Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We offer a range of cosmetic dentistry services such as veneers, porcelain crowns, bonding using tooth-colored composite, and even orthodontic treatments like Invisalign. All our dentistry is done with an eye toward aesthetics. We know that it's important that your teeth are both healthy and attractive. If you'd like to find out which of our services can help you meet your goals, call our office to schedule your consultation.

Dental crowns are designed to be very durable and to function much like your own teeth. You need to use common sense, however, and avoid biting down directly on foods like hard candy or nuts. A broken crown is not just costly to replace, but you may also damage underlying healthy tooth structure.

Dental implants have several advantages over other tooth replacement options:

• Dental implants appear the most life-like and natural.
• The actual implant piece of the dental implant is made of titanium, a biocompatible metal.
• Dental implants are the most secure and stable.
• Dental implants prevent bone loss, keeping your jaw tissue healthy and preventing changes in the shape of your face.
• With proper care, dental implants can last a lifetime.

It will take your mouth some time to get used to the feel of dentures. After a few months, however, you will feel comfortable eating and speaking with your dentures in and experience little to no soreness or discomfort. If you ever do experience soreness or if your dentures aren’t fitting right, please let us know.

We know that convenience is important for today’s busy families. That is why we offer dentistry for the whole family including your children. We begin seeing kids at a young age to make sure they have a healthy dental foundation.

You probably see the words general dentist on local signs and online, but may wonder what that means.

Just like your primary care physician, your general dentist is your main point of contact for your oral health. General dentists provide most non-specialty services that patients of all ages need to stay healthy.

This includes preventive dentistry such as:

• Dental exams
• Cleanings
• X-rays
• Fluoride treatments
• Dental sealants
• Mouthguards for sports
• Nightguards

General dentists also repair teeth that suffer from decay, fractures, or trauma. Restorative dentistry refers to:

• Fillings
• Bonding
• Dental crowns

Teeth replacement is a big part of general dentistry and is designed to keep your smile looking good and to make sure you can eat a healthy diet.

• Bridges
• Partial dentures
• Dentures

Since cosmetic dentistry is not a dental specialty, most general dentists are the ones who will be designing a beautiful smile and offering enhancements such as:

• Teeth whitening 
• Cosmetic bonding
• Tooth-colored fillings and crowns
• Porcelain veneers

If you have a dental question, need help or advice, your general or family dentist will be able to make treatment recommendations for you. If you require a trip to a specialist, general dentists usually have specialists in their professional network that they know and trust.

Coming in for regular cleanings with one of our excellent dental hygienists will help keep your gums in great shape, but what you do at home matters as well. Brush twice daily and floss every evening. Our hygienists will be happy to show you good brushing and flossing technique.

Other steps you can take to prevent gum disease include:

• Don't smoke or chew tobacco
• Eat a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Use an antiseptic mouthwash. We'll be happy to recommend one.
• If you have a health condition that can affect your dental health such as diabetes, heart disease, or cancer, please let us know so that we can take extra steps to help keep your gums healthy.

Since most of us don’t routinely analyze the insides of our mouths, you may wonder how you can detect the signs of oral cancer. In addition to oral cancer screenings with your oral surgery specialist, call the doctor’s office if you notice any of these symptoms:

• Bleeding in your mouth that doesn’t stop or a sore that doesn’t heal
• A lump or thickening in the lining of the mouth
• Chronic hoarseness or sore throat
• Red or white patches on the soft tissues in the mouth
• Difficulty swallowing or chewing

Additional symptoms that may signal a problem include fatigue, unexplained weight loss, loose teeth, chronic bad breath, and ear and/or jaw pain. Check your tongue, lips, gums, cheeks, teeth, face, and neck for changes, and call your oral surgery specialist if you have any concerns.

Factors that increase oral cancer risk:

• Tobacco use
• Heavy alcohol use
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Excessive sun exposure
• Fair skin
• Poor oral hygiene
• Poor nutrition
• Gender (men are more prone to oral cancer than women)

Prevention is always the best way to avoid oral cancer. Discontinuing tobacco use may be the single most effective way to lower your risk, even if you’ve been using it for years.

Wisdom teeth, those final molars that arrive in your late teens or early 20’s, can cause a variety of problems in your mouth. Even if you never noticed your wisdom teeth erupt, it’s a good idea to visit an oral surgery specialist for a wisdom teeth evaluation.

Wisdom teeth often come in crooked or sideways because there’s simply not enough room in our jaws for four more molars. When this happens, your other teeth may shift, causing you to need orthodontic treatment later on. Crooked wisdom teeth can also damage nearby teeth by causing excessive wear and trapping bacteria.

Even if they don’t erupt, wisdom teeth may cause problems. When there’s not enough room for the molars to come in, they may remain under the gums. These impacted wisdom teeth can cause pain, infection, or misalignment of other teeth. Partially erupted wisdom teeth can also cause an infection.

Signs that you may have problematic wisdom teeth include tooth pain, sensitive or bleeding gums, headache or jaw ache, redness, or infection.

Having your wisdom teeth extracted can help you avoid these complications entirely. Wisdom teeth extraction is a common procedure that oral surgery specialists perform routinely to protect your oral health for the long term.

Composite fillings bond directly to your tooth, which results in less healthy tooth removal. Amalgam fillings require additional drilling to provide anchors for the solid amalgam. Composite fillings are not as hard and inflexible as amalgam fillings, which means stresses caused from biting and chewing can be distributed more naturally and reduce the risk of your tooth cracking.