The effects of bleaching is cumulative, meaning that it is not necessary to be done daily.

A course of bleaching treatment is usually good for at least six months. Then, it can be reinforced by a short course of Crest strips, or if you have trays, by a couple of tubes of bleach.

Bleaching only lightens tooth enamel; not crowns or fillings.

Amalgam is composed of silver and mercury, which are combined (amalgamated) to create a filling material. Until recently, it was the material of choice to restore small to medium size cavities. Though it has never been implicated in causing health problems, there are some weaknesses associated with amalgam. It is metallic colored, and caused the entire tooth to gray. It is not bonded (fused) to the tooth, so it acts like a wedge when you chew, increasing the probability that the tooth will fracture.

There are now better alternatives available in dentistry that are tooth colored, bio-compatible, and very strong and durable. For small cavities, we use a flowable composite material. For moderate cavities, we use a packable composite material. For large cavities, we are proud to offer CEREC restorations, the finest that dentistry has to offer.

Our teeth are designed to last a lifetime. If they develop cavities, it is usually due to the action of bacteria that inhabit dental plaque. Plaque accumulates on teeth that are not cared for properly. Man cannot recreate what nature first made. Dental restorations don't decay, but there is a junction between the restoration and the tooth that must be kept very clean. It takes twice as much care to expect a restoration to last half as long as the natural tooth could have had it not decayed in the first place.

It is not unusual for a tooth to be temperature sensitive and chewing sensitive after a filling, CEREC, or crown is placed. This will usually resolve in a few weeks, and can be treated with over the counter pain medication. If your filling feels high to biting, it should be adjusted in the office.

A tooth consists of outer hard layers and an inner chamber which contains the pulp. The pulp is composed of nerve and blood vessels. The pulp is subject to trauma and infection due to many causes. A cavity can introduce bacteria into the pulp. A sharp blow to a tooth or biting on a hard object can injure the pulp. A deep filling to restore a deep cavity can injure the pulp. When a pulp is injured, it causes a great deal of pain, and can cause the pulp to die. The nerve and blood vessels then have to be removed from the interior of the tooth, and this is known as root canal treatment.

As in all procedures that we do, local anesthetic is used so there is no pain. The procedure can be accomplished in one visit.

After a tooth has had root canal treatment, it no longer receives any nourishment from within since the blood vessels have been removed. What holds the tooth in the body remains alive and functional. The tooth, however, can become very brittle like an old piece of wood, and is subject to fracture. That is why it is important to place a permanent restoration that holds the tooth together. This can be done with a CEREC wherever possible or a full crown.

We recommend the first dental visit should be at three years of age, when all the primary teeth are erupted. We encourage you to start brushing your child's teeth as soon as they are erupted.

If a primary tooth has a cavity, it can cause the child pain and discomfort. It can also be lost prematurely, which can cause a problem. The primary teeth hold the space in the dental arch for the permanent teeth to erupt, if this space is lost due to premature loss of the primary teeth, the permanent teeth will have no space to erupt and come in crowded. Filling a cavity in a primary tooth permits the tooth to be retained until it is naturally lost.

X-rays are used in dental offices to evaluate the health of the jaws and supporting structures of the teeth, as well as to check for cavities between the teeth. All x-ray film that we use is very high speed, requiring a minimal x-ray dose, and utilizes a collumnated beam, only passing through the jaws and teeth. The patient is draped with a lead shield to minimize any scatter exposure. The amount of radiation exposure for a dental series is less than is obtained from viewing a color tv set for a few hours.

Dental health should not be put on hold during pregnancy. Routine x-ray examination should not be done, but clinical exams should pick up any problems. Hormonal changes can make the gums much more susceptible to bleeding, so teeth should be meticulously cleaned at home and by the hygienist. There is no contraindication to local anesthetic during pregnancy, so dental treatment can be performed. During the third trimester, vasoconstrictor in the anesthetic is contraindicated.

Many years ago, humans ate a much more fibrous, unrefined diet. We needed a broad chewing surface to help break this diet into small particles to be swallowed. Wisdom teeth, or third molars, were part of this large chewing surface. Our diet has changed, and our jaws have become smaller. Many people still develop wisdom teeth, but there is not enough room in the mouth for them to erupt. If there is room for them to come in, no treatment is required. If they are stuck underneath the second molars, they can cause problems and may require extraction. Some individuals are fortunate, and the wisdom teeth never develop.

Air abrasion, or drill-less dentistry, can only be used on small cavities . If a tooth has an existing filling or a large cavity, it requires conventional drilling. Old filling material can¹t be removed with air abrasion. This technique is used more on children and young adults.