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Our Services Porcelain Veneers | Bonding | Whitening | Conventional Full Denture | Immediate Full Denture | Overdenture | Implant Supported Full Denture | Restoration and Replacement | New Materials for Fillings and Crowns | Bridges | Root Canal Therapy | Dental Implants Porcelain Veneers
This is the ultimate in a cosmetic dental makeover. Many cosmetic dental problems can be permanently resolved with porcelain veneers. Whether you have chipped, gapped, stained or improperly aligned teeth, this maybe the answer. This wafer-thin porcelain is form-fitted to each individual problem tooth. As strong as one's own teeth, these veneers resist future discoloration and chipping. Only one or two visits are required to have the perfect smile.
Bonding
Dental bonding is a special resin composite that adheres to teeth and becomes as hard as enamel. The teeth can be bonded for a reshaped smile in as little as one office visit. The color of the bonding material matches the patient's own teeth to assure a natural look. This may require getting the patients teeth to a pleasing color first, through whitening or other services.
Whitening
Dr. Smith offers at-home whitening treatments. Whitening a patient's teeth removes the appearance of coffee and tobacco stains and improves the color of aging, yellowing teeth. Home whitening requires an initial visit to fit the teeth with two custom-made trays. These clear plastic trays hold a gel that whitens a patient's teeth in 21 to 28 days. Patients can wear the trays overnight or more often in order to speed the process.
Conventional Full Denture
This is created and placed in the patient's mouth after all of the remaining natural teeth, either upper jaw, lower jaw, or both, have been removed and the gum tissue has healed. Several months may be required to ensure complete healing.
Immediate Full Denture
This is placed in the patient's mouth immediately after the remaining natural teeth have been extracted, at the same visit. Several preliminary appointments with the dentist, and possibly an oral surgeon, are used to create the final denture and prepare the patient for the surgical visit. It's important to note that with an immediate full denture, the patient does not have to be without teeth during the healing period. Immediate full dentures usually will require a reline procedure to readapt the lining of the denture to the final contours of the healed tissue. In some special situations, the immediate full denture may function as an interim or temporary denture to accommodate the patient's chewing and appearance needs during healing. In these situations, a new, conventional denture will be created to replace the immediate full denture.
Overdenture
If you have a few healthy natural teeth, the teeth may be modified so that their roots may be used to support the base of a complete full denture. Root canal therapy is performed on the teeth that will be used for support. Then, the height of each tooth is reduced to the level of the gum line. In this way, the roots-and the bone and gum tissue that holds the roots in place, can give additional support for the full denture. This is especially important for lower full dentures, which can be difficult to maintain in place with any stability.
Implant Supported Full Denture
A complete denture can be made to fit over dental implants, which can serve as artificial roots in the manner of an overdenture. In some cases, retentive attachments are placed on each implant and within the denture base. The denture can then be snapped in and out. In other cases, a bar is created to fit over the posts attached to the implants. In this situation, the retentive attachments are part of the bar and the denture base, and once again, the full denture snaps onto the bar. Well-placed implants with healthy gum tissue can actually help reduce jaw and gum tissue shrinkage as time goes by. This can be an important element in denture stability and comfort.
Restoration and Replacement
Modern dentistry has seen remarkable advancements in the way your teeth can be restored or replaced should the need arise. In just the last few years there have been many exciting improvements in the materials and techniques that allow dentists to restore and replace teeth with incredibly natural looking filling materials and with inlays and crowns that look so much like natural teeth that you can hardly tell the difference.
New Materials for Fillings and Crowns
When teeth develop cavities, once the decay is removed the "hole" has to be filled with a suitable material. Depending on the size of the "hole," a suitable material can be selected to "fill it." For many years, amalgam (silver) and gold were the materials most often used for fillings. Today, there are several alternative materials that offer the strength of metals with the beauty of tooth-colored porcelains and composites. These materials are bonded or cemented to the teeth to restore them to their original shape and strength. This type of aesthetic dentistry can enhance and improve your smile tremendously. Gold onlays, crowns, and amalgam are still an excellent material for use in the back of the mouth where they are not visible.
Bridges
A "bridge" is a restoration, which replaces or spans the space where one or more teeth have been lost. There are two types of bridges: fixed and removable. Fixed bridges are cemented into place and can only be removed by a dentist. A removable bridge or "partial denture", conversely, can be taken out by the patient for cleaning. While less costly, removable bridges may not be as desirable as fixed bridges and are not generally as stable.
Your appearance, dental health and the proper functioning of your mouth are all important reasons for having a bridge placed. A bridge helps maintain the natural shape of your face by supporting your lips and cheeks. The loss of your back teeth may cause your bite to collapse and your face to droop and appear older.
More importantly, however, when teeth are not replaced your overall dental health may suffer significantly. Your teeth were designed to complement each other. When a tooth is lost, the nearby teeth may tip into the empty space, and the teeth in the opposite jaw may move up or down toward the open space. This places unusual stress on both the teeth and the supporting tissues in your mouth. The gum tissues and the bone that holds your teeth in place can break down, increasing the risk of gum disease.
Teeth that have drifted are difficult to clean thoroughly, making them more likely to decay. As a result, even more teeth may be lost. Missing teeth can also affect the way you chew and speak. Chewing on only one side of your mouth puts stress on your mouth and jaws. Your teeth are also needed to speak properly, as they help you make the many sounds needed to speak.
Bridges can be made to attach to your own remaining permanent teeth as well as to dental implants. They can be made of gold or porcelain tooth-colored materials, and with proper home care and regular dental examinations to monitor fit and support, your bridge should last for many years.
Root Canal Therapy
If the nerve chamber of a tooth becomes infected by decay, exposed from trauma, involved with a crack, or affected by orthodontic movement, root canal therapy is often the only way to correct the problem and save the tooth.
Inside the tooth's dense outer shell is a nourishing pulp of nerves, blood vessels and lymph vessels. The root canals contain the pulp and extend through the root to the bone. Deep tooth decay or an injury can cause serious damage to these vital tissues. Teeth with large fillings or crowns can also have underlying damaged pulps that are vulnerable to bacterial infection. Root canal, or endodontic treatment cleans out the infected pulp chamber and seals it off with a soft filler material.
Some indications that you may need root canal therapy include: Your dentist to determine if this treatment is needed can perform several diagnostic tests. An X-ray is taken to evaluate the roots and bone for decay and signs of an abscess. Root canal therapy involves several steps:
Dental Implants
Dental implants are small titanium posts, which are inserted into the jawbone where teeth are missing. The dental implants serve as tooth root substitutes. They are surgically placed into the jawbone by either an oral surgeon or a periodontist. The bone bonds with the titanium implant, creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth restorations.
Implants help preserve facial structure, bone and gum support prevent the bone deterioration that occurs when teeth are missing. Drs. Smith will help you decide which type of restoration fits your individual needs.
Smith and Smith Dental Corporation
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