Crown

A crown provides strength and improves the appearance of the tooth it "covers". It is placed on an individual tooth much like a thimble over your finger. It is a stationary, custom made cover for any tooth that has sustained significant loss of structure.

Bridge

A bridge is a dental appliance that replaces one or more natural missing teeth, thereby "bridging" the space between two teeth. Fixed bridges are cemented into place next to the "abutment" teeth--the surrounding teeth on either side of the space, or "span." Unlike removable partial dentures, fixed bridges cannot be taken out of the mouth by the patient. A fixed bridge is a device that typically consists of three units--a pontic (a false tooth) fused between two crowns that are cemented onto the abutment teeth.

Porcelain Veneer

Porcelain veneers, often alternatively termed dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates, are wafer-thin shells of porcelain which are bonded onto the front side of teeth so to make a cosmetic improvement in their appearance. Porcelain veneers are routinely used to idealize teeth that are discolored, worn, chipped, or misaligned.

Root Canal

Also called Endodontic treatment, this is the cleaning out of the inside nerve of a tooth that is heavily decayed or infected, and replacing it with a material which seals the inside of the root so infection cannot get back in.

Tooth Whitening

Teeth whitening using peroxide bleaching compounds has become an extremely popular procedure, both with dental patients and dentists alike. While there are many variations on this basic technique, our office offers a professional at-home whitening system where the bleaching treatments are performed by a person at home unsupervised.

Implants

Dental implantology is a new branch of dentistry which involves the reconstruction of missing teeth and their supporting structures with natural or synthetic substitutes. An implant is performed as a joint effort with a Dentist and and Oral Surgeon.

Inlay and Onlay

Inlays and onlays are two methods of restoring normal tooth structure after decay or other damage. Inlays and onlays are known as indirect fillings because unlike a standard filling that is done in a dentist's office, both are made in a laboratory and cemented or bonded to the surface of the tooth. An inlay is done when the tooth structure replaced is within the cusp tips of the tooth. If the damage is more extensive and the new structure covers the entire chewing surface including one or more tooth cusps, the procedure is called an onlay.

Restorative (Composite Filling)

Composite quartz resin usually contains some sort of light sensitive agent. These light cured composites are extremely cosmetic and most often bonded into place in one appointment. For this reason, they are often referred to as "bonding". They can be used in both the front of the mouth as well as in your back teeth. These materials come in a variety of shades so that they will match the color of your own teeth. Some of these composite materials have been specifically designed to actually withstand the incredible forces you can exert when chewing on your back teeth.

Dentures

A denture is a removable replacement for missing teeth and adjacent tissues. It is made of acrylic resin, sometimes in combination with various metals. Complete dentures replace all the teeth, while a partial denture fills in the spaces created by missing teeth and prevents other teeth from changing position. Complete dentures are either "conventional" or "immediate." A conventional denture is placed in the mouth about a month after all the teeth are removed to allow for proper healing, whereas an immediate denture is placed as soon as the teeth are removed. The drawback behind an immediate denture is that it may require more adjustments after the healing has taken place.