Our services
Our services
A routine dental checkup involves a thorough exam for decay, gum disease, and oral cancer, plus a professional cleaning to remove plaque/tartar, followed by polishing and flossing, all to catch problems early, keep your mouth healthy, and prevent more serious issues, with X-rays often taken to see hidden areas.
What is done:
Examination: We will check your teeth, gums, tongue, throat, neck, and jaw for signs of cavities, gum disease (redness, swelling), sores, or oral cancer.
X-rays: Often taken to spot hidden decay, bone loss, or issues below the gumline not visible during a visual exam.
Professional Cleaning: A hygienist uses special tools to scrape off plaque and hardened tartar, cleans between teeth, and polishes them.
Flossing: Thorough flossing reaches areas brushing misses.
Fluoride/Sealants: May be applied for extra protection, especially for back teeth.
Discussion: You'll get advice on home care, and the dentist will discuss any necessary treatments or next steps, like scheduling your next visit (usually 6 months).
Why It's Important:
Early Detection: Catches decay, gum disease, and oral cancer when they're easier and cheaper to treat.
Prevention: Removes buildup that leads to bigger problems like gum disease.
Overall Health: Connects oral health to your overall well-being, checking for issues in the neck and jaw.
Oral surgery involves procedures on the mouth, jaws, face, and neck, treating issues from wisdom teeth removal and dental implants to complex corrective jaw surgery, facial trauma reconstruction, and oral cancer treatment, utilizing specialized training to fix problems not resolved by general dentistry, ranging from simple extractions to extensive cosmetic or reconstructive work.
Common Procedures:
Tooth Extraction: Removing damaged, decayed, or problematic teeth, especially impacted wisdom teeth.
Dental Implants: Placing artificial roots (implants) to support replacement teeth for missing ones.
Bone Grafting: Adding bone material to the jaw to support implants or correct defects.
Gum Surgery (Periodontal Surgery): Treating severe gum disease by accessing and cleaning infected areas.
Jaw Surgery (Orthognathic Surgery): Correcting misaligned jaws, sleep apnea, and facial deformities.
Cyst/Tumor Removal: Excising growths from the mouth, jaw, or face.
Facial Trauma Repair: Fixing fractures and injuries to the jaw, face, and related structures.
What to Expect:
Consultation: X-rays, medical history review, and discussion of your chief complaint.
Anesthesia: Procedures can range from local anesthesia to general anesthesia, often with sedation.
Surgical Planning: Use of 3D models and software for complex cases to visualize outcomes.
Recovery: Varies by procedure, but many patients return to normal activities within a few days, with full healing taking longer.
Dentures are removable (or sometimes fixed) prosthetic devices that replace missing teeth and surrounding tissues, restoring your ability to eat, speak, and smile, made from materials like acrylic or porcelain, and coming in full (all teeth) or partial (some teeth) options. They are custom-made for a natural look, fitting over the gums, and while they take time to get used to, modern dentures are more comfortable and functional than ever.
Types of Dentures
Full Dentures: Replace all teeth in an arch (upper or lower).
Partial Dentures: Replace some missing teeth while natural teeth remain.
Conventional: Placed after gums heal (8-12 weeks post-extraction).
Immediate: Inserted immediately after teeth are removed, serving as a temporary solution during healing.
Implant-Supported: Attach to dental implants for greater stability.
Materials
Acrylic Resin: Most common, durable, and cost-effective.
Porcelain: Offers a very natural look but is heavier and more expensive.
Metal (Cobalt-Chrome): Used in partials for thinner, stronger frames, often with acrylic teeth.
Key Benefits
Improved ability to chew and speak.
Enhanced appearance and confidence.
Support for facial structures, preventing sagging.
Care & Maintenance
Clean daily (twice a day) with a soft brush and mild soap or denture cleaner.
Remove at night to let gums rest, keeping them moist in water or solution.
Regular dental checkups (yearly) are important for fit adjustments.
Dental fillings are restorative materials used to repair teeth damaged by decay, cracks, or trauma, by filling the cavity after removing decayed parts to restore function, shape, and prevent further damage. Common materials include tooth-colored composites, silver amalgam, gold, porcelain, and glass ionomers, chosen based on location, cost, and durability, with the goal of preserving the natural tooth structure.
What They Do:
Restore Function: Allow you to bite and chew comfortably.
Prevent Further Decay: Seal the tooth, stopping bacteria from getting in.
Strengthen Teeth: Support weakened tooth structure.
Improve Appearance: Tooth-colored options blend in naturally.
Common Types of Filling Materials:
Composite Resin: Tooth-colored, blends with natural teeth, but can stain and may not last as long as metal.
Amalgam (Silver Fillings): Durable, inexpensive, but metallic in appearance.
Porcelain (Ceramic): Stain-resistant, natural-looking, often made in a lab (inlays/onlays).
Glass-Ionomer: Releases fluoride, often used for fillings near the gum line or for children.
The Procedure:
Numbing: The dentist numbs the area for comfort.
Decay Removal: Decayed or damaged tooth material is drilled away.
Cleaning: The cavity is cleaned and dried.
Filling: The material is placed, shaped, and hardened.
A root canal is a common dental procedure to remove infected or damaged pulp (nerves and blood vessels) from inside a tooth, cleaning, shaping, and sealing the inner canals to prevent further infection and save the natural tooth from extraction, often followed by a filling or crown for protection. It's needed when deep decay, cracks, or trauma allow bacteria to reach the pulp, causing pain or inflammation.
What happens during a root canal:
Numbing: The area around the tooth is numbed with anesthesia.
Access: A small opening is made in the tooth's crown to access the pulp chamber.
Cleaning: The infected or dead pulp is removed, and the inside of the canals is thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and shaped.
Filling: The cleaned canals are filled with a biocompatible material, like gutta-percha, and sealed.
Restoration: A temporary filling is placed, and later a permanent filling or a crown is added to protect the tooth.
Why it's done:
To relieve severe tooth pain.
To stop the spread of infection that could lead to bone loss.
To save your natural tooth, allowing it to function normally.
Key takeaway:
Root canals are highly successful, effective at eliminating pain, and allow you to keep your natural tooth for years, preventing the need for extraction and replacement with an implant or bridge.
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots, usually titanium screws surgically placed in the jawbone, that provide a stable base for replacement teeth like crowns, bridges, or dentures, restoring chewing ability, speech, and appearance by integrating with the bone (osseointegration). They offer a long-term, natural-feeling solution, preventing bone loss and avoiding damage to adjacent teeth, unlike traditional bridges.
How they work
Surgical Placement: A surgeon places the implant (a small post) directly into the jawbone.
Osseointegration: Over several months, the jawbone fuses with the titanium implant, creating a strong, stable anchor.
Abutment & Crown: An abutment (connector) is attached to the implant, and then a custom-made crown (the visible tooth part) is placed on top.
Key Benefits
Durability: They fuse with your bone, preventing slippage and bone damage.
Natural Feel & Function: They look, feel, and function like natural teeth, allowing normal eating and speaking.
Bone Health: They stimulate the jawbone, preventing the deterioration that occurs with missing teeth.
Preserves Teeth: Unlike bridges, they don't require grinding down healthy neighboring teeth.