Preventive
There are two types of exams we employ: at your initial visit we will perform a thorough examination of your teeth, gums and other oral tissues and will inform you of your treatment plan needs. Subsequently, we do recall examinations to make sure your mouth is healthy.
We utilize state of the art digital X-Ray devices and sensors to keep the radiation levels to a minimum while getting optimal diagnostic images.
The work we perform needs to be continued at home by each patient. We will provide you with personalized detailed instructions on how to maintain the perfect oral hygiene at home. All the tools and samples needed for this will be provided free of charge: toothbrushes, dental floss, mouth wash, soft picks and proxabrushes.
Whenever required, a fluoride treatment will be performed to assist with strengthening your teeth.
Gingivitis is prevalent in 80% of the Canadian population. It is the only reversible step of a more serious disease: the periodontal disease. As an office that specializes in prevention and avoiding problems rather than waiting until the disease has settled in, we are very proactive in diagnosing and explaining this problem to you, so we can take the appropriate steps to resolve it before it gets worse.
General
Scaling and root planing, otherwise known as conventional periodontal therapy,non-surgical periodontal therapy, or deep cleaning, is the process of removing or eliminating the etiologic agents – dental plaque, its products, and calculus – which cause inflammation, thus helping to establish a periodontium that is free of disease.
A composite filling is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture used to restore decayed teeth.
Dental bonding is a dental procedure in which a dentist applies a tooth-colored resin material (a durable plastic material) and cures it with visible, blue light. This ultimately “bonds” the material to the tooth and improves the overall appearance of teeth.
If the teeth are very loose, they can be splinted or joined together like pickets in a fence so that any biting force is distributed among groups of teeth rather than individual loosened teeth.
If you grind your teeth at night, a special mouth guard-type of dental appliance – called a nocturnal bite plate or bite splint – may be created to prevent tooth damage.
Prosthetic
If your tooth is damaged but not lost, a crown can be used to restore its shape, appearance and function. You may need a crown if you have a root canal, a large filling in a tooth or a broken tooth.
A crown, also called a cap, is a hollow, artificial tooth used to cover a damaged or decayed tooth. The crown restores the tooth and protects it from further damage. Crowns can also be used to cover a discoloured or misshapen tooth. A tooth that has been fixed with a crown looks and works very much like a natural tooth.
A bridge, also called a “fixed bridge” or a “fixed dental prosthesis,” is a dental restoration that replaces one or more missing teeth. It extends across an area that has no teeth and is typically made up of an artificial tooth fused between 2 crowns. (A crown is a hollow, artificial tooth that fits over a natural tooth or a dental implant). The bridge is held firmly in place by your own teeth on each side of the missing one(s) or by dental implants. A bridge is permanent and cannot be removed.
We perform all types of crowns and bridges required by our patients who received dental implants. We refer all our patients to a network of specialists (surgeons or periodontists) to ensure long term prognosis for your implants.
Dentures are artificial replacements for your natural teeth and gums. If an accident, a disease or poor oral health care has left you with only a few healthy teeth or none at all, your dentist or prosthodontist might suggest dentures to replace your missing teeth. There are 2 types of dentures: partial and complete. For both types of dentures your dentist or specialist makes a model of your teeth by taking impressions. The models are used to custom-make your dentures.
Flexite dentures are a new type of dentures made from a special plastic called Flexite. This is a light flexible plastic that fits comfortably over your gums, is esthetic and blends in with your gums. It eliminates the metallic taste of metal partials and There are no unsightly clasps. Flexite is bio compatible (non allergic) and is manufactured from medical grade materials.
Orthodontic retainers are custom-made devices, usually made of wires or clear plastic, that hold teeth in position after they were realigned. There are also available as fixed retainers, bonded to the lingual of your front teeth.
Root Canal
A root canal is a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or becomes infected. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp are removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed with guttapercha. Without treatment, the tissue surrounding the tooth will become infected and abscesses may form and you might experience a lot of pain.
A pulpotomy is when the inflamed pulp chamber, usually on a baby molar, is removed, the area is sterilized, and the chamber is sealed. It is sometimes called a baby tooth root canal, but it’s not really a root canal and it can be done is some cases in permanent teeth. It helps maintain the baby tooth until the new one is ready to grow.
Space maintainers are small appliances placed in the mouth if a baby tooth had to be removed before normal exfoliation. They are recommended in order to prevent migration of the teeth and avoid future need for braces.
Surgical incision and drainage is a fairly often used technique in oral surgery to treat dental infections which have progressed to oral swellings (abscesses). If cavities of the teeth are left untreated, they can eventually progress to infections that spread into the jaw bones and later into the surrounding soft tissues. Not only is this process extremely painful for the individual, but it might also be extremely dangerous. This is because untreated dental infections which have penetrated into the surrounding tissues can lead to a spreading of the infection to other parts of the body, including the brain or heart in a short period of time, causing severe illness.
Emergencies
A dental abscess or a periodontal abscess is an accumulation of pus that forms inside the teeth or gums. The abscess typically originates from a bacterial infection, often one that has accumulated in the soft pulp of the tooth or due to deep periodontal pockets. It presents as a swelling of the face or gums with or without pain.
Tooth fractures can range from minor (involving chipping of the outer tooth layers called enamel and dentin) to severe (involving vertical, diagonal, or horizontal fractures of the tooth and/or root). These can be very serious conditions that need the immediate attention of the dentist. For first aid information, please consult this extremely useful guide: www.dentaltraumaguide.
Dental avulsion is the complete expulsion of a tooth from its socket in alveolar bone usually due to trauma. The treatment for permanent teeth consists of replantation, immediately if possible. Please consult this guide for immediate steps that need to be taken following the incident: www.dentaltraumaguide.
Sensitive teeth can be caused by the following dental issues: worn tooth enamel from using a hard toothbrush and using a hard grip while brushing aggressively, tooth erosion due to highly acidic foods and beverages, tooth decay, worn leaky fillings and broken teeth that expose the dentin of your tooth.
Surgical
A dental extraction (also referred to as tooth extraction, exodontia, exodontics, or informally, tooth pulling) is the removal of teeth from the dental alveolus (socket) in the alveolar bone.
An impacted tooth is a tooth that gets blocked as it is pushing through the gum into your mouth (erupting). It happens usually with wisdom teeth. While we perform extractions in our office, some impacted teeth will be referred to the oral surgeon, in order to prevent possible complications or adverse side effects.
A frenectomy is simply the removal of a frenum in the mouth. A frenum is a muscular attachment between two tissues. There are two of them in the mouth that can sometimes obstruct normal function and might need frenectomies: the lingual frenum, which connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth, and the maxillary labial frenum, which connects the inside of your upper lip to your gums just above your upper two front teeth.
A cyst is a sac of tissue that has either fluid or soft material inside it. Cysts can form in a wide range of tissues including in the face and mouth (including the jaws). Some can form next to or around teeth, which are called dental cysts. Cysts are a reaction of the body to a condition and are usually relatively slow growing. They can be sterile or become infected. We perform excision of different types of cysts or refer for appropriate procedures.
Whitening
From the multiple whitening choices available nowadays, our office recommends the most using custom-fitted mouth trays. Tooth-whitening gel can leak out of ill-fitting trays causing irritation to your gums, as well as not whitening as efficiently as custom trays. With trays that specifically fit your mouth and bite, you can avoid these problems. Before starting the whitening process,we will want to clean your teeth and treat any existing dental problems like decay or gum disease. The next step is making your custom trays (stents or splints). After taking an impression of your teeth we willl use the molds to fabricate the trays. After that you will place a small amount of the bleaching solution into the clear trays and wear the trays for up to four hours a day for one to two weeks. Patients are often amazed at how much whitening takes place during this time, and an occasional treatment now and then is all you’ll need to keep your teeth looking their best.
In our office we offer professional grade bleaching strips for purchasing. They are available in Canada only through dental offices. A thorough examination , cleaning and all restorative work are needed to be performed before dental bleaching, and we will recommend an oral hygiene regimen to be followed, in order to prevent any negative side effects (sensitivity or pain).
Seniors and Kids
It is recommended that the first visit of a child to the dentist should be at six months after the presence of the first tooth or by a child’s first birthday because it it is important to establish a safe and non threatening ongoing relationship between the dentist and the little patient.Early oral examination aids in the detection of the early stages of tooth decay, helps to maintain oral health, modify aberrant habits, and treat as needed and as simply as possible. Parents will be given a program of preventative home care (brushing/flossing/fluorides), a caries risk assessment, information on finger, thumb, and pacifier habits, advice on preventing injuries to the mouth and teeth of children, diet counseling, and information on growth and development.
The elderly are particularly prone to are root caries, attrition, periodontal disease, missing teeth, poor quality of ill-fitting dentures, dry mouth, rampant caries etc. All these problems may increase in severity because of the declining immunity in old age and because of coexisting medical problems. Medications like antihypertensives, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, etc, lead to dry-mouth (xerostomia), and the absence of saliva in the oral cavity increases the predisposition to oral disease.
Screenings
We can perform a thorough oral cancer screening and signal any signs that might indicate a problem and refer you to the appropriate specialist. Please inform us of any concerns you may have.
We can readily assess the need for orthodontic treatment in both children and adults and then refer you to our network of dedicated specialists based on urgency and severity.
Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do to improve your health and dentition. Any attempt to quit smoking will make you stronger. The benefits will become quickly noticeable with the right combination of determination, medical support and our help, you will be able to stop smoking for good!