In addition to practicing good oral care at home, you should see your dentist every six months for an oral exam to check up on your teeth and gums. Skipping exams can cause any new oral health issues to rapidly advance, which can require expensive and invasive treatments in the future. Regular checkups ensure that problems can be prevented, caught early and even reversed. If allowed to advance, however, the problems with your teeth or gums can spread beyond your mouth and affect your general health.
Also known as dental radiographs, dental X-ray obtain images of your teeth and jaws and are a crucial component of oral hygiene. They can find and image cavities, bone or gum loss, periodontal disease, benign or malignant tumors, and other normal or abnormal structures within the lower portion of the head. If you have not undergone dental X-rays for some time, your doctor will recommend getting new ones. The frequency with which you receive X-rays after that depends upon your dental history and risk of developing tooth decay.
The key to great excellent oral health is your commitment to brush and floss regularly but, even the most diligent patients can miss hard-to-reach areas of the mouth and leave themselves vulnerable to tooth decay and periodontal disease. That’s why it’s important to also visit your dentist and schedule a professional teeth cleaning every six months. To begin your cleaning, your hygienist will begin by removing tartar buildup with an instrument called a scaler to help prevent gum disease. After scaling, they will polish your teeth with a paste to remove plaque and surface stains, leaving your teeth smooth and less likely to collect oral bacteria. If indicated, you may also receive a fluoride treatment that helps remineralize your tooth enamel and reduce your risk of developing cavities.
Some may refer to composite fillings as “white” or “tooth colored” fillings. These fillings are available to help fill cavities and are completed in one dental visit. In addition to the esthetic advantage of composite fillings, these fillings are bonded to the tooth. This bond creates a strong connection between the filling and tooth and allows the dentist to make a very conservative filling with minimal trauma to the teeth.
In instances where there has been significant tooth damage and fillings are not an option, crowns are a great restoration for repairing damaged teeth. There are mainly two types of crowns that we use here in our office: Porcelain and Gold. All of our crowns are custom made with high quality materials. We use a local laboratory for crown fabrication. This allows us to closely monitor the quality of the crowns that we make for our patients. In addition, in situations where esthetics is critical, patients can visit the lab for a custom shade to match their existing teeth.
It is a removable acrylic appliance intended to relieve temporomandibular joint pain and other effects of grinding the teeth (bruxism). Usually worn at night to prevent grinding during sleep.
Tooth bonding is a procedure in which your dentist applies a special, tooth-colored resin to part of your tooth. This is usually done to improve the appearance of the tooth and to mask certain perceived defects or abnormalities. Some of the cosmetic dental issues that bonding is often used to address include:
The cosmetic resin used in dental bonding is the same material used in tooth-colored fillings. Your dentist can select the proper color resin to match your teeth, so once the bonding is completed, you should not be able to tell where your natural tooth ends and where the bonding begins. Nobody but you and your dentist will have to know that you’ve had dental bonding performed; the results look completely natural.
Chipping a tooth can happen much easier than we sometimes think. One minute you’re chewing your food with ease, and the next you may feel around and realize part of your tooth is missing. While chipping a tooth doesn’t always happen as easily as this, accidents can happen, leaving you with a visit to your emergency dentist. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, it’s important to use our “Dentist Near Me” ZIP search tool and find an emergency dentist right away to prevent infection and potentially save your tooth. Having a chipped tooth is not only painful, but it can leave you feeling self-conscious as well, depending on where the chip has taken place. Follow these tools to take care of your chipped tooth before it becomes a larger dental issue.
If you have recently had your teeth professionally cleaned but are still unhappy with their color, then you may want to look into teeth whitening procedures at a dental office near you. Over-the-counter whitening toothpastes and whitening kits from the pharmacy may whiten your teeth one or two shades, but in order to get dramatically whiter teeth and remove deeper stains, you’ll need see a cosmetic dentist for treatment.
Veneers are small caps placed on on the front of your teeth. Veneers are generally used just for the front facing teeth, whereas crowns are used for the larger molars and side teeth. Veneers are often made out of porcelain, although there are many different kinds and variations. These different kinds of veneers will vary not only in what it is made from, but in the level of thickness, durability and how long the veneers will last. Your dentist can sit with you and decide what works best for you, your particular needs and your budget. Veneers also come in different shades, so you can select the desired shade of teeth you’re interested in.
A dental implant is a titanium “root” device used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth to replace missing teeth. Dental implants can be used to support a number of dental prostheses, including crowns, implant-supported bridges or dentures.
The branch of dentistry concerning dental pulp and tissues surrounding the roots of a tooth. They specialize in performing root canal treatments and other procedures. These specialists have at least two years of additional education beyond their traditional dental schooling and training.
Oral Surgery is the branch of dentistry or of surgery dealing with the surgical treatment or repair of various conditions of the mouth or jaws.
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease is caused by bacterial growth. If not removed regularly, can lead to red, puffy, bleeding gums and even tooth loss. The good news is gum disease can be treated. In many instances regular visits with a hygienist can prevent gum disease. However, if the problem already exists, our office can provide the necessary treatment needed to halt the disease and prevent further damage. We have a periodontist available to evaluate and treat all stages of gum disease. Please contact our office if you have concerns or questions regarding periodontal disease. In addition, we utilize a dental laser during some of our cleaning visits to promote better healing.
If there has been loss of natural teeth due to periodontal disease, decay or injury having dentures can replace missing teeth and restore your smile. When teeth are missing you lose facial contour and that can cause your face to sag and look older. You also lose the ability to speak and eat normally. Having dentures will improve your health as well as your appearance.
Inside every tooth is a nerve and blood vessels; these are important structures that provide nourishment for your tooth. Unfortunately, these structures can get infected. If this happens, a root canal is needed if you want to preserve the tooth. The need for root canals can be caused by some of the following: a deep cavity, cracked or fractured teeth and prior or repeated injury to the tooth. If a tooth that needs a root canal is left untreated, the resulting infection can cause severe pain and potentially damage other areas adjacent to the affected tooth. Most root canals are completed in 1 visit. It’s important to visit your dental professional regularly because in some cases, teeth that need root canals can appear pain free and a root canal diagnosis can only be determined by a dentist.
Wisdom tooth extraction is a surgical procedure to remove one or more wisdom teeth — the four permanent adult teeth located at the back corners of your mouth on the top and bottom. Wisdom tooth extraction may be done by a dentist or an oral surgeon.
Tooth Extraction (also referred to as dental extraction, exodontia, exodontics, or informally, tooth pulling) is the removal of teeth from the dental alveolus (socket) in the alveolar bone.
One of the advances in dentistry today is the introduction of lasers in the treatment of dental problems. Personalized Dental Care is one of the few providers in our area to offer this benefit to patients. Lasers can eliminate the need for anesthetic. This can make the dental visit faster and more comfortable. This advancement in treatment is ideal for patients of all ages especially children. Personalized Dental Care offers this service in all of our locations. If you would like more information on laser dentistry, please contact our office. All doctors are certified in use of lasers in dentistry.
It is the temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep. The symptoms include loud snoring and/or abnormal pattern of snoring with pauses and gasps. Other symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness, memory change , depression, and irritability. In some patients sleep apnea can contribute to high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke and heart attack.
A sealant is a thin protective coating (made of a plastic like dental material) that adheres to the chewing surface of your teeth. Most sealants are placed on permanent teeth to help prevent debris from sticking to teeth which can lead to cavities. It is recommended that sealants are placed as early as the tooth erupts in the mouth in order to minimize the chance for cavities to form. Sealants do not last forever and may need to be reapplied if necessary. Both children and adults can benefit from having sealants so, it is important to consult with a dental professional to see if sealants can help you maintain optimal dental health.
Botox is used as an alternative treatment for TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint)disorders and associated jaw tension and pain. When injected into facial muscles afflicted with soreness and discomfort, Botox relieves TMJ and jaw tension for many patients.
Sedation dentistry uses medication to help patients relax during dental procedures. It’s sometimes referred to as “sleep dentistry,” although that’s not entirely accurate. Patients are usually awake with the exception of those who are under general anesthesia.
The levels of sedation used include: minimal sedation (laughing gas), conscious sedation (Oral sedation), and general anesthesia.