We strive
to maximize your oral health and make your dental dreams come true!
At our office,
we continually strive to incorporate any New Dental Technology that
provides a significant benefit for you, the patient. Ideally, this
technology improves our efficiency so that the cost of the technology is
covered by this increase in efficiency, not by an increase in fees.
Our office provides oral surgery,
periodontics, restorative dentistry,
cosmetic dentistry, endodontics, anesthesia-sedation, and other clinical
services.
Is there something about your smile that you'd like to change? Are you
tired of hiding your smile due to lack of self confidence? We can help!
We offer numerous treatments that can transform your current smile into
the smile of your dreams.
Initial
Oral Examination
Your initial oral examination includes a visual examination, charting,
periodontal probing, diagnosis and treatment recommendations. We will
also take x-rays, which includes the panoramic x-ray for proper
diagnosis of the anterior (front) and posterior (back) teeth as well as
the bite-wing x-ray series for proper diagnosis of proximal decay of
posterior teeth.
For your comfort and safety, this practice features:
• Technology Applying
technology to improve the quality of the dental experience is an
important aspect of many dental treatments. In our office, we utilize a
variety of advanced dental technology, including air abrasion, digital
x-ray (CDR), intraoral camera, panorex (single FMX), prophy jet (air
polishing), ultrasonic cleaning, wand in order to make the patient's
experience the most comfortable and easy.
• Sterilization
Techniques
Sterilization is just as important to us as it is to you. Not only do we
abide by all OSHA standards, we also utilize in our office.
Everybody
loves a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and
procedures available to help you improve the look of yours.
Many people
are satisfied with the sparkle they get from brushing twice daily with
fluoride-containing toothpaste, cleaning between their teeth once a day
and the regular cleanings at your dentist's office. If you decide you
would like to go beyond this to make your smile look brighter, you
should investigate all of your options.
You can take several approaches to whiten your smile:
In-office bleaching;
At-home bleaching;
Whitening toothpastes
At your
visit we will go over the various approaches.
There's no reason to
put up with gaps in your teeth or with teeth that are stained, badly
shaped or crooked. Today a veneer placed on top of your teeth can
correct nature's mistake or the results of an injury and help you have a
beautiful smile.
Veneers
are thin, custom-made shells crafted of tooth-colored materials designed
to cover the front side of teeth. They're made by a dental technician,
usually in a dental lab, working from a model provided by your dentist.
You
should know that this is usually an irreversible process, because it's
necessary to remove a small amount of enamel from your teeth to
accommodate the shell.
More than fifteen
percent of American adults suffer from chronic facial pain. Some common
symptoms include pain in or
around the ear, tenderness of the jaw, clicking orpopping noises when opening the mouth, or even headaches and neck aches.
Two
joints and several jaw muscles make it possible to open and close the
mouth. They work together when you chew, speak, and swallow. These
structures include muscles and ligaments, as well as the jaw bone, the
mandible (lower jaw) with two joints, the TMJ's. The TM
joint is one of the most complex joints in the body. Located on each
side of the head, these joints work together and can make many different
movements, including a combination of rotating and translocational
(gliding) action, used when chewing and speaking.
Several
muscles help open and close the mouth. They control the lower jaw
(mandible) as it moves forward, backward, and side-to-side. Both TM
joints are involved in these movements. Each TM joint
has a disc between
the ball and socket (see diagram). The disc cushions the load while
enabling the jaw to open widely and perform rotating and translocational
movements. Any problem that prevents this complex system of muscles,
ligaments, discs and bones from working together properly may result in
a painful TMJ disorder.
We can
help you identify the source of the pain with a thorough exam and
appropriate x-rays. Often, it's a sinus, toothache or an early stage of
periodontal disease. But for some pain, the cause is not so easily
diagnosed. The pain could be related to the facial muscles, the jaw or
temporomandibular joint, located in the front of the ear. Treatments for
this pain may include stress reducing exercises, muscle relaxants, or
wearing a mouth protector to prevent teeth grinding.
1. When should my child first visit the
dentist?
The first dental visit should be between one year and eighteen months of
age.
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2. Should I be giving my child fluoride drops
or tablets.
No. The MDC water supply in the Boston area is fluoridated. If you live
in an area outside of the Boston MDC water system, and you are not sure
if your water is fluoridated, contact your local health department.
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3. My child is over one year old and has no
teeth. Should I worry?
Even though most children that age have a number of teeth, some children
may have delayed tooth eruption. There is usually no concern about this.
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4. My child's permanent lower front tooth is
coming in behind his baby tooth. What should be done?
If the baby teeth are moderately to very loose, there is no immediate
treatment. Patience is recommended. This is a normal process. The tongue
will push the permanent lower front teeth forward. If the teeth are not
very loose, your child should be seen to take an x-ray and evaluate the
situation.
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5. My child sucks his/her thumb or finger. What
effect can it have on the bite, and when should I work on stopping the
habit?
Most children stop sucking their fingers between the ages of three to
five. Sucking of a finger can have a significant effect on the bite.
Flaring of the upper front teeth producing a protrusion, and backward
positioning of the lower front teeth are common. Also a cross bite or
narrowing of the upper jaw can occur producing an open bite, where the
front teeth don't touch. The amount of these bite effects depend on the
frequency, how long the child does it each time, and intensity of the
finger habit. If your child continues this habit past the time of the
eruption of the first permanent tooth. Then it can have a permanent
effect on the adult bite. The habit should be stopped before these teeth
come in. From a preventive point of view, infants should be given
pacifiers, as they will do much less harm than finger habits, and most
children will discontinue their use earlier.
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6. I have heard that a nursing bottle can cause
cavities on toddlers, at what age should I take my child off the bottle?
Your child should stop using a bottle when they are old enough to hold a
cup. This usually occurs around one year of age. After this age a child
should not be placed to sleep with a bottle because this may cause
dental decay, increase the incidence of ear infections, and prolong the
use of the bottle. If you put your child to sleep with a bottle, the
best way to stop this habit is by placing only water in the bottle, or
progressively diluting it until it is all water. Then being firm with
the child. Juice or milk in a cup will not cause the severe decay that a
bottle will. This may cost the parents a bit of sleep, but it is
important for future dental health.
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7. What are the signs of teething, and what can
I do to make my child more comfortable?
The signs of teething are drooling, irritability, restlessness, and loss
of appetite. Fever, illness, and diarrhea is not a symptom. If your
child presents with the latter signs, they need to be evaluated by his
or her pediatrician. The best solutions to comfort the child is to have
the child chew on a cold or frozen rubber teething ring. Topical
anesthetics are not recommended.
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8. Why are baby teeth important? Don't they
fall out?
Baby teeth serve the important function of eating, speech, and esthetics
(self image). These teeth not only help form the developing jaws, but
they hold space for the permanent teeth so that a normal bite occurs.
The last baby tooth falls out at about twelve years of age. A decayed
baby tooth can become so badly decayed that it can do damage to the
permanent tooth. At times severe infections of the face, head, and neck
can be caused by infected baby teeth.
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9. When can my child brush and floss their own teeth?
We recommend that parents brush their children's teeth for the first
five to seven years of life, since young children lack the manual
dexterity of proper tooth brushing. The toothbrush should be a child's
size, with soft nylon rounded bristles. Toothpaste should not be used
until the child is able to spit (three to four years of age) to avoid
swallowing it. A pea-sized drop should be dispensed by the parent for
young children. Flossing should be performed by the parent prior to
brushing. Most children lack the proper manual dexterity to floss on
their own until the age of ten and will need a parent's help and
supervision.
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If you've lost all of
your natural teeth, whether from periodontal disease, tooth decay or
injury, complete dentures can replace your missing teeth and your smile.
Replacing missing teeth will benefit your appearance and your health.
Without support from the denture, facial muscles sag, making a person
look older. You'll be able to eat and speak—things that people often
take for granted until their natural teeth are lost.
There are
various types of complete dentures. A conventional full denture is made
and placed in the patient's mouth after the remaining teeth are removed
and tissues have healed which may
take several months. An immediate complete denture is inserted as soon
as the remaining teeth are removed. The dentist takes measurements and
makes models of the patient's jaws during a preliminary visit. With
immediate dentures, the denture wearer does not have to be without teeth
during the healing period.
Even if
you wear full dentures, you still must take good care of your mouth.
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 help remove plaque.
Removable
partial dentures usually consist of replacement teeth attached to pink
or gum-colored plastic bases, which are connected by metal framework.
Removable partial dentures attach to your natural teeth with metal
clasps or devices called precision attachments. Precision attachments
are generally more esthetic than metal clasps and they are nearly
invisible. Crowns on your natural teeth may improve the fit of a
removable partial denture and they are usually required with
attachments. Dentures with precision attachments generally cost more
than those with metal clasps.
If you
want a smile that's your crowning glory, you may need a crown to cover a
tooth and restore it to its normal shape and size. A crown can make your
tooth stronger and improve its appearance.
It can
cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there aren't enough
teeth left. It can be used to attach a bridge, protect a weak tooth from
breaking or restore one that's already broken. A crown is a good way to
cover teeth that are discolored or badly shaped. It's also used to cover
a dental implant.
Bridges
If you're missing one
or more teeth, you may notice a difference in chewing and speaking.
There are options to help restore your smile.
Bridges
help maintain the shape of your face, as well as alleviating the stress
in your bite by replacing missing teeth.
Sometimes
called a fixed partial denture, a bridge replaces missing teeth with
artificial teeth, looks great, and literally bridges the gap where one
or more teeth may have been. The restoration can be made from gold,
alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials and is bonded onto
surrounding teeth for support.
Unlike a
removable bridge, which you can take out and clean, a fixed bridge can
only be removed by a dentist
An
implant bridge attaches artificial teeth directly to the jaw or under
the gum tissue. Depending on which type of bridge your dentist
recommends, its success depends on its foundation. So it's very
important to keep your remaining teeth healthy and strong.
Once upon a time, if
you had a tooth with a diseased nerve, you'd probably lose that tooth.
Today, with a special dental procedure called a root canal therapy you
may save that tooth. Inside each tooth is the pulp which provides
nutrients and nerves to the tooth, it runs like a thread down through
the root. When the pulp is diseased or injured, the pulp tissue dies. If
you don't remove it, your tooth gets infected and you could lose it.
After the dentist removes the pulp, the root canal is cleaned and sealed
off to protect it. Then your dentist places a crown over the tooth to
help make it stronger.
Most of
the time, a root canal is a relatively simple procedure with little or
no discomfort involving one to three visits. Best of all, it can save
your tooth and your smile!
Constant
pressure from chewing, grinding or clenching can cause dental fillings,
or restorations, to wear away, chip or crack. If the seal between the
tooth enamel and the restoration breaks down, food particles and
decay-causing bacteria can work their way under the restoration. You
then run the risk of developing additional decay in that tooth. Decay
that is left untreated can progress to infect the dental pulp and may
cause an abscess.
If the
restoration is large or the recurrent decay is extensive, there may not
be enough tooth structure remaining to support a replacement filling. In
these cases, we may need to replace the filling with a crown.
We have
20-inch monitors mounted in every treatment room wired into a small TV
camera in a hand piece. Using this special camera we are able to see
your teeth enlarged 30 times on the screen. You will be able to see and
understand the conditions of your mouth better.
Periodontal
disease is an infection of the tissues that support your teeth. Your gum
tissue is not attached to the teeth as high as it may seem. There is a
very shallow v-shaped crevice called a sulcus between the tooth and
gums. Periodontal diseases attack just below the gum line in the sulcus,
where they cause the attachment of the tooth and it's supporting tissues
to break down. As the tissues are damaged, the sulcus develops into a
pocket: generally, the more severe the disease, the greater the depth of
the pocket.
Periodontal
diseases are classified according to the severity of the disease. The
two major stages are gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is a
milder and reversible form of periodontal disease that only affects the
gums. Gingivitis may lead to more serious, destructive forms of
periodontal disease called periodontitis.
Some
factors increase the risk of developing periodontal disease:
Tobacco smoking or chewing
Systemic diseases such as diabetes
Some types of medication such as steroids, some
types of anti-epilepsy drugs, cancer therapy drugs, some calcium
channel blockers and oral contraceptives
Bridges that no longer fit properly
Crooked teeth
Fillings that have become defective
Pregnancy or use of oral contraceptives
Several
warning
signs
that can signal a problem:
Gums that bleed easily
Red, swollen, tender gums
Gums that have pulled away from the teeth
Persistent bad breath or bad taste
Permanent teeth that are loose or separating
Any change in the way your teeth fit together when
you bite
Any change in the fit of partial dentures
It is possible to have periodontal disease and have no warning signs.
That is one reason why regular dental checkups and periodontal
examinations are very important. Treatment methods depend upon the type
of disease and how far the condition has progressed. Good oral hygiene
at home is essential to help keep periodontal disease from becoming more
serious or recurring. You don't
have to lose teeth to periodontal disease. Brush, clean
between your teeth, eat a balanced diet, and schedule regular dental
visits for a lifetime of healthy smiles.
Crowns and
conventional bridges or dentures may not be your only options when
replacing missing teeth. For some people, dental implants offer a smile
that looks and feels very natural. Surgically placed below the gums over
a series of appointments, implants fuse to the jawbone and serve as a
base for individual replacement teeth, bridges or a denture.
Implants
offer stability because they fuse to your bone. Integration of the
implants into your jaw also helps your replacement teeth feel more
natural and some people also find the secure fit more comfortable than
conventional substitutes.
Candidates for dental implants need to have healthy gums and adequate
bone to support the implant. A thorough evaluation will help determine
whether you are a good candidate for dental implants.
Anyone
who participates in a sport that carries a significant risk of injury
should wear a mouth protector. This includes a wide range of sports like
football, hockey, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, and volleyball.
Mouth
protectors, which typically cover the upper teeth, can cushion a blow to
the face, minimizing the risk of broken teeth and injuries to the soft
tissues of the mouth. If you wear braces or another fixed dental
appliance on your lower jaw, your dentist may suggest a mouth protector
for these teeth as well.
Accidents
can happen during any physical activity. A mouth protector can help
cushion a blow to the face that otherwise might result in an injury to
the mouth. A misdirected elbow in a one-on-one basketball game or a
spill off a bicycle can leave you with chipped or broken teeth, nerve
damage to a tooth or even tooth loss. A mouth protector can limit the
risk of such injuries as well as protect the soft tissues of your
tongue, lips and cheek lining.
A
properly fitted mouth protector will stay in place while you are wearing
it, making it easy for you to talk and breathe.
An
orthodontic problem is called a malocclusion, meaning "bad bite." Some
examples of causes of malocclusion are crowded teeth, extra teeth,
missing teeth or jaws that are out of alignment. Most malocclusions are
inherited, although some can be acquired. Acquired malocclusions can be
caused by accidents, early or late loss of baby teeth, or sucking of the
thumb or fingers for a prolonged period of time.
Children
and adults can both benefit from orthodontics. It is recommended that
every child receive an orthodontic evaluation by age seven. Treatment
may take a little longer for adults. Because an adult's facial bones are
no longer growing, certain corrections may not be accomplished with
braces alone. The average treatment time is about 24 months and varies
with individual patients. Usually, adult treatment takes a little longer
than a child's treatment.
has a disc between
the ball and socket (see diagram). The disc cushions the load while
enabling the jaw to open widely and perform rotating and translocational
movements. Any problem that prevents this complex system of muscles,
ligaments, discs and bones from working together properly may result in
a painful TMJ disorder.
If you're missing one
or more teeth, you may notice a difference in chewing and speaking.
There are options to help restore your smile.
Crowns and
conventional bridges or dentures may not be your only options when
replacing missing teeth.
For some people, dental implants offer a smile
that looks and feels very natural. Surgically placed below the gums over
a series of appointments, implants fuse to the jawbone and serve as a
base for individual replacement teeth, bridges or a denture.
volleyball.