GENERAL PROCEDURE INFORMATION

Whether your dental needs are a complete exam and cleaning, a full-mouth restoration, or anything in between, we will provide you with exceptional care as we enhance the natural beauty of your smile. On your left, are just some of the many procedures and services we regularly provide to our patients – with a gentle touch, and aesthetic results. Your smile is important to us.

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact us today. We look forward to providing you with the personal care you deserve. When you visit our office, your concerns are our top priority. Our entire team is dedicated to your comfort.

Part of our commitment to serving our patients includes providing information that helps them make more informed decisions about their oral health needs. This website is a resource we hope you’ll find both useful and interesting.

NITROUS / VALIUM

We offer the following anti-anxiety methods.

Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)

Nitrous Oxide mixed with Oxygen is a safe and effective anti-anxiety agent. The nitrous oxide is mixed with oxygen by a fail-safe machine. The gas is then administered to the patient through a nose mask. The onset and recovery are rapid, each happening in about three minutes. If patients opt to have Nitrous Oxide, they should not eat for about 2 hours before the appointment.

Valium

Low doses of medications from the same class as Valium can be prescribed to calm the anxious patient. The dose is kept low enough that the patient is not sedated, but feels more relaxed. Patients taking Valium and similar medications should not consume alcohol while these drugs are in the bloodstream.

COSMETIC

Veneers:

Veneers are a very thin (as thin as 0.3mm) material (usually porcelain) that is bonded to the front part of the tooth. Veneers can be a conservative way to increase the aesthetics of a smile, and in most cases can be done with little to no enamel removal. Veneers are usually elected by patients who want to change the shape or color of the teeth in their smile line, close gaps between teeth, or straighten their teeth.

Crowns:

Crowns (“Caps”) cover the entire or the majority of a tooth (excluding the root) and are shaped to mimic the natural contours of a tooth. Crowns are needed when tooth decay or trauma has destroyed a large portion of the enamel and underlying structural support of a tooth. Crowns can be made with various types of materials including porcelain, zirconia, and gold alloys. A temporary crown will be fitted at your initial visit as an interim while the laboratory processes the permanent crown which will be fitted about two weeks later. Depending on the extent of the destruction to the tooth, sometimes a root canal may be required.

Onlays/Inlays:

Onlays and Inlays are essentially partial crowns. When a large portion of the tooth enamel and structural support has been destroyed by decay or trauma, an onlay or inlay may be a better solution than a large filling or a crown. When a cavity or chip in a tooth is too big for a filling or too small for a crown, an onlay or inlay can be used to repair the tooth. Onlays and inlays can be made of various materials including porcelain, composite resin, and gold alloys. A temporary onlay/inlay will be fitted at your initial visit as an interim while the laboratory processes the permanent onlay/inlay which will be fitted about two weeks later.

Tooth colored fillings (composite):

Tooth colored fillings are designed to mimic the natural color of teeth. As opposed to traditional metal fillings, composite fillings come in various different tooth colors. Composite fillings can often be done by removing less tooth structure than traditional metal fillings. Many people experience some level of sensitivity to cold, hot, and pressure for a few weeks after a composite filling. The sensitivity usually decreases as the tooth gets accustomed to the filling. As with metal fillings, composite fillings occasionally need to be replaced due to wear, decay, or fracture. Composite filling materials bond well to the tooth and are incredibly strong and aesthetic.

All Porcelain Restorations:

Porcelain restoration is a blanket term describing a variety of procedures that utilize porcelain as the primary material. These procedures include onlays/inlays, crowns, and veneers. Depending on the specific cosmetic dental element required, the procedure for the porcelain restoration will differ. For more detailed information on the different types of all porcelain restorations, please see the specific category (e.g. crowns, veneers, inlays, etc…).

ORAL SURGERY

A host of ailments can be cured or prevented with oral surgery. Various treatments fall under the oral surgery category including the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, routine or surgical tooth extraction, tooth implants to replace missing teeth, temporomandibular joint disorder (“TMJ” or, more appropriately, “TMJD”), facial infections, benign and malignant lesion removal, snoring, and other surgical procedures. Each procedure has differing requirements in terms of how long a person will need to be under anesthesia, but in most cases, some form of tissue removal, or at least the cutting of tissue, is involved.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE

Periodontal disease is a disease of the gingival tissue (“gums”) and bone that support the teeth. The first phase of this disease is usually gingivitis. Gingivitis is a term used to describe inflammation of the gingival tissues. Almost everyone has at least a mild form of gingivitis. Gingivitis is caused by bacterial plaque (“plaque”), a sticky biofilm that is produced by the bacteria in the mouth as they break down sugars that we eat. When our gums get inflamed, the inflammatory response causes the tooth supporting bones to recede, a condition we call “Periodontitis”. Plaque is formed daily in our mouth and if not removed it can absorb minerals from our saliva and become calculus (“tartar”), a hard substance that needs to be physically removed or scraped off by your dentist or dental hygienist.

Prevention:

Periodontal disease is preventable with quality oral hygiene and good eating habits. We recommend that our patients brush their teeth at a minimum of two times per day (after meals and before bed) and floss at least once daily (before bed). Not only is it important to brush and floss regularly, but with good technique and proper instruments. We usually recommend that patients use a mouth rinse solution at least twice a day as an adjunct to brushing and flossing. Your dentist or dental hygienist can demonstrate proper brushing and flossing techniques and recommend a mouth rinse that is appropriate for your oral health needs.

RESTORATIONS

Another umbrella term in dentistry, restorations covers any procedure meant to restore the tooth to its original shape and functionality, or at least to prevent the tooth from experiencing any further decay. The application of an external material, usually a filling, onlay/inlay, or crown, is used to achieve this effect. Click on cosmetic to see more information on fillings, crowns, veneers, etc…

ORTHODONTICS

Invisalign®:

Made from an invisible, plastic-like material, Invisalign is a material that works like braces without the use of wires or brackets. Using computer-generated renderings of the mouth, the Invisalign is generated for each specific set of teeth. Generally, patients can wear Invisalign for shorter durations than traditional braces, but Invisalign is usually recommended for more simple orthodontic cases. Doctors recommend wearing Invisalign at least 20 hours a day for maximum effectiveness.

Traditional Braces and Retainers:

Braces consist of small metal or plastic brackets that are bonded to the teeth using composite cement that acts like glue. Sometimes the orthodontist will also use a band that encircles the whole tooth for better anchoring. After the brackets and bands are attached to the teeth the orthodontist fixes a wire in the grooves of the bracket with small rubber bands. The wire usually starts out thin and gets thicker as the teeth move into the desired position. Depending on the specific case, sometimes the orthodontist will do the treatment with two phases of braces and/or retainers, one phase in late childhood and one phase in teenage years. After having any type of orthodontic treatment, the patient usually has to wear a retainer at night to retain the position of the teeth and to prevent relapse. We recommend that post orthodontic patients wear retainers at night for life. If a retainer is broken or lost, you can go to your dentist or orthodontist to have it repaired or replaced.

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

The first dental visit is generally recommended by a child’s first year to establish a good protocol for oral hygiene and to acclimate the child to the dental office. Some children can be seen in a general dental office while others need to go to a pediatric dental specialist. The first few appointments that your child has will be fairly simple and quick. We highly recommend you take your child for regular dental visits so they develop good relationships with your dental team and good habits at home. Poor oral hygiene and neglect of teeth can lead to various dental problems in the future. Your dentist and their staff will probably focus on oral hygiene and preventative dental care. New parents often have many questions about their child’s oral health and hygiene, your dentist and staff will be happy to answer any questions or concerns.

LOCAL ANESTHETIC:

The “shot” that you get at the dental office is usually to administer what we call Local Anesthetic. When we restore teeth with fillings and other restorations or if we need to do any oral surgery, it is necessary to get the teeth and the gums we will be working on numb so that the patient doesn’t feel any unnecessary pain. The chemical used to establish local anesthesia is traditionally called “Novocain”, which is now rarely used in dentistry. More modern, safe, and effective anesthetics such as lidocaine, articaine, and mepivacaine are some of the anesthetics you will see in our dental office. At Whiting Family Dental we place an anesthetic gel (“topical”) on the gums to numb them before the actual injection takes place. We use the latest techniques in pain reduction so that our injections are as comfortable as possible.

PREVENTATIVE DENTISTRY

One of our main goals at Whiting Family Dental is to stabilize the oral health of our patients and teach them the techniques that will help them care for their mouths independently at home. In contrast to modern prevention based dentistry, a trip to the dentist was traditionally instigated by a toothache or other problem. In our office we strive to prevent and treat tooth decay before the toothache starts. With regular dental care, many dental diseases are now preventable. Fluorides, high fluoride and tarter control toothpastes, sealants, anti-microbial mouth rinses, and many other agents are available to prevent cavities, periodontal disease, and other dental diseases before they start. Studies have shown that some small cavities may be stopped or reversed with proper oral hygiene and chemical care. Misaligned teeth (Malocclusions) and crowding may be prevented or corrected by early treatment thereby preventing extensive orthodontic treatment and\or corrective surgery. We are here to answer any of our patient’s questions and keep them up to date with advancements in oral health care.

ROOT CANALS

Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay, infection, trauma or necrosis. When the nerve of a tooth becomes negatively affected it is often necessary to open and clean the tooth of any decayed, bacterially infected, and/or necrotic (dead) nerve tissue. After this is done the tooth is filled and restored to its normal function. A crown is usually placed over a tooth to allow it to maintain its natural form and strength.

Having a root canal done on a tooth is the treatment of choice to save a tooth that otherwise would die and have to be removed. Many patients fear the root canal treatment, but with modern anesthetic techniques and numbing agents a root canal can be done with no discomfort. The tooth is numbed in the same manner as it is for a filling. In most cases the only difference is the time involved in doing root canal therapy. Depending on the shape of the roots and complexity of the nerve tissue, the root canal may go very quickly, in as little as one hour. If the nerve has severe bacterial infection the root canal may need to be opened and medicated for a couple of weeks to suppress the infection. Root canal treatment is usually successful (ranging from about 90-95% success depending on the study) and lasts many years. On occasion a tooth that has previously been root canal treated may need to be re-treated due to re-infection or lingering infection.

If you need a root canal you may have symptoms including: an abscess or puss coming out of the gums, bad taste in the mouth, sensitivity to hot or cold, a constant pulsating pain, or pain with biting pressure. Sometimes the infection has already killed and infected the canal system and no symptoms are present. After a root canal it is possible to have some pain or swelling while the area heals.

DENTAL IMPLANTS

When you lose a tooth, a dental implant may be needed to replace the tooth root and crown. Dental implants are simply "anchors" that permanently support replacement teeth. They are secure and durable and can be cleaned and cared for much like your natural teeth. This restoration can be used for a single tooth, a bridge of several teeth or a denture.

The procedure requires a titanium ‘root’ (cylinder) be fitted into your jaw to replace the lost tooth's root. Once the implant is placed, the bone requires four to six months to heal. Once the implant has integrated, a support post and replacement tooth, bridge, or denture is anchored onto the implant.

DENTURES

If you have lost some or all of your natural teeth, dentures can be used to replace your missing teeth; improving your health as well as your appearance. Dentures prevent the sagging of facial muscles, which makes a person with no teeth look much older. Dentures also enable you to eat and speak normally, little things often taken for granted until natural teeth are lost.

Fitting a patient for dentures does not have to be a traumatic experience. During the preliminary visit, the remaining teeth are removed and a model is made of the patient's jaw. An immediate denture may be fitted so the patient does not have to be without teeth while the mouth tissue heals. Once the mouth tissue is completely healed, the patient is fitted with their custom dentures. Implants may also be placed to improve the fit of new or existing dentures.

Brush your gums, tongue, and palate every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you insert your dentures to stimulate circulation in your tissues and to help remove plaque. Regular dental checkups are needed so we can examine your mouth and dentures to ensure a healthy and comfortable fit.