Restorative Dental Services

Dental restorations will treat teeth damaged by decay or fracture. We use the highest quality restorative materials available to provide long-lasting wear, esthetics, and comfort for our patients.

Dental Crowns are a restorative procedure to cap or cover the entire surface of a tooth that is damaged by large restorations that may have decayed or fractured or to restore teeth after root canal therapy. Dental crowns will strengthen the remaining tooth structure, as the entire tooth is supported by strong porcelain or metal bonded to the tooth. They are fabricated in a lab to look natural and blend in with the other teeth around it. Because they are fabricated off-site, after preparation of the tooth for a crown, a temporary restoration is made to hold the space and cover the exposed tooth structure until the final crown is seated, usually in a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, teeth are lost prematurely to periodontal disease, abscess or fracture. While you always have the option to not replace the missing tooth, there are a couple of ways to “bridge” the gap of missing teeth.

If dental implants or a removable prosthesis (partial denture) are not an option for you, dental bridges can be fabricated in a relatively short period of time out of metal or porcelain materials. After the teeth on either side of the gap are prepared for crowns, an impression is made of the entire area and a lab fabricates a fake tooth suspended between crowns on the teeth adjacent to the gap. It is bonded in place like a crown.

Because all of the teeth on the bridge are connected, special care must be taken to clean the abutment teeth under the bridge. The result is improved aesthetics, strength and stability of your teeth and jaw, as the teeth will not be able to shift and drift into the space left by the missing teeth.

If the condition of a patient’s teeth has deteriorated to a point that they are no longer functional and must be removed, they may be restored with a removable prosthesis.

If all the teeth are removed is called a full denture. If there are some teeth remaining, it is called a partial denture.

Full Dentures are made of a pink resin base with teeth embedded into it relying on the underlying soft tissue and bone for stability and support and the fit of the flanges in the surrounding mucosa for retention.

Partial dentures are also pink resin with white teeth and a metal framework supported by the underlying tissues but are retained by metal clasps that fit around the remaining teeth and may be visible when the patient smiles.

It is important to note that neither option adequately replaces the missing teeth. Both take a tremendous effort by the patient and dentist to adjust for comfort and function. However, both can be used for an interim restoration before dental bridges, implants or implant-retained dentures can be fabricated.

Dental implants are an excellent option to replace missing teeth. Whether there is one, several or all teeth missing, implants can be used to anchor

restorative components to restore the function and esthetics of a patient’s smile. A titanium post is placed into the bone and left to heal for 3-6 months.

After this time, the restorative components: implant crowns, bridges or attachments for dentures and partials can be fabricated from an impression sent to a dental laboratory.

There are a number of provisional restorations we can recommend to replace the missing teeth temporarily, if necessary. Dental implants are stable and effective, unable to decay and used to keep bone levels from receding from scarring and loss of tooth function.

Dental implants are especially susceptible to peri-implantitis- or an infection in the gum around an implant so we will give specific cleaning instructions to keep your implant clean and the gums surrounding it healthy.

Dental Implants can be used to:

• Replace one or multiple missing teeth
• Prevent teeth from shifting into the space left by a missing tooth• Restore esthetics from missing teeth
• Anchor dentures, partials, and bridges

Sometimes teeth become infected or abscessed from deep dental decay, fracture of a crown or restoration, or some other unknown cause. In most cases, after careful examination of the tooth and surrounding structures, we can recommend saving the tooth with root canal therapy.

Most often this is a multi-step treatment beginning with scheduling the treatment in our office or referral to a specialist (endodontist). At this treatment appointment, the infected root canal will be removed, sterilized and re-sealed to allow the body to heal the bone surrounding the infected root. After completion, a temporary restoration is placed in the access opening of the root canal. The tooth is then scheduled to be built up and prepared for a crown.

A final appointment will be made at this time to place the permanent crown. Most teeth require a crown after root canal treatment to protect the tooth from a fracture in the future.

It’s very important to complete endodontic therapy as soon as possible as the symptoms of the abscess will likely get worse. Infections that are left untreated will inevitably result in teeth being sensitive to hot and cold, biting pain, swelling of gums, cheek or jaw and possible difficulty opening, closing or swallowing.

If you experience any of these symptoms, we recommend you contact us immediately.

Many patients that come to see us have complaints of neck, back, jaw or headache discomfort. We have a number of therapeutic options to identify and treat disorders of the TMJ and associated structures.

NuCalm Therapy started as a treatment for PTSD in the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Since that time it has been adapted to treat patients’ anxiety in a variety of medical settings, including dentistry. NuCalm can be administered as a stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with restorative or hygiene care. It is an all-natural, non-drug option for anxiety and patients are able to drive themselves home after treatment.