| ||
We offer a lifetime whitening program for just $99. Please contact our office for more details. Dental Implants Composite (white) Fillings Invisalign® Invisalign clear teeth aligners are custom-made specifically for your mouth. Unlike braces, no brackets are used. With Invisalign, the alingers resemble a retainer and fit right over your teeth. The aligners are almost invisible, so people will likely not even know you are wearing them during your treatment. Only Invisalign clear aligners are made of proprietary, multilayer SmartTrack® material to gently shift your teeth into place. Each aligner shifts your teeth slightly, moving them horizontally and vertically and even rotating them when needed.When you change to the next set of aligners (typically every week) your teeth gradually move into position, following a custom treatment plan mapped out by your doctor. Recheck appointments will typically be every 4-6 weeks. For the best results, the aligners should be worn all day, removing them only to eat or brush and floss your teeth. Source: http://www.invisalign.com A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is surgically anchored into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge in place. The benefit of using implants is that they don't rely on neighboring teeth for support and they are permanent and stable. Implants are a good solution to tooth loss because they look and feel like natural teeth. Crowns A crown is a restoration that covers, or "caps," a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size, strengthening and improving the appearance of a tooth. Crowns are necessary when a tooth is generally broken down and fillings won't solve the problem. If a tooth is cracked, a crown holds the tooth together to seal the cracks so the damage doesn't get worse. Crowns are also used to restore a tooth when there isn't enough of the tooth remaining to provide support for a large filling, attach a bridge, protect weak teeth from fracturing, restore fractured teeth or cover badly shaped or discolored teeth. Bridges A dental bridge is a false tooth that is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns holding it in place are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth and the bridge is not removable because it is secured into place. Inlays and Onlays Inlays and onlays: Usually dentists use crowns to restore a tooth, but inlays and onlays do not require them to remove as much of the tooth structure. Inlays are similar to fillings except that they are custom-made to fit the cavity in your tooth and are typically the same color as the tooth. Onlays are used for more substantial reconstruction and also do not require your dentist to remove as much of the tooth as would a crown. TMJ Treatment The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a joint that slides and rotates just in front of your ear, consisting of the temporal bone (side of the skull) and the mandible (lower jaw). Chewing muscles connect the lower jaw to the skull, allowing you to move your jaw forward, sideways and open and close. Often, people will require a "bite guard" to provide relief to their joint when it is inflamed from clenching or grinding their teeth. Veneers and Laminates Veneers are ultra-thin shells of ceramic (porcelain) or a composite resin material, which are bonded to the front of teeth. Veneers are placed to mask discolorations, to brighten teeth and to improve a smile. They provide a much more conservative approach to changing a tooth's color, size or shape. Root Canal Therapy Underneath your tooth's outer enamel and within the dentin is an area of soft tissue called the pulp tissue. While a tooth's pulp tissue does contain nerve fibers, it is also composed of arteries, veins, lymph vessels, and connective tissue. Root canals are very small, thin divisions that branch off from the top pulp chamber down to the tip of the root. Root canal therapy is necessary because the tooth will not heal by itself. Without treatment, the infection will spread, bone around the tooth will begin to degenerate and the tooth may fall out. Pain usually worsens until one is forced to seek emergency dental attention. The only alternative is usually extraction of the tooth, which can cause surrounding teeth to shift crookedly, resulting in a bad bite. If you have the choice, it's always best to keep your original teeth. Scaling and Root Planing In the early stages of gum disease, most treatment involves a special cleaning called scaling and root planing, which removes plaque and tartar around the tooth and smoothing the root surfaces. Antibiotics or antimicrobials may be used to supplement the effects of scaling and root planing. In most cases of early gum disease, called gingivitis, scaling and root planing and proper daily cleaning achieve a satisfactory result. More advanced cases may require surgical treatment, which involves cutting the gums - sometimes with the assistance of a laser - and removing the hardened plaque build-up and recontouring the damaged bone. The procedure is also designed to smooth root surfaces and reposition the gum tissue so it will be easier to keep clean. Periodontal Maintenance Gum disease, or periodontal disease is a chronic inflammation and infection of the gums and surrounding tissue. It is the major cause of about 70 percent of adult tooth loss, affecting three out of four persons at some point in their life. Periodontal diseases include gingivitis and periodontitis. Eighty percent of American adults have some form of periodontal (gum) disease, but the beginning symptoms are usually painless, so many who are at risk do not recognize the signs and stages, according to a report in the September/October 2003 issue of General Dentistry, the clinical, peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). "Gum disease is a silent teeth killer because you can have it without knowing it," says AGD spokesperson Elwood Streeter, DDS. Healthy gums appear coral pink, firm and form a sharp point where they meet the tooth. When excessive amounts of bacteria and food debris build up in the spaces between the teeth and gums, a sticky material called plaque is formed. A plaque build-up can develop and harden into calculus (tartar), which irritates the gums. Bacterial byproducts (or toxins) in the tartar cause gums to become infected, red and tender, a condition called gingivitis. Gingivitis is the beginning stage of periodontal disease. Source: www.knowyourteeth.com , courtesy of the Academy of General Dentistry | ||
|
|