Our practice provides the highest-quality services for restoring mouths that have been damaged by dental disease and injury and common problems that require cosmetic dentistry. Our primary goal for our patients is to achieve and maintain optimum oral health through advances in techniques, technologies and by maintaining their scheduled dental exams.

Crowns

A crown is a permanent covering that fits over an original tooth that is either decayed, damaged or cracked. Crowns are made of a variety of different materials such as porcelain, gold, acrylic resin or a mix of these materials. Porcelain generally has the most natural appearance.

The treatment plan for a patient receiving a crown involves:

Numbing the tooth to remove the decay in or around it. Re-sculpturing the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown. Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown (usually takes two weeks). Making a temporary crown out of acrylic resin and fitting it onto the tooth during the interim period when the permanent custom-made crown is being created. Applying the permanent crown (when received from the lab) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the permanent one onto the tooth. After ensuring that the crown has the proper look and fit, the dentist cements it into place. This process generally consists of a minimum of 2-3 visits over a three to four week period.

Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and crowns. This helps in the prevention of gum disease. Given proper care, your crowns can last a lifetime. Back to Top

Bridges

A bridge is a dental device that fills a space that a tooth previously occupied.

A bridge may be necessary to prevent:

• Shifting of the teeth that can lead to bite problems (occlusion) and/or jaw problems and resultant periodontal disease.
• Bridges safeguard the integrity of existing teeth and help maintain a healthy, vibrant smile.

There are two main types of bridges, namely:

• Fixed bridge- this is the most popular and consists of a filler tooth that is attached to two crowns, which fit over the existing teeth and hold the bridge in place.
• The Cantilever bridge is often used when there are teeth on only one side of the span. A typical three-unit cantilever bridge consists of two crowned teeth positioned next to each other on the same side of the missing tooth space. The filler tooth is then connected to the two crowned teeth, which extend into the missing tooth space or end.

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 will replace old, broken-down amalgam/metal fillings with white fillings (composites) to restore your smile and teeth to a more natural look and feel.

With today’s advancements, no longer will you have to suffer the embarrassment of unsightly silver fillings or metal margins of the past. Eliminate the dark, black appearance in your teeth with new-age, state-of-the-art, tooth-colored resin or porcelain materials.

Comparing White Fillings Versus Silver Amalgam Fillings:

• White fillings or composite fillings bond to the tooth; they strengthen the tooth by restoring most of its original shape. Broken teeth can be very expensive to replace; white composites can actually save time and money in the long run.
• White filling are preferred by most patients. Hot and cold sensitivity is greatly reduced with composite material compared to the silver amalgams.
• Restorations with composites require less removal of tooth, less structure to place than those with silver amalgams and especially with new cavities. Dramatically smaller holes are needed with a composite.

Back to Top

Implants

Do you wish that you could replace one or more of your teeth but don’t want to get dentures? Dental implants are a natural looking, long lasting, comfortable and safe alternative to bridgework or dentures. For people with good oral health, replacing a lost tooth with an implant is an ideal option. Implants look like your natural teeth, and because of their “root” being secured to your jaw like a real tooth, neither you nor anyone else will know the difference. You don’t have to worry about implants coming loose and embarrassing you; you won’t have to take them out to soak; and you won’t worry about losing them, either. Not everyone is a candidate for implants. We will inform you about the different factors that determine whether or not a patient fits the criteria of an implant recipient. Factors like pre-existing disease and bone loss can affect a patient’s ability to receive implants.

Back to Top

Veneers

Veneers are thin, semi-translucent “shells” typically attached to your front teeth. Veneers are customized from porcelain material and permanently bonded to your teeth. Veneers are a great alternative to otherwise painful dental procedures to improve the appearance of your smile.

Common problems that veneers are used for:

• Spaces between the teeth
• Broken or chipped teeth
• Unsightly, stained or discolored teeth
• Permanently stained or discolored teeth
• Crooked or misshapen teeth

Veneers are a great aesthetic solution to your smile that may even help you avoid orthodontic treatment. Subtle changes to your smile can be achieved with veneers, and in most cases, veneer application is completed in only two office visits.

Back to Top

Dentures

Periodontal disease, injury and tooth decay can all cause a loss of your natural teeth. However, we can bring back the smile on your face with dentures to restore your missing teeth. With improved technology and updated materials, dentists can now make them appear more natural and more comfortable for the patient.

There are two types of dentures: complete and partial. Complete dentures cover the patient’s entire jaw while partial dentures, with their metal framework, replace multiple missing teeth. Ask our doctors to see which type would be right for you.

It may take some time to adjust to your dentures. Speaking and eating may feel different at first, but these regular activities will resume normally once you are accustomed to your dentures.

Back to Top