CLEANING
Your dentist will recommend how often to have routine checkups. Many people should see their dentists twice a year. Your dentist will examine your teeth and gums for signs of tooth decay, gum disease, and other health problems.

  • Your dental hygienist will begin to clean your teeth by removing hard mineral buildup (tartar) off of your teeth with a small metal tool. Then the hygienist will floss your teeth, use a polishing compound, and apply fluoride. Cleanings usually aren't painful.
  • Occasionally your dentist will want to take X-rays. The X-rays take only a few minutes.Your dentist or technician will have you put on a heavy apron to shield your body from X-rays. Everyone else in the room will either wear a protective apron or step behind a protective shield. Your dentist or technician will have you bite down on a small piece of plastic. This will help align the teeth properly for the machine. Your dentist or technician will repeat this process several times to get pictures of all your teeth.
  • If necessary, your dentist will put a sealant on the chewing surface of your back teeth to help prevent cavities. Sealants keep food and bacteria from getting stuck in the rough chewing surfaces or grooves of your teeth, and they protect your teeth from plaque.
  • Your dentist or hygienist may apply a fluoride solution directly to your teeth to help prevent tooth decay. Your dentist may recommend a series of fluoride applications.

 

 

TOOTH DECAY & FLUORIDE
When your dentist detects a weak spot on your tooth, fluoride treatments may be recommended to reverse the decay process. If the weak spot is left unchecked, a cavity may form, requiring a filling. If decay is allowed to spread, it may penetrate the root and enter the pulp (nerve) chamber, causing an abscess and require a root canal treatment.

Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by slowing the breakdown of enamel and speeding up the natural reinitializing process.

 

SENSITIVE TEETH CLEANING
If you occasionally experience a sudden flash of pain, or a mild tingly feeling when you bite into sweet or sour foods, or drink hot or cold beverages, you may have sensitive teeth. Pain from sensitive teeth is not always constant; it can come and go. Constant pain could be a sign of a more serious problem. It is still important, however, to discuss your symptoms with your dentist to determine the cause and proper treatment.

WHAT CAUSES SENSITIVE TEETH?
In healthy teeth, porous tissue called dentin is protected by your gums and your teeth's hard enamel shell. Microscopic holes in the dentin, called tubules, connect back to the nerve triggering pain when irritated by certain foods and beverages. Dentin can be exposed by:

• Receding gums caused by improper brushing or gum disease.

• Fractured or chipped teeth.

• Clenching or grinding your teeth.

 

PERIDONTAL TREATMENT
 The main goal of treatment is to control the infection. The number and types of treatment will vary, depending on the extent of the gum disease.  Any type of treatment requires that the patient keep up good daily care at home.  Additionally, modifying certain behaviors, such as quitting tobacco use, might also be suggested as a way to improve treatment outcome.

Deep Cleaning (Scaling and Root Planing)
 The dentist, periodontist, or dental hygienist removes the plaque through a deep-cleaning method called scaling and root planing.  Scaling means scraping off the tartar from above and below the gum line.  Root planing gets rid of rough spots on the tooth root where the germs gather, and helps remove bacteria that contribute to the disease. Medications
Medications may be used with treatment that includes scaling and root planing, but they cannot always take the place of surgery. Depending on the severity of gum disease, the dentist or periodontist may still suggest surgical treatment.

 

FILLINGS
To treat a cavity your dentist will remove the decayed portion of the tooth and then fill the area on the tooth where the decayed material once lived. Fillings are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth and teeth that have been worn down from misuse (such as from nail-biting or tooth grinding).

What Steps Are Involved in Filling a Tooth?
First, the dentist will numb the area around the tooth to be worked on with a local anesthetic. Next, a drill, air abrasion instrument or laser will be used to remove the decayed area. Next, your dentist will probe or test the area during the decay removal process to determine if all the decay has been removed. Once the decay has been removed, the dentist will prepare the space for the filling by cleaning the cavity of bacteria and debris. If the decay is near the root, the dentist may first put in a liner made of glass ionomer, composite resin, or other material to protect the nerve. Generally, after the filling is in, the dentist will finish and polish it. Several additional steps are required for tooth-colored fillings and are as follows. After the dentist has removed the decay and cleaned the area, the tooth-colored material is applied in layers. Next, a special light that cures or hardens each layer is applied. When the multilayering process is completed, the dentist will shape the composite material to the desired result, trim off any excess material and polish the final restoration.

 

ROOT CANAL THERAPY (RCT)
If your tooth's nerve chamber becomes infect­ed by decay, root canal treatment is often the only way to save your tooth.

Inside your tooth's hard outer shell is a nourishing pulp of blood vessels, lymph vessels and nerves. The root canals, which contain the pulp, extend to the bone. Deep tooth decay, or an injury, can cause serious damage and infection to the pulp's nerves and vessels. Root canal, or endodontic, treatment cleans out the infected pulp chamber and repairs the damage.

Some indications of the need for root canal treatment may be:

• Spontaneous pain or throbbing while biting.
• Sensitivity to hot and cold foods.
• Severe decay or an injury that creates an abscess (infection) in the bone.

PROCEDURE

Step 1
After the tooth is anesthetized, an opening is made through the crown into the pulp chamber.

Step 2
The length of the root canals is determined.

Step 3
Unhealthy pulp is removed. Canals are cleaned, enlarged and shaped.

Step 4
Canals are filled and sealed. A metal post may be added for Structural support or to retain restorative materials.

Step 5
The tooth is sealed with a temporary filling. Usually a gold or porcelain crown adds further protection.

The material used to fill your root canal will probably last you a lifetime, but eventually the filling or crown may need to be replaced.

CROWNS
Grinding your teeth, an improper bite, age, fillings and tooth decay can all be contributing factors in the wearing down, cracking or breakage of your teeth. Dental crowns cover the entire visible surface of your affected tooth and add strength, durability and tooth stability.

As we age, many of us find ourselves with teeth that are no longer structurally sound. Root canals, lost fillings, decay below a filling, chipping and cracking of the enamel are all things that can lead to large scale defects in a tooth's surface. When the entire surface of the tooth is a problem, but the root system is intact, a crown might be just what the dentist orders.

Types of Tooth Crowns
There are basically three types of crowns, those made of gold, ceramic crowns and ceramic-veneered gold crowns. Gold and metal-ceramic crowns are extremely durable and are normally used in molars, where the forces from chewing and grinding are most prevalent. Ceramic crowns are used primarily for front teeth, since they can best resemble the natural tooth color.

Resin and Porcelain Crowns
The new reinforced resin or bonded all-porcelain type of crown has the nicest appearance. This crown can be made from pure ceramic or a new reinforced composite resin, and is almost indistinguishable from natural teeth. The new bonding technology involved provides an exceptional bond your tooth. It is metal-free, and thus satisfies the needs of patients with metal sensitivities. When correcting your back teeth with bonding, the cosmetic dentist will perform a tooth colored onlay. This type of procedure is used to correct only those parts of the tooth that are in need. This is a metal-free procedure.

Crowns Made of Gold
Gold crowns are appropriate when appearance is not a priority to you. The gold metal is extremely workable making gold crowns a more precise fit than any other type. While there exists a slight possibility of chipping with porcelain crowns, gold crowns provide no such possibility.

Porcelain and Metal Crowns
For a very natural appearance, porcelain fused to metal crowns are the answer. However, they have a metal substructure and require an opaque below the porcelain. This can make the translucency of natural teeth difficult to replicate. Occasionally a darker line will be visible at the edge of the crown, near to your gum when it recedes with age.

Types of Porcelain
There are basically two types of porcelain you're likely to hear and read about most - the felspathic and pressed ceramic porcelains. The felspathic type is the original method that has been around for 20 years. A Ceramist in a dental lab bakes porcelain onto tin foil and then heats it in an oven. The Ceramist is able to create tints and opaques inside the porcelain to give the natural look we seek.

Pressed ceramic is created from a single ingot. The single ingot is milled in one piece to create the desired shape. The stains and opaques are applied only to the surface of the porcelain to give a natural look.

 

 

DENTURES
Dentures are removable replacements for missing teeth typically made out of an acrylic resin which at times incorporate porcelain or metal for additional structural support. There are two main types of dentures. Both Complete Dentures and Partial Dentures are finely crafted, custom-fitted. If you properly maintain your dentures they will appear natural and provide a perfect smile. Additionally, dentures help strengthen muscles controlling your expressions that require the support of your teeth, rid you of pronunciation problems caused by missing teeth and aid with chewing.

COMPLETE DENTURES
These replace all of your teeth, upper or lower. Their comfort depends on muscle, bones, tongue, and saliva. Patients begin wearing conventional dentures after healing the teeth that were pulled.

IMMEDIATE DENTURES
Immediate Dentures are placed all at once, and may require additional adjustments after the healing process. It can take months for your bone and tissue to stabilize after tooth extractions.

UPPER DENTURES
Upper Dentures, tend to be a bit easier to adjust to. These are made of the same materials as a Complete Denture, but are designed to provide you with upper teeth only.

OVER DENTURES
Over Dentures are a type of conventional denture similar to Complete Dentures. The difference is that not all teeth are extracted and they use one or more natural teeth for their support. This type provides greater stabilization during chewing. Over Dentures cost more and typically require more preparation dental appointments until the procedure is fully complete. Designed to correct the gaps in your smile when only some of your teeth are missing. Metal attachments anchor the dentures to your natural teeth.

PARTIAL DENTURES
Partial Dentures maintain tooth alignment by preventing your remaining teeth from shifting. Partial Dentures can also help prevent your loss of more teeth due to decay or gum disease.

 

WISDOM TOOTH EXTRACTION
The procedure often can be done in the dentist's or surgeon's office. You may have the surgery in the hospital, especially if you are having all your wisdom teeth pulled at once or if you are at high risk for complications.

If you have any infections, surgery will usually be delayed until the infection has cleared up. Your doctor or dentist may have you take antibiotics to help heal the infection.

Before removing a wisdom tooth, your dentist will give you a local anesthetic to numb the area where the tooth will be removed. A general anesthetic may be used, especially if several or all of your wisdom teeth will be removed at the same time. A general anesthetic prevents pain in the whole body and will make you groggy or cause you to sleep through the procedure. Your dentist will probably recommend that you don't eat or drink after midnight on the night before surgery, so you are prepared for the anesthetic.

To remove the wisdom tooth, your dentist will open up the gum tissue over the tooth and take out any bone that is covering the tooth. He or she will separate the tissue connecting the tooth to the bone and then remove the tooth. Sometimes the dentist will cut the tooth into smaller pieces to make it easier to remove.

After the tooth is removed, you may need stitches. Some stitches dissolve over time and some have to be removed after a few days. Your dentist will tell you whether your stitches need to be removed. A folded cotton gauze pad placed over the wound will help stop the bleeding.

 

DIGITAL X-RAYS
Digital radiographs or x-rays are one of the newest X-ray techniques around. With digital radiographs, film is replaced with a flat electronic pad or sensor. The X-rays hit the pad the same way they hit the film. But instead of developing the film in a dark room, the image is electronically sent directly to a computer where the image appears on the screen. The image can then be stored on the computer or printed out. One of the great advantages of this process is that radiographs can be digitally compared to previous radiographs in a process called subtraction radiography. The computer can digitally compare the two images, subtract out everything that is the same and give a clear image of anything that is different. This means that tiny changes that may not be noticeable with the naked eye can be caught earlier and more clearly with digital-subtraction radiography. Subtraction radiography requires a specialized projection technique and additional software.