Teeth Whitening


Your teeth will darken over a period of time. Changes in the color of your teeth can be caused by such factors as the food and beverages consumed (like coffee, tea and soda). Other known factors for discoloration may include childhood medications or illnesses, tobacco use or improper oral hygiene. Restoring your natural white smile is a priority for our dental whitening team. We are able to provide a variety of options for whitening your smile.

Tooth whitening services are growing in popularity, and it’s one of the most requested services offered by our practice. Everyone sees the growing consumer market focused on whiter teeth. The reality is that over-the-counter, “too good to be true” solutions typically don’t work or only work for a short time.

We are trained professionals using industry-approved methods. Our goal is to meet the needs of every patient, and every patient’s needs are different.

1. At Home Bleaching:
   We are able to provide the bleaching trays to be used at home, (we construct custom fit bleaching trays) and you are able to determine the time and place to bleach.
   
   
2. In House Bleaching:
   We also provide the in-house bleaching, which is accelerated by a high-intensity light, which allows the patient to begin whitening immediately.
   
3. Ultimate Deep Bleach:
   The “Ultimate Deep Bleach” is a combination of in-house bleaching and home bleaching trays.
   
   Nothing improves your appearance more than a Bright, White SMILE!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to give the office a call.

 

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 other procedures to improve the appearance of your smile.

Common problems that veneers are used for:

• Spaces between the teeth
• Broken or chipped 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.

Please contact our office if you have any further questions on veneers.

 

               

      Before Veneers                                                       After Veneers

 

CROWNS & BRIDGES 

Crown


 A crown is a permanent covering that fits over an original tooth that is 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:

1. Numbing the tooth to remove the decay in or around it.
2. Re-sculpturing the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown.
3. Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown (usually takes two weeks).
4. 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.
5. Applying the permanent crown (when received from the lab) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the permanent one onto the tooth.
6. 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 visits over a two 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.


Bridge


A bridge is a dental device that fills a space where 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 three 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 “Maryland” bridge is commonly used to replace missing front teeth and consists of a filler that is attached to metal bands that are bonded to the abutment teeth. The metal bands consist of a white-colored composite resin that matches existing tooth color.
• 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.

 

      
                                              Maryland Bridge


 
               Fixed Bridge
 

 

Implants


Dental implants are artificial tooth replacements that were first developed half a century ago by a Swedish scientist named Per-Ingvar Branemark.

Implants arose from the patient’s need to secure loose-fitting dentures. With denture implants, a patient is able to “lock” a denture, to allow enhanced chewing ability.  Since the advent of the implant, engineering and enhancements to the implant have enabled dentists to expand the implant’s usefulness, including the replacement of missing or lost teeth. Where previously patients had to have bridges, partials, or dentures, now techniques provide a wide range of tooth replacement solutions including:

• Single Tooth Replacement
• Anterior Replacement
• Posterior Replacement
• Full Upper Replacement
• Full Lower Replacement

Implant As a Treatment Option


If the missing tooth space has no surrounding teeth, the dentist may decide an implant is the most appropriate treatment choice or option.

The treatment plan for a bridge usually requires two trips to your dentist. Specifically, it involves:

• Numbing the surrounding teeth with a local anesthetic and cleaning plaque or decay.
• Reducing the teeth so that the crowns can be fitted.
• Making a mold or impression of the teeth in order to create a customized permanent impression (this generally takes 2-3 weeks).
• Fitting the patient with a temporary bridge until the permanent bridge is ready for placement.
• Removing the temporary bridge and replacing it with the permanent one.
• Adjusting the bridge for the proper bite and fit and permanently bonding it into the mouth.

Post Implant Care


although proper oral hygiene is always recommended for maintaining good dental health, it is especially important when a patient has received a dental implant. Bacteria can attack sensitive areas in the mouth when teeth and gums are not properly cleaned, thus causing gums to swell and jaw bones to gradually recede. Recession of the jawbone will weaken implants and eventually make it necessary for the implant to be removed. Patients are advised to visit their dentists at least twice a year to ensure the health of their teeth and implants. Dental implants can last for decades when given proper care.

Missing One Tooth	Missing Several
A tooth and its roots are missing. A dental implant and ceramic crown becomes the permanent replacement.	Three teeth and their roots are missing. A fixed bridge anchored on dental implants gives optimal strength.
Missing All	Improve Existing
All teeth and roots in the lower jaw are missing. Dental implants provide enough stability to carry a full fixed bridge	A front tooth has been damaged. A new ceramic crown is used for best esthetic result.

 

    


       Before Implant                                  After Implant

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 that contain traces of mercury 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 and unhealthy silver/mercury 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 bond to the tooth: they strengthen the tooth by restoring most of its original shape.  Silver amalgams, on the other hand, weaken the teeth and make them more susceptible to breaking.  Broken teeth can be very expensive to replace; white fillings can actually save time and money in the long run.
  
  
• White filling composites are preferred by most patients.  This is due to the natural color, strength and overall appearance and feel.  Composites are naturally more comfortable.
  
  
• Hot and cold sensitivity is greatly reduced with composite material compared to the silver/mercury amalgams.
  
  
• Restorations with composites require less removal of tooth, less structure to place than those with amalgams and especially with new cavities.  Dramatically smaller holes are needed with a composite.
  
  
• White fillings are healthier because no traces of mercury are used, unlike silver amalgams. 

Before	After

 

Composite Bonding


Bonding is a common solution for:

• Fixing or repairing chipped or cracked teeth
• Reducing unsightly gaps or spaces between teeth
• Hiding discoloration or faded areas on the tooth’s surface

Often used to improve the appearance of your teeth and enhance your smile. As the name indicates, composite material, either a plastic or resin, is bonded to an existing tooth. Unlike veneers or crowns, composite bonding removes little, if any, of the original tooth.

Composite bonding has many advantages:

• It is a quick process, which typically lasts less than one hour.
• It does not reduce the tooth’s original structure and is relatively inexpensive.
• Composite resins come in many different shades and provide better matching of shades to the natural color of your teeth.
• Composite bonds, however, are not as durable and long-lasting as veneers and crowns and may need to be re-touched or replaced in the future.

Composite bonds stain more easily and therefore require proper care and regular cleaning. In order to ensure the longest possible duration of the bonding, composites should be brushed and flossed daily. Common staining elements include coffee, tea, tobacco, foods and candy.

DIAGNODENT


The Diagnodent laser uses an infra-red beam to measure the density of your tooth.  We offer this unique service that can detect caries at the earliest stage.  This device has proven to be over 90% accurate compared to 50% using the conventional methods.

The Diagnodent Laser Caries Detector is quick, simple and painless.  Our interest is in the best oral health care available.

To see a demonstration of the Diagnodent, please click the following link:

Diagnodent

 

DIGITAL X-RAYS


We offer one of the latest technological advances in dentistry with digital radiography (x-rays).  A wireless sensor is placed in the mouth and a computer generates an image in 30 seconds as opposed to the general 4-6 minute wait time for images taken on dental film.  These x-rays can also be enhanced on the computer and enlarged.

Not only are they friendly to the environment, they are much safer than traditional x-rays. Digital radiographs reduce radiation exposure by 50 percent.

 

 

CEREC(Onlays /Inlays)


Using the Cerec System for onlays/inlays or crowns is the computerized, state of the art technique that allows fabrication of a metal free, all ceramic tooth colored restoration that is the closest match to the original tooth structure composition.

Unlike metal or porcelain crowns where two appointments are needed to complete the procedure, (including twice the drilling, sometimes twice the injections and twice the time), with the Cerec capability, we are able to provide same day services for crowns/onlays and inlays with the quality that should last a lifetime. Computer aided design (CAD) allows the fit to be equivalent or better than that of a commercial laboratory.  The materials are chemically bonded to your tooth, so we are able to save as much healthy tooth tissue as possible while providing a dental restoration that strengthens your tooth.

 

Before & After Cerec Crowns

 

 

   
Before Implant                                      After Implant

 

INVISALIGN


Invisalign is a breakthrough in technology that lets you straighten your teeth with a series of clear, virtually invisible custom-molded aligners. The course of treatment involves changing aligners approximately every two weeks, moving your teeth into straighter position step by step, until you have a more beautiful smile.  And unlike braces, these clear aligners can be removed while you eat and brush your teeth as usual.

An average Invisalign course of treatment takes about a year.  At regular intervals, you’ll receive a new set of custom-molded clear aligners to continue the straightening process.  The total number of clear aligners is specific to you, determined by your doctor for your course of treatment.

Because the Aligners are removable, you don’t have to be cautious about what you eat and cleanings are quicker and easier than with traditional orthodontics.

If you are interested in or have questions regarding Invisalign, just give our office a call and one of our highly trained staff members can assist you.

 

Before Invisalign	After Invisalign