OUR SERVICES

Everyone LOVES a beautiful, bright white smile.  Here at Smile Dental Associates, PC we offer a variety of options and techniques to help you achieve your goals

Smile Makeover:    It’s not just for movie stars anymore!  By combining various cosmetic procedures and techniques such as porcelain veneers, adult orthodontics, and whitening, among others, we can achieve phenomenal results.

Porcelain Veneers:    A very thin piece of porcelain is bonded to the front of your teeth.  Veneers are probably the most esthetic means of creating a more pleasing and beautiful smile. These restorations can improve your smile by masking stains, hiding chips, correcting misalignment, and creating uniformity. Veneers are made of ultra-thin porcelain materials that are designed to offer vitality and beauty that is indistinguishable from your healthy natural teeth. When veneers are bonded with today's adhesive technology they are extremely strong. Depending on the individual situation, a thin layer of tooth is removed to allow a custom porcelain tooth facing to be bonded to the tooth. These thin veneers, sometimes referred to by the brand name Lumineers^© often require minimal or no tooth reduction or drilling at all!   Most importantly veneers allow for conservation of natural tooth structure and are an excellent alternative to crowns. Benefits of veneers includes lighten dark or discolored teeth, fix fractured or chipped teeth, and straighten crooked or misaligned teeth without the need for orthodontic braces. Veneers can also close unsightly gaps between teeth and increase the length and size of teeth that have worn town with time

Check ups:   The best way to keep your teeth and gum tissue is good shape is through regular periodic examinations and prophys(cleanings).  We strongly encourage our patients to have these procedures.  If there are any problems we can usually detect them while they are small.  Therefore the required treatment is less extensive and less expensive.  Waiting until problems are severe usually results in more extensive treatment.  Together with a dental check up, we will take whatever x-rays are indicated.  Adults are advised to have a Full Mouth Series of x-rays every 3-5 years to monitor periodontal (gum) health.  We routinely do a screening for oral cancer and optionally have a more specific oral cancer detection technique, ViziLite, is available.

Tooth Colored Fillings:  A mouth full of dark gray metal fillings used to be the norm.  Now, with the widespread use of decay preventing fluoride in our water and toothpastes, cavities are much less common.  When a tooth needs to be repaired now, we can do it with a tooth colored filling material that is just as strong as the old silver fillings but looks just like the natural tooth.  Tooth colored fillings, also known as composites, are made of non-reactive, durable resin and porcelain materials that can be matched to the color of your natural tooth. These restorations are strong, natural-looking, and minimize the amount of tooth which must be removed, decreasing the chances of the tooth breaking in the future.  Alternative materials, such as gold, porcelain, and even silver are still available.

Inlays/Onlays:  Inlays/Onlays are lab fabricated fillings that are made similar to crowns. They are used to restore large cavities. They are indicated for cavities that are too large to be restored with a simple composite filling and too small to be replaced by a conventional crown. They have the additive benefits by conserving tooth structure and adding strength/durability to the restored tooth. Upon placement, they are virtually undetectable in the mouth.

Crowns and Bridges:   Often referred to as "caps", Crowns are dental restorations that are covered to fit over teeth. Crowns are appropriate when the cavity is too large to be restored with a simple filling or inlay/onlay for fear of possible tooth fracture. Crowns also serve to restore teeth that have had root canal therapy. The restored teeth are "capped" to prevent possible fracture and possible tooth destruction. Crowns can be made from different materials, which included non-metal all ceramic crowns, traditional porcelain fused to metal crowns and the all-metal crown. You and our doctors will decide which type of crown is appropriate, depending upon the strength requirements and esthetic concerns of the tooth involved. When a tooth is missing, a bridge is used to replace it. A bridge spans the missing tooth space and uses the adjacent teeth next to the space as a stabilizer.

The fitting of a crown/bridge requires at least two appointments. During your first visit, the tooth is prepared for the crown, a mold is made of the tooth, and a temporary crown is placed over the prepared tooth. At the subsequent visit, the temporary crown is removed and the final crown is fitted, adjusted and cemented into place.

Implants:   Dental implants are a wonderful replacement option for the root portion of lost natural teeth. They look and feel like natural teeth and they are appropriate for almost anyone who is currently missing teeth or at risk for losing teeth. Implants are usually made from metal called titanium, which is readily accepted by the body. There is a phenomenon called osseointegration , meaning the titanium is so compatible that bone actually attaches itself to the implant. A laboratory-fabricated crown similar to natural tooth is then cemented over the implant. The advantages include the ability to restore a missing tooth without altering the teeth on either side of the space and increase stability of dentures while reducing long-term bone resorption.

Whitening:  BriteSmile, Zoom, and NiteWhite:  A sparkling, bright smile can make a big difference for everyone. Here at Smile Dental we offer various whitening procedures to best suit the individual’s desires.  Both BriteSmile and Zoom involve a single office visit of approximately 60-90 minutes.  With these techniques, a whitening gel is applied and then a safe blue-plasma light shines on your teeth.  This enhances the penetration of patented bleaching gel, often resulting in changes from six to ten shades.  You will be amazed with the results.  NiteWhite is home based whitening procedure.  Custom trays are made to precisely fit over your teeth insuring good contact between the whitening gel and the enamel.  The gel is placed in the tray usually at night and the trays are worn until the morning, gradually whitening your teeth.  This method is preferred when the patient wants a limited amount of whitening.

Cosmetic Adult Orthodontics:  We offer techniques that can cosmetically correct your crooked, rotated, or uneven front teeth.  If you had braces when you were younger and didn’t wear your retainer as you should, you now suffer from orthodontic relapse.  These techniques give excellent results in correcting orthodontic relapse.

Invisalign:  Invisalign is an almost invisible option to straighten your teeth without wearing conventional metal braces. A series of clear, removable custom-made aligners move your teeth. Custom-made aligners are created based on the imaging information and you will be allowed to preview the final positioning of your teeth before you start treatment. Because the aligners are removed before eating and drinking, there are no food restrictions or problems with brushing or flossing. Each of these aligners move teeth incrementally and is worn for about 2 weeks. Not every situation can be treated with Invisible Aligners as not all patients are candidates, so call or email us for a free evaluation to see if you can be helped with this new technology.

The Powerprox Six Month Braces® Technique:   The Powerprox Six Month Braces® Technique is a fast, affordable way to give you the smile you always wanted in just six months – that’s right, six months! The Powerprox Six Month Braces® Technique will move your front teeth to their most beautiful position giving you a great smile. Whether your teeth are crowded together, overlapped, or have spaces between them, the Powerprox Six Month Braces® Technique will give you the smile you always wanted in just six months

NTI (night guard):  The NTI is an FDA approved device for the prevention of migraine pain, associated tension-type headaches, bruxism (teeth grinding), and TMJ syndrome. It also protects your teeth from chips, cracks and wear. The NTI is a small device that fits securely and comfortably on your upper or lower four front teeth while you sleep.

Teeth clenching and teeth grinding can do serious damage to your teeth over time. That's because when you clench your teeth, you apply a huge amount of force to hold your upper and lower teeth together. This pressure is exerted when you grind, slowly wearing down the involved teeth. This can eventually lead to broken teeth, chipped dental fillings and lost teeth.