Pocelain Veneers are a thin piece of porcelain that resembles the enamel of the tooth. Veneers are bonded to te front surface of the tooth with minimal tooth reductions. Veneers can change the color, shape, and size of teeth making them look more natural and beautiful, mimicking mother nature's luminosity and opalescence. They are idealy used for sicolored teeth, fillings that are too large and noticeable, crooked or misaligned, chipped or worn down teethspaces between teeth, or teeth that are too short, long or wide.
When a large portion of hte tooth structure is decayed, worn down, or has a large filling, a crown or bridge may need to be placed to restore the area. There are three types of crown and bridges. The three types are metal, porcelain, or metal with porcelain. In the past porcelain metal crowns were used to give the tooth stregth with a tooth color appearance. Crowns that have a metal substructure are strong, but do not resemble the look of a natural tooth as an all porcelain crown does. A bridge is made up of two crowns with a false tooth in between. We are able to make all three types of crown and bridges; however, we recommend the all porcelain for a more natural looking smile.
Tooth color fillings "white fillings" are replacing amalgams "silver fillings". One advantage of the tooth color filling is a more natural appearance. More importantly, your dentist will not have to remove as much tooth structure.
Bonding is used to repair chips and spaces between the teeth. In these cases, the dentist uses tooth color filling material to fill the spaces or repair chips. This procedure can usually be done without being numbed.
Whitening is the least expensive and simplest way to brighten the color of your teeth. Bleaching is used to whten dark, dull or stained teeth. We have found that the take home method gives the best results in the long term. However, we do provide the one hour, in-office bleaching for faster results. This process usualy needs to be followed with other recommended products.
If a patient is in advanced stages of gum disease or tooth decay and needs all their teeth removed, dentures can be fabricated to match the shape of your smile.
When a patient experiances pain due to decay, cracked, chipped, or tramatized teeth, a root canal may be necessary. Signs to look for include pain, prolonged sensitivity to cold or hot, discoloration of the tooth, and swelling or tenderness in the nearby gums. Sometimes there are no symptoms.
Studies have shown that 75% of the poplulation has some degree of gum disease. Some signs and symptoms include gums that bleed when you brush or floss, gums that are red, swollen or tender, bad breath/taste and exposed roots.
Our office offers three types of lasers, the Diagnodent, DioDent II, and VersaWave.