Pediatric dental services may include silver diamine fluoride applications, white composite fillings, silver fillings, stainless steel crowns, white zirconia crowns, extractions, space maintainers and habit appliances. These services may be completed under nitrous oxide or general anesthesia. For further questions about these services, please visit our FAQ tab.

Scaling & Root Planing Scaling and root planing, otherwise known as conventional periodontal therapy, non-surgical periodontal therapy, or deep cleaning, is the process of removing or eliminating the etiologic agents – dental plaque, its products, and calculus – which cause inflammation, thus helping to establish a periodontium that is free of disease.

What are composites (tooth colored fillings)? Composites or tooth colored fillings are used to “fill” areas of decay, restore fractured teeth in which cosmetic appearance is important. The shade of the restoration material is matched as closely as possible to the color of the natural tooth. This is typically the restoration of choice, unless treatment conditions dictate the use of another material.

In dentistry, an inlay is an indirect restoration (filling) consisting of a solid substance (as gold or porcelain) fitted to a cavity in a tooth and cemented into place. An onlay is the same as an inlay, except that it extends to replace a cusp. Crowns are onlays which completely cover all surfaces of a tooth.

A crown is a type of dental restoration which completely caps or encircles a tooth or dental implant. Crowns are often needed when a large cavity threatens the ongoing health of a tooth. They are typically bonded to the tooth using a dental cement. Crowns can be made from many materials, which are usually fabricated using indirect methods. Crowns are often used to improve the strength or appearance of teeth. While inarguably beneficial to dental health. A bridge is a fixed dental restoration used to replace a missing tooth by joining an artificial tooth permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants. Types of bridges may vary, depending upon how they are fabricated and the way they anchor to the adjacent teeth. Conventionally, bridges are made using the indirect method of restoration. However, bridges can be fabricated directly in the mouth using such materials as composite resin. A bridge is fabricated by reducing the teeth on either side of the missing tooth or teeth by a preparation pattern determined by the location of the teeth and by the material from which the bridge is fabricated. In other words, the abutment teeth are reduced in size to accommodate the material to be used to restore the size and shape of the original teeth in a correct alignment and contact with the opposing teeth. The dimensions of the bridge are defined by Ante’s Law: “The root surface area of the abutment teeth has to equal or surpass that of the teeth being replaced with pontics”. The materials used for the bridges include gold, porcelain fused to metal, or in the correct situation porcelain alone. The amount and type of reduction done to the abutment teeth varies slightly with the different materials used. The recipient of such a bridge must be careful to clean well under this prosthesis. When restoring an edentulous space with a fixed partial denture that will crown the teeth adjacent to the space and bridge the gap with a pontic, or “dummy tooth”, the restoration is referred to as a bridge. Besides all of the preceding information that concerns single-unit crowns, bridges possess a few additional considerations when it comes to case selection and treatment planning, tooth preparation and restoration fabrication.

Natural-looking porcelain veneers are an excellent choice for covering teeth that are chipped, discolored, or slightly misaligned. The veneer is a thin shell of porcelain that is custom-made to fit perfectly over the front of a tooth. Because the porcelain is translucent, it lets the color of the existing tooth shine through for a completely natural appearance.

A removable partial denture or bridge usually consists of replacement teeth attached to a pink or gum-colored plastic base, which is connected by metal framework that holds the denture in place in the mouth. Partial dentures are used when one or more natural teeth remain in the upper or lower jaw. A fixed (permanent) bridge replaces one or more teeth by placing crowns on the teeth on either side of the space and attaching artificial teeth to them. This “bridge” is then cemented into place. Not only does a partial denture fill in the spaces created by missing teeth, it prevents other teeth from changing position. A precision partial denture is removable and has internal attachments rather than clasps that attach to the adjacent crowns. This is a more natural-looking appliance.

A dental extraction (also referred to as exodontia) is the removal of a tooth from the mouth. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons, including tooth decay that has destroyed enough tooth structure to render the tooth non-restorable. Extractions of impacted or problematic wisdom teethare routinely performed, as are extractions of some permanent teeth to make space for orthodontic treatment.

A root canal is the space within the root of a tooth. Part of a naturally occurring space within a tooth, it consists of the pulp chamber (within the coronal part of the tooth), the main canal(s), and more intricate anatomical branches that may connect the root canals to each other or to the surface of the root.

CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CEramic REConstruction) is a dental restoration product that allows a dental practitioner to produce an indirect ceramic dental restoration using a variety of computer assisted technologies, including 3D photography and CAD/CAM. With CEREC, teeth can be restored in a single sitting with the patient, rather than the multiple sittings required with earlier techniques. Additionally, with the latest software and hardware updates, crowns, veneers, onlays and inlays can be prepared, using different types of ceramic material.

ZOOM! Whitening is one of the safest, most effective, and fastest, procedures available for dramatically brightening your smile. A high-concentration peroxide gel is applied to the teeth by a trained dental professional. Then, a special light is aimed at the teeth for 15 to 20 minutes that activates the gel’s bleaching power. The process is performed several times until the desired whiteness is achieved. The entire appointment takes approximately two hours. Once your ZOOM Whitening procedure is complete, the results will last for years with proper care and periodic touch ups. ZOOM! Whitening is perfect for people with yellow or darkened teeth due to aging, or those with stains from things like tobacco, red wine, coffee, tea, blueberries or other food or drink. However, it is important to note that ZOOM! will not work in certain cases, like when a tooth is darkened due to trauma, exposure to medication like tetracycline, or other factors. In these cases, procedures like veneers and crowns are a better option. When you come in for your appointment, we’ll be able to tell you if ZOOM! will work for you

Six Month Smiles® short term orthodontic treatment is a modern twist on tried-and-true orthodontics. There is little debate within the orthodontic community that braces are the most widely used and most effective method to give patients straight, healthy teeth and a beautiful smile. Six Month Smiles has taken the best aspects of braces and modified the treatment and the materials to give adults a common-sense, cosmetic solution that fits your lifestyle. Here is what makes Six Month Smiles so innovative … • Average treatment times of only six months • Six Month Smiles Lucid-Lok® clear brackets and tooth-colored wires are barely visible • Use of braces has shown to provide the most conservative and predictable final result • Six Month Smiles Patient Tray Kits™ ensure that your appointments are fast and comfortable • Low forces and short overall orthodontic treatment times increase comfort, safety, and hygiene • Six Month Smiles is typically less expensive than traditional braces, aligner therapy, or veneers

What is Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen? Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) is ALWAYS administered with oxygen. Nitrous oxide is a safe gas and is 100% exhaled by the patient. The combination of nitrous oxide and oxygen, inhaled by your child during the restorative appointment, is used to relax a mildly anxious child. Nitrous Oxide/oxygen also acts to minimize discomfort during dental treatment. Your child does not fall asleep and can effectively communicate with the dentist. Your child should be able to return to normal activities upon leaving the dental office, however limit the amount of physical activity immediately following treatment.

For children with severe dental needs with dental anxiety and fears, we offer treatment under general anesthesia at the hospital or in-office under the care of an anesthesiologist.

What is a Frenectomy? A frenectomy is a quick procedure to fully release a tongue-tie, lip-tie, or cheek-tie using a soft tissue laser. This is often performed to treat difficulties in feeding, nursing, speech, oral hygiene, and airway management. Often it yields very successful results when post-release exercises are performed.