What is a dental “filling”?

It is replacing and restoring a damaged tooth structure caused by decay or fracture. We can also replace old, broken-down amalgam/metal fillings that contain traces of mercury with white fillings (composites) that restore your smile and teeth to a more natural look and feel. With today’s advancements, you no longer have to suffer the embarrassment of unsightly and unhealthy silver/mercury or metal fillings of the past. Eliminate the dark, black appearance in your teeth with our safe, state of the art, tooth-colored composite resin fillings.

A root canal is a procedure that extracts decayed tissue (pulp) from the central part of the tooth, reshapes its canal and replaces it with a strengthening filler, which prevents the tooth from breaking. Root canals are sometimes needed because cavities decay tooth’s enamel. This decay can burrow deeply into the tooth and cause extensive damage to its structure.

When the damage goes beyond what can be treated with a filling, dentists can perform a root canal (or endodontics), which preserves the tooth and allows it to retain its original integrity.  Some teeth may have curved roots or other complications that are beyond the scope of normal endodontic treatment. If this situation arises, we will refer you to a very capable specialist who will perform the procedure needed for the more complicated root canal.

A crown is a custom-made covering that fits over an original tooth that is either decayed, damaged or cracked. Crowns are made of a variety of different materials such as porcelain, gold, acrylic resin or a mixture of these materials. Porcelain generally has the most natural appearance. Once the procedure to place the crown is completed, proper dental hygiene—including daily brushing and flossing—is required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and crowns. These actions help prevent gum disease and recurrent decay at the margins of the crown. Given proper care, your crowns can last many years.

A bridge is a dental device that fills a space that a tooth previously occupied. A bridge may be necessary to prevent: shifting of the teeth that can lead to bite problems (occlusion), jaw problems and periodontal disease. Bridges safeguard the integrity of existing teeth and help maintain a healthy, vibrant smile.

There are three main types of bridges:

Fixed Bridge: consists of a filler tooth attached to two crowns and fitted over existing teeth to hold the bridge in place.

“Maryland” Bridge: used to replaced missing front teeth and consists of a filler attached to metal bands that are then bonded to the supporting teeth.

Cantilever Bridge: used when there are teeth only on one side of the “span,” this bridge consists of two crowned teeth positioned next to each other on the same side where the missing tooth space is. A filler tooth connects the crowned teeth, and the missing space is filled.

An extraction is the complete removal of a tooth. Extractions are sometimes necessary if a primary (baby) tooth is preventing the normal growth of a permanent tooth, if the tooth has suffered extensive tooth decay or trauma that cannot be repaired, if gum disease is present, or if the tooth is impacted (usually the wisdom teeth). Depending on the complexity of the case, an extraction can be performed surgically or non surgically. A mild anesthetic is used to ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible throughout the procedure.

Your third set of molars are more commonly called “wisdom teeth.” Usually appearing in the late teens or early twenties, third molars often lack the proper space in the jaw to fully grow in, or even at all. This common condition is called impaction. When any tooth lacks the space to come through or simply develops in the wrong place of your jaw and becomes impacted, problems can arise. Primarily, damage to adjacent teeth and crowding can occur. In certain cases, the wisdom tooth that cannot come through becomes inflamed under the gums and in the jawbone, which causes a sac to develop around the root of the tooth that then fills with liquid. This can cause a cyst or an abscess if it becomes infected. If either of these situations goes untreated, serious damage to the underlying bone and surrounding teeth and tissues can result. To prevent this, an extraction of one, several or all of the wisdom teeth may be advised.  Our staff will gladly get you set up with an oral surgeon to perform this procedure.