Careful Dental Treatment

During your new patient visit we will make x-rays and perform an exam on your teeth and gums. We will explain our finding and answer any of your questions. Then, we will discuss your options and help you make a plan to improve or maintain the health of your teeth.

During an esthetic consultation we will evaluate your smile and recommend what’s possible for improving your smile. The consultation is designed to give you an idea of how we can improve color, tooth position and smile symmetry. Sometimes, x-rays or a complete exam are required before beginning treatment.

Regular Dental Cleaning - We recommend visiting the dentist twice a year for regular dental hygiene cleanings. At this visit, we remove hard tartar deposits from your teeth, polish away surface stains, and keep gingivitis under control. 

Periodontal Cleaning and Deep Scaling - Severe gum inflammation or deep pockets around teeth, is known as periodontal disease. This requires a more advanced periodontal cleaning and usually follow up visits to evaluate the healing of your gums.

Fillings - No amalgam is used in our office. Instead, white fillings are bonded to your teeth. Fillings are used for repairing small holes in your teeth. We also use the white composite filling as an instant veneer to improve the shape or color of your teeth.

Crowns - If your tooth cracks or breaks and we cannot repair it with a filling, then a crown is recommended. A crown is made by the laboratory and then it’s cemented onto your tooth. Scientific studies show that posterior teeth which have had root canal treatment should be protected with a crown. We recommend all ceramic crowns that have no metal and look naturally beautiful (we do not recommend old style crowns with dark metal edges).

Whitening is safe for your teeth. In fact, whitening is safer for your teeth than drinking a Coca-Cola. Everyone’s teeth whiten differently, some teeth whiten quickly and some teeth whiten slowly. Once your teeth are whiter, the new color holds very well. Each year only mild touch ups are needed to keep the teeth white, not a complete whitening treatment. There are two ways to whiten your teeth.

Home Whitening (slower, but better results) - Custom trays are made to fit just your teeth. These trays hold the whitening gel on your teeth and are worn each day for between 1-6 hours (depending on the strength of the gel). Your teeth will be whiter in 10-15 days, but you may stop as soon as you like the new color.

Office Whitening (faster, but weaker results) - Powerful whitening gel speeds up the whitening of your teeth but it’s only used in the dental office so that we can protect your lips and gums. Office whitening gives you the equivalent of 10 days with home whitening. That means it’s fast but it does not make your teeth as white as they could be. If you would like the whitest possible result from office whitening, then you must also whitening at home an additional 5-10 days after the office whitening.

IMPORTANT - We do not use light or laser activated whitening systems. Whitening systems that use lights or lasers cause dehydration of teeth and they increase temperatures inside teeth. Also, light activated rapid whitening causes only temporary whitening of teeth because after 2-4 days, the teeth re-hydrate and lose much of the new whiteness. Studies show that lights and lasers are not useful for whitening and here is more information about whitening.