Restorative Dentistry

Our number one goal is to make sure that our patients are as comfortable as they can possibly be. When a tooth is found to have dental decay, there are several procedures that can be used to deal with the decaying area. We are always certain that the patient’s teeth are numb using both topical and local anesthesia.

Composite Fillings

(white or tooth-colored)

A composite filling is a tooth colored material that is used to fill cavities on both the front and back teeth. After we have numbed the decaying tooth using topical and local anesthetic, we will then use a rubber dam to protect your child’s airway. Next, the decay will be removed and then the tooth is filled with a tooth-colored composite material. Be advised that these fillings will require close and careful attention to home care (diet and oral hygiene, primarily flossing). If oral hygiene is cared for improperly, it is indeed possible to develop more cavities around the filling.

Stainless Steel Crowns AND Zirconia (white) Crowns

Stainless steel crowns are placed on the back teeth and every so often on baby canine teeth as well. Stainless steel crowns are used when a cavity has affected so much of a tooth structure that a composite filling material isn’t enough and can’t be used to repair the tooth. A crown covers the baby tooth and returns the tooth to its original shape and size. It is crucial to be careful with caring for your oral hygiene so that the gum tissue around the crown does not become swollen, red, and irritated by plaque buildup.

Pulpal Therapy

(Nerve Treatment)

Pulpotomy
If a cavity has affected the nerve, part of the nerve is cleaned out and antibacterial medicine is placed on the remaining nerve structure, followed by a protective filling that is then placed on top of the nerve. Once the tooth has undergone the nerve treatment, the tooth is weakened and therefore needs to have a crown placed over it to protect it from fracture.

Pulpectomy
When the nerve of the tooth is infected for an extended period of time, the nerve tissue inside the roots of the tooth can die. When the nerve is non-vital, a pulpotomy is not able to remove all of the infection and a pulpectomy is now indicated. During a pulpectomy, the whole pulp tissue inside of the baby tooth is removed and the root canals are filled with resorbable cement. Then, a stainless steel crown is placed on top of the tooth to protect it from fracturing in the future.

Space Maintainers

Space maintainers are used to hold the spot that has been left by the lost tooth until the permanent tooth emerges. If your child loses a baby tooth early through guidance eruption, decay, or injury, then their other teeth can shift and fill the space, thereby causing little to no allowance for the permanent tooth to erupt. It is of great importance for your child to follow through with their check-up appointments so we can dispose of the space maintainer when the permanent tooth begins to erupt.

All of the space maintainers are a combination of steel wires and rings that are customized to fit the appropriate teeth surrounding the area of the lost tooth. The rings and wires are there to help in maintaining the space that the permanent tooth will need in order to emerge later on. These contraptions will be fitted and cemented into your child’s mouth when necessary and then removed as their teeth erupt into position. It is important that these appliances receive strict attention to your child’s diet, especially being sure to avoid sticky foods. It the patient happens to lose their space maintainer, please keep it tucked away in a Ziploc bag and call us immediately so we can re-cement the device. Because of the constant changes that occur in children’s mouths, space maintainers need to occasionally be remade prior to the eruption of the permanent tooth.

Pediatric Cosmetic Dentistry

Tooth Bonding

In the occasion of a tooth fracture, malformed tooth, or tooth discoloration, we can repair the teeth with an esthetic tooth-colored composite material.

Bleaching and Whitening

Home bleaching kits, with bleaching materials for teenagers that have undergone and completed orthodontics and would like to have a more radiant smile are offered.