As a general dentist office, we find that many people visit the dentist with trepidation. Hollywood has done an excellent job of portraying dentist as people that like to pull teeth and use noisy dental drills on unsuspecting patients. If this is your idea of dentistry – keep reading. In real life, your visit to our office will be welcoming, enjoyable and pain-free. We take the time to get to know our patients and address their concerns while helping our patients to relax. A lot of it comes down to a conversation and taking the time to answer our patient's questions. After all, by being informed you can become comfortable with the procedures that we are recommending. Since many of these questions are similar from patient to patient, we have answered them for you here.
Will my cracked tooth need to be pulled?
Probably not. In our dental office, we specialize in dental restorations. That means that if your tooth is cracked, chipped or infected we can usually save it. By using a dental crown, dental veneer or a bonding procedure we can restore the functionality and appearance of a damaged tooth so that it can remain in place. Likewise, if a tooth is infected, we can remove the infected area so that it doesn’t need to be pulled. Our goal is to keep as many natural teeth in place as possible because this is what is best for the jawbone in the long-term.
Are there new ways to treat cavities?
Dental technology has continued to improve, and the tools that we use are better than they used to be. They are both smaller and quieter which means that we can treat a cavity faster and with more precision. As new technology develops, we will continue incorporating it into our general dentist practice.
Why does my crown need to be replaced?
Many people make the mistake of thinking that a dental crown will last forever. Forever is a relative term but how long it lasts is, in part, up to you. If you take good care of your teeth and gums, preventing infections, your crown may last for a couple decades. In fact, some people have had a crown in place for over twenty years. Most people, however, need to replace their crown around the ten-year mark. This is often due to oral hygiene and what foods are eaten but regardless, the material crowns are made of is not meant to last forever. That means that over time it will wear out. If you grind your teeth at night you are at further risk of it becoming damaged. In this case, we recommend wearing a night guard to prevent your upper and lower teeth from touching. By taking these precautionary measures, you can keep your crown in longer. If, however, it does need to be replaced you need to do so quickly so that the tooth underneath does not become irritated.
Can my filling blend in?
Yes, we in our general dentist office, we use a tooth-colored ceramic material for fillings. This way no one can tell that you had dental work done after your cavity has been treated.
