth for cosmetic purposes. Extremely versatile and durable, porcelain veneers are an excellent option whether you want a total smile makeover or need to cover a chipped tooth, mask a cracked tooth, or close gaps between your teeth. They require little to no prepping and can often be applied in just one dental visit!