Procedures

Root Canal

Root canal is a surgical procedure used to both diagnose and treat condition within the dental pulp, the soft core of the tooth. The dental pulp contains nerves, blood vessels and tissue and stretches from the crown of the tooth to the root of the jaw bone. Cracked or infected teeth can cause severe damage to the dental pulp and may cause it to die. A root canal removes the damaged pulp and helps save decayed or infected teeth.

The dental pulp may become damaged as a result of decay, cracks, chips, trauma or repeated dental procedures. Damage can cause severe toothache, increased sensitivity to hot or cold, discoloration and swelling and tenderness of the gum. Dental pulp damage can also eventually lead to bone loss, drainage problems and swelling that spreads to other areas. Timely treatment of this condition is necessary in order to avoid these complications.

A root canal procedure involves a deep cleaning of the inside of the tooth in order to remove bacteria, decayed nerve tissue and other debris. A hole is drilled into the tooth to allow your doctor to reach the inside with a root canal file. After being cleaned, the tooth is sealed and then filled at a later appointment. This restores the health of the tooth and helps prevent against future infection and contamination.

Despite the common belief that a root canal is a painful procedure, most patients report the procedure to be no more painful than other dental procedures. You can take anti-inflammatory pain medications to help reduce pain after a root canal. Root canal procedures have a success rate of over 95 percent and are a permanent solution that often goes unnoticed by others.

Sedation Dentistry

Patients who are uncomfortable with needles and drills, who have sensitive teeth or gums, or who have a strong gag reflex can be helped with dental sedation. After one pill or injection, many patients feel no discomfort whatsoever during and after treatment. They often have little or no memory of the visit. Another benefit is that extensive treatment can be done in one or two appointments, including whitening yellow or stained teeth, replacing crowns or dentures, fixing chipped or damaged teeth, and restoring sore gums to good health.

Laser Dentistry

Lasers allow many dental procedures to be performed with no noise and very little pain. They are versatile tools that can be used in oral surgery, curing of restorative materials, and removal of hard and soft tissue. Other benefits of laser dentistry over traditional methods can include:

Reduced heat and vibration
High precision
Little or no need for anesthetic
Little or no bleeding

Faster treatment time
Increased rate of curing/bleaching
Less post-operative pain and swelling
Fewer pain medications/antibiotics

Many patients find that laser dentistry is far more comfortable than traditional methods using drills. The only noise comes from air as it cools the area being treated. Laser technology also allows several procedures to be performed during a single appointment by your own dentist, so you can be in and out of the office faster.

Pediatric Dentistry

Dental appointments for children are important not only to evaluate tooth and gum health but also to educate the young patient in how to prevent dental problems and maintain a healthy smile throughout his or her life.

During a check-up we will evaluate:

How many teeth are and should be present
Loose teeth
Cavities
Gum health
Bite and habit evaluation
Tongue and speech
Fluoride use
Diet and health history
Home care and prevention

We will also speak with the parent(s), guardian(s) or accompanying adult(s) about how to care for the child's teeth and also answer any questions they may have.

Partial & Full Dentures

Patients who have lost their natural teeth due to decay, periodontal disease or injury can suffer from related problems including further decay, difficulty eating and speaking, and drooping of facial muscles. Full and partial dentures replace the missing teeth both aesthetically and functionally, providing support and restoring the smile. Full (complete) dentures are used when all of the natural teeth have been lost, while partial dentures fill in the gaps between natural teeth. The gums, dentures and any remaining natural teeth will need to be cleaned regularly to prevent staining, sores and plaque build-up.

TMJ

The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) is the small joint located in front of your ear where your skull and your lower jaw meet. The TMJ moves every time you talk, yawn, chew or swallow. It is one of the most frequently used joints in your body.

If you place your fingers in front of your ears, on the triangular structure in front of your ear, you can feel the joints on the left and right sides of your head. Then move your finger just slightly forward and press firmly while you open your jaw all the way open and shut. The motion you feel is in the TMJ.

ZOOM!® Whitening

The ZOOM!® chairside whitening system is a safe, effective and fast way to brighten your teeth in a single office visit. The ZOOM! procedure is much more convenient than wearing trays or strips, making it a great choice for our busy patients.

ZOOM! is done in the office during one visit lasting 1-2 hours. At your appointment we apply a gentle, hydrogen peroxide-based whitening gel to your teeth. The gel is then exposed to a high-intensity light. After the treatment, your teeth will be up to 6-10 shades whiter.

Dentist-supervised whitening is one of the safest and most conservative cosmetic dental treatments available. The most common side effect is an increased tooth sensitivity to cold for 1-3 days after treatment.

Sleep Apnea

People with sleep apnea stop breathing while they sleep, sometimes hundreds of times per night, and sometimes for a minute or longer. Sleep apnea affects about 18 million people of all ages in the U.S. and takes three forms: obstructive, central and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common form, occurs when the soft tissue at the back of the throat closes, blocking (obstructing) the person’s airway. The airway remains open in central sleep apnea, but the brain does not send signals to the muscles involved in breathing. Mixed sleep apnea combines aspects of the obstructive and central types. A common warning sign of sleep apnea is snoring (especially snoring interspersed with gasps or lack of breathing) although it is not always as a result of sleep apnea.

Because sufferers are roused from sleep briefly to resume proper breathing, disrupting and lowering the quality of a person’s rest, sleep apnea can cause a number of problems. If left untreated, it can result in high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, headaches, and daytime fatigue leading to job impairment and motor vehicle crashes.

There are a variety of treatments available for sleep apnea, including oral appliance therapy, mandibular repositioning and tongue-retaining devices, nasal sprays, traditional surgery, laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and nasal surgery. If you think you are suffering from sleep apnea, talk with your dentist. He or she will discuss which treatment is right for you.

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