Even people with straight teeth can suffer from mal-occlusion. Mal-occlusion is the dental term for teeth that don't fit together correctly. Orthodontics corrects mal-occlusions. Size of teeth and the size of jaws are inherited from the parents, and sometimes they don't perfectly match. As a matter of fact people that have perfectly fitting teeth in their jaw are very lucky. Also other habits such as thumb sucking can result in mal-occlusion. Or kids that lose their baby teeth early and adults that lose their permanent teeth will most of the time end up with mal-occlusion. In some cases mal-occlusion is only due to jaw relationship discrepancy in which people might have straight teeth, but have conditions known as "over bite" or "under bite" or "cross bite". That's why even if kids or adults seemingly have perfectly straight teeth they need to be evaluated for those conditions. Other mal-occlusions include crowding and excess spacing.

Mal-occlusions are like having a car that has unbalanced tires. As unbalanced tires have excessive wear and tear, mal-occluded teeth can result in excess wear and tear of the enamel which doesn't regenerate. Other problems may also be resulted due to mal-occlusion. Some of these problems can be serious and may not be noticeable until later which can cause more damage. Gum problem is one of them. Other problems may include TMJ problem and headaches. The earlier we fix mal-occlusion the less damage will be resulted. And obviously the patient will achieve a more beautiful profile and nicer smile.

We also offer more cosmetic forms of braces such as invisaling and porcelain bracket braces for those who qualify.

The goal of cosmetic dentistry is to turn an average smile in to a terrific smile. It is done by analyzing every aspect of a smile and then correcting the problems. Terrific smiles have several things in common. The teeth are straight and not crooked. They are evenly spaced with no gaps. They are white and not stained. The top teeth show when you smile, but not the gums. The gum line is smooth, not uneven. The edges of the top teeth smoothly follow the curve of the lower lip. There are cosmetic procedures to fix any of these problems. Even if you were not born with a beautiful smile you can still have one.

Gingivits

Gingivitis, which is the swelling and inflammation of the gums, is the first stage of the periodontal disease. Preventing the development of the disease begins with a thorough diagnosis. The main cause of gingivitis is accumulation of the plaque, the sticky film of food and bacteria that forms constantly on your teeth. The bacteria in plaque invade the space between the teeth and gums and begin producing toxins. These toxins irritate and inflame the gums, causing them to swell and bleed. Ginigivitis is easily reversed, but if it is not caught on time it can lead to a more serious infection of the teeth, gums and the jaw bone that can lead to tooth loss. Some of the signs of gingivitis are redness where the gum and tooth meet, swollen gums, bleeding when you are brushing and flossing, and bad breath. There is usually no pain associated with gingivitis. It is the mildest form of gum disease. And many people are not aware that they have the condition. If we determine that you have gingivitis, treatment always includes a professional cleaning, which removes plaque build up from the teeth. Sometimes additional steps are required. These could include using a disclosing solution to determine where the plaque is, review effective brushing and flossing techniques, and using an antibacterial rinse to help kill the destructive bacteria. We may also need to set up more frequent office visits to monitor the health of your gums. It is important to catch and cure gingivitis early before it progresses and results in bone and tooth loss.

Periodontitis

Periodontal disease is the infection of the teeth, gums and the bone surrounds the teeth and it is the leading cause of adult tooth loss. Stopping this condition starts with a thorough diagnosis. The main cause of periodontal disease is the accumulation of plaque, the sticky film of food and bacteria that forms constantly on your teeth. It is hard to see plaque, but it invades the space between teeth and gums and starts producing toxins. These toxins combined with your body’s reaction to them destroy the bone around your teeth. Once bone has been lost it never grows back on its own. When too much bone is lost there is so little support for the teeth they get loose and have to be removed. If you have periodontal disease you may have some of these symptoms: persistent bad breath, bleeding of the gums when brushing or flossing, soft swollen or tender gums, gums pulling away from the teeth, loose teeth. It is also possible to have no noticeable symptoms. In fact most people that have periodontal disease are not even aware of it. Because of this we perform a thorough examination with periodontal probe and xrays. Periodontal probing measures the depth of the pockets in your gums. We measure the pocket from bottom of the pocket where is attached to the tooth to the top of the gums. A probe reading of more the 3 or 4 millimeters is a sign of periodontal disease. In general, the deeper the pockets are the greater the spread of the periodontal disease. Gums sometimes bleed during probing and this is also sign of the infection. Xrays tell us a lot about periodontal disease. Healthy mouth has even bone level throughout while periodontally involved mouth has uneven bone and sometimes tarter showing on the xray. Once we find periodontal disease, we talk to you about proper treatment and home care instruction to minimize future bone loss.

When a tooth is missing, implant could be a great choice in replacing it. An implant is a small Titanium post that replaces the roots of the missing tooth and supports a custom made crown. An implant can prevent a chain reaction of problems including loss of jawbone, shifting teeth, difficulty keeping teeth clean, grinding and clenching, and pain in the jaw joints. If a tooth is missing the jaw bone around the area begins to shrink along with the surrounding gums due to lack of stimulation to the jaw bone. A missing tooth also changes the biting forces on teeth around the missing tooth space. Neighboring teeth begin to shift towards the space and the opposing tooth begins to extrude out of its socket. These changes create places around the teeth that are hard to keep clean, so plaque and bacteria quickly accumulate. This accumulation causes tooth decay and periodontal disease. Changes in the bite can also put improper chewing forces on the shifted teeth and this may lead to grinding and clenching and TMJ problems.

It is extremely important to take care of the baby teeth. The best age for children to see a dentist for the first time is around 2.5 to 3 years of age. We generally use the appointment to create a friendly relationship with the child and make your child feel comfortable. We also want to make sure there are no major problems that need immediate attention or no preventive steps to be taken to avoid major problems.

There are many reasons for taking care of the baby teeth. The first and most obvious reason is that we don't want baby teeth cavities to go un-noticed; if cavities are not filled as soon as possible the decay can progress to the nerve of the tooth and cause pain and INFECTION. The other, less obvious, but extremely important reason is that baby teeth serve as space maintainers for the permanent teeth, ensuring that there is adequate space in the jaw for the permanent teeth to erupt. If baby teeth are lost prematurely the space in the jaw is also lost, making it impossible for the permanent teeth to fit properly once it develops. If adequate spacing is lost, the child might experience a range of problems that could be costly to correct. One of such problems is teeth crowding, which is incorrect positioning and rotation of the teeth in the jaw most commonly known and observed as crooked teeth. Another problem that might occur if baby teeth are lost prematurely is complete prevention of eruption of permanent teeth altogether. Depending on the degree of severity of the problems either orthodontic (braces) or braces and surgical treatment may be necessary to correct the problem. However, early detection and preventive measures could help parents avoid such costly problems in the first place.

Regular checkups are extremely important. Prevention is always the healthiest and most efficient treatment and neglect is the most expensive and least efficient way for treatment. Let's consider these 3 examples. Example 1: If there is a cavity on your tooth and is not treated on time, it would result in a larger decay and eventually will reach the inside nerves which will cause a tooth infection. Small decays almost always don't cause any pain. Bigger decays sometimes result in pain. Even when a tooth becomes infected due to large cavity, sometimes there is no pain, but who wants an infection growing in their body? Now if the person gets a biannual check up, it is very unlikely to get tooth infection due to a tooth decay because the cavity can be filled in earlier stages without causing further damage to the tooth. If a tooth gets infected, it would require a root canal assuming the tooth is savable. And root canal teeth are not as strong as non-root canal teeth, so they often need crowns which makes neglecting a small cavity a lot more expensive and less healthy than just a feeling. Example 2: If teeth cleaning is not performed as recommended by the dentist, which is minimum of twice a year, gingivitis will can be resulted due to plaque accumulation. Some of the signs of gingivitis can be bleeding from the gum every time someone brushes or flosses and sometimes bad odor from the mouth, but more than 90% of the time there is no pain associated with this! Fortunately with regular cleaning and good oral hygiene at home this problem is reversible, but continuation of this problem can result in a more severe problem of attachment loss and periodontitis. This is when the jaw bone which provides the foundation for the teeth loses its attachment to the teeth and starts resorbing due to bacteria in the gum and inflammation of the gum. Worst of all, this problem is for most part irreversible and is the #1 reason of tooth loss in United States adults! Example 3: Preventing any lesions including cancers from getting out of control in the oral cavity. It is very important to detect and treat any harmful lesions before they get out of control. And by the way, a lot of such lesions don't cause any pain and any obvious signs.

Amalgam Filling

When a tooth needs a restoration, an amalgam filling could be a good choice. After removing any decay and shaping the tooth we directly apply the amalgam filling in to the area and carve it. Amalgam filling could be a good choice to protect the tooth, it is strong and durable, and depending on the size of the restoration it could withstand heavy biting forces.

Composite Filling

Also know as white filling or resin filling. We remove the decayed portion of the tooth and chemically etch the tooth for the strong bond with the resin. Then the white filling is placed inside the preparation area layer by layer. Special blue light is used to harden each layer, and then we shape the filling and check the fit and bite. Lastly we polish the filling. Composite filling protects the tooth, it is strong and durable, withstands biting forces, and it is natural looking.

Porcelain Inlays and Onlays

When the biting surface of the back tooth needs restoration, the best choice is often Inlay or Onlay. If the restoration fits in the groove it is called an Inlay while an onlay also covers one or more cusp of the tooth. Both kinds of restoration are precision-crafted inside of the dental laboratory, so it may take two or more appointments to restore your tooth. After preparing the tooth at the first appointment, we place a temporary restoration. At the second appointment we try and cement the final porcelain restoration. We use bonding to cement the final porcelain restoration in place. Porcelain restoration has several advantages. It protects the tooth, it is strong and durable, Life-long natural-looking translucency of natural tooth.

Gold Inlays and Onlays

When the biting surface of the back tooth needs restoration, the best choice is often Inlay or Onlay. If the restoration fits in the groove it is called an Inlay while an onlay also covers one or more cusp of the tooth. Both kinds of restoration are precision-crafted inside of the dental laboratory, so it may take two or more appointments to restore your tooth. After preparing the tooth at the first appointment, we place a temporary restoration. At the second appointment we try and cement the final porcelain restoration. Advantages of gold restoration are Gentle on opposing teeth, Very strong, Withstands heavy biting forces, Durable and long-lasting and Protects the tooth.

White Fillings

Silver and gold filling used to be your only choices for the back teeth. Today we can replace the silver fillings and create a much more natural look. We can either use strong resin (composite) or porcelain (Inlay or Onlay). Since these materials are bonded to the teeth, they are very strong and durable. If silver fillings are darkening the smile, replacing them with tooth color fillings will make a dramatic difference. White fillings could be nearly invisible and they restore teeth to their original natural beauty.

If the pulp of the tooth gets infected or dies, Root canal therapy becomes necessary. Pulp is the soft tissue inside of the tooth that consists of blood vessels and nerves. Pulp extends from the middle of the tooth down through the root canals. It becomes infected when the bacteria invades the pulp. This happens most commonly due to deep cavity which allows the bacteria through the enamel and dentin layers in to the pulp. Sometimes the tooth simply dies due to a fracture or a blow to the tooth. You may realize that you have an infected tooth because it is sensitive to hot or cold, Pain on biting or pressure, spontaneous pain, swelling, or bad taste in your mouth. You may also be unaware of the problem because you have no symptoms at all. If left untreated the infection could travel to the tips of the tooth roots and in to the jaw bone and form a painful abscess.

Root Canal Retreatment

There are times that the Root Canal Therapy does not completely heal the infected tooth. There are several reasons why the infected tooth may have not healed completely. It may have canals that are narrow, branched or curved making them hard to clean. The tooth may also have one or more root canals that were not discovered the first time. Or in some cases the tooth decay or fracture may expose the filling material to the new bacteria and causing new infection. And sometimes there is no apparent reason.

Whitening is an easy way to have a dazzling bright smile. New whitening techniques make it possible to have a brighter and more beautiful smile. Teeth darken over time as minerals penetrate the tooth’s enamel. As whitening agents break down, oxygen is forced through the enamel and staining quickly disappears without damaging the tooth structure.

Home Whitening

First the impressions are taken. Then we make a model which custom whitening trays are made. At night after filling the trays with a gentle solution simply insert them and resume your normal activities. The process is safe and fast. You will see a change in as little as 14 days.

We understand that everyone has a different threshold for pain. But if you've had a toothache that's lasted several days or longer, it's time to find emergency dentist. The pain could be the result of tooth decay, or worse, a dental abscess. Emergency dentists can put an end to the pain and help prevent your condition from getting worse. The sooner you get help for a knocked out tooth or a broken tooth, the more likely your local emergency dentist will be able to save it. To improve your chances, preserve your knocked out tooth in a glass of milk and bring it to the dentist. For lost dental crowns or dental fillings, use a piece of sugarless gum to fill the gap and seek emergency dentistry care as soon as possible.

Dental accidents happen all the time, but that doesn't mean you have to suffer. Call us at 1-888-443-7332.