Educational Information

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth – covering the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and/or to improve its appearance.

The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.

A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:

• To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
• To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
• To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth left
• To hold a dental bridge in place
• To cover misshapen or severely discolored teeth
• To cover a dental implant

CEREC technology allows us to create strong, customized, tooth-colored ceramic crowns right here in our office, usually within a single appointment. No temporary crown or second visit is required and the aesthetics are beautiful.

In the course of one visit, we can prepare your damaged tooth, create an optical impression of the tooth using an LED camera (no messy impressions!), and use CEREC to design and mill a precise crown, which is then permanently bonded to your tooth. With it’s enamel-like material, the CEREC crown looks and feels like your real teeth. Unlike PFM (porcelain-fused-to metal) crowns, CEREC is metal-free and can provide the translucency that natural teeth have, with no “dark line” at the gum line.

No mess, no discomfort, NO WAIT! Get the smile you want and get back to your busy life.

Dental bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth.

A bridge is made up of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap. These two anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth and a false tooth/teeth in between. These false teeth are called pontics and can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants.

Bridges can:

• Restore your smile
• Restore your ability to properly chew and speak
• Maintain the shape of your face
• Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
• Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position

A root canal is a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or becomes infected. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp are removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed. Without treatment, the tissue surrounding the tooth will become infected and abscesses may form.

“Root canal” is the term used to describe the natural cavity within the center of the tooth. The pulp or pulp chamber is the soft area within the root canal. The tooth’s nerve lies within the root canal.

A tooth’s nerve is not vitally important to a tooth’s health and function after the tooth has emerged through the gums. Its only function is sensory to provide the sensation of hot or cold. The presence or absence of a nerve will not affect the day-to-day functioning of the tooth.

A root canal requires one or more office visits and can be performed by a dentist or endodontist. An endodontist is a dentist who specializes in the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and injuries of the human dental pulp or the nerve of the tooth. The choice of which type of dentist to use depends to some degree on the difficulty of the root canal procedure needed in your particular tooth and the general dentist’s comfort level in working on your tooth. Your dentist will discuss who might be best suited to perform the work in your particular case.

Cosmetic dental bonding is a procedure in which a tooth-colored resin material (a durable plastic material) is applied and hardened with a special light, which ultimately “bonds” the material to the tooth to restore or improve person’s smile.

• Cosmetic dental bonding is an option that can be considered:
• To repair decayed teeth (composite resins are used to fill cavities)
• To repair chipped or cracked teeth
• To improve the appearance of discolored teeth
• To close spaces between teeth
• To make teeth look longer
• To change the shape of teeth
• As a cosmetic alternative to amalgam fillings
• To protect a portion of the tooth’s root that has been exposed when gums recede

• Preparation. Little advance preparation is needed for dental bonding. Anesthesia is often not necessary unless the bonding is being used to fill a decayed tooth. Your dentist will use a shade guide to select a composite resin color that will closely match the color of your tooth.
• The bonding process. Next, the surface of the tooth will be roughened and a conditioning liquid applied. These procedures help the bonding material adhere to the tooth. The tooth-colored, putty-like resin is then applied, molded, and smoothed to the desired shape. An ultraviolet light or laser is then used to harden the material. After the material is hardened, your dentist will further trim and shape it, and polish it to match the sheen of the rest of the tooth surface.
• Time-to-completion. Dental bonding takes about 30 to 60 minutes per tooth to complete.

When you were 6, losing a tooth was a rite of passage, perhaps achieved by incessant tooth jiggling, biting into a crisp apple, or tying a string around the tooth and giving it a tug. As an adult, tooth loss is hardly cause for celebration, yet having a tooth pulled is sometimes necessary.

Although permanent teeth were meant to last a lifetime, there are a number of reasons why tooth extraction may be needed. The most common is a tooth that is too badly damaged, from trauma or decay, to be repaired. Other reasons include:

• A crowded mouth. Sometimes dentists pull teeth to prepare the mouth for orthodontia. The goal of orthodontia is to properly align the teeth, which may not be possible if your teeth are too big for your mouth. Likewise, if a tooth cannot break through the gum (erupt) because there is not room in the mouth for it, your dentist may recommend pulling it.
• Infection. If tooth decay or damage extends to the pulp, the center of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels, bacteria in the mouth can enter the pulp, leading to infection. If infection is so severe that antibiotics do not cure it, extraction may be needed to prevent the spread of infection.
• Risk of infection. If your immune system is compromised (for example, if you are receiving chemotherapy or are having an organ transplant) even the risk of infection in a particular tooth may be reason to pull the tooth.
• Gum disease. If periodontal disease, an infection of the tissues and bones that surround and support the teeth have caused loosening of the teeth, it may be necessary to the pull the tooth or teeth.

Fluoride is a substance that helps teeth become stronger and resistant to decay. Regularly brushing and flossing ensures significantly lower cavities; however, the effectiveness of TOPICAL fluoride varnish in preventing decay is well documented in children as well as adults. When a cavity first starts, an application of fluoride might (depending on when it is used) reduce or eliminate the need for drilling. Topical fluoride varnish has also been proven very effective in the elimination and prevention of tooth sensitivity. For optimum oral health, it is recommended that a topical fluoride varnish treatment is applied every six months after you have your teeth cleaned.