Prophylaxis (teeth cleaning)
Prophylaxis or better known as teeth cleaning is part of oral hygiene and involves the removal of dental plaque and tartar from your teeth with the intention of preventing cavities, gingivitis, and periodontal disease. A dental hygienist will use a variety of instruments or devices to loosen and remove deposits from the teeth. A cleaning includes tooth scaling, tooth polishing, flossing and sometimes fluoride treatments.
extractions
A tooth extraction is the removal of a tooth from its socket in the bone. If a tooth has been broken or damaged by decay the tooth needs to be extracted if it cannot be saved with a filling or crown. There are two forms of extractions.
A simple extraction is performed on a tooth that can be seen in the mouth. In a simple extraction, the dentist loosens the tooth with an instrument called an elevator. Then the dentist uses an instrument called a forceps to remove the tooth.
A surgical extraction is a more complex procedure. It is used if a tooth may have broken off at the gum line or has not come into the mouth yet. The doctor makes a small incision (cut) into your gum. Sometimes it's necessary to remove some of the bone around the tooth or to cut the tooth in half in order to extract it.
Dental fillings
Dental fillings are used to repair damage to the structure of a tooth. Structural damage can be caused as a result of tooth decay, wear or trauma. After the removal of a problematic tooth structure, the tooth is restored with one of several filling materials: gold, amalgam (silver), composite resin (white filling material) or porcelain.
dental crowns
Crowns are often needed when a large cavity threatens the ongoing health of a tooth. A crown is a dental restoration which when cemented in place completely caps or encircles the visible portion of a tooth to restore its shape, size, strength and/or to improve its appearance. Dental crowns can be made of gold metals, silver metals, porcelain or a combination of porcelain and metal. During the procedure the dentist will pare down the tooth, and remove any decay. An impression of the prepared tooth is taken using an elastic material. The impression is then sent to a dental lab, where the replacement crown is made. A temporary acrylic crown will be fitted over the prepared tooth, while the crown is being made. The new crown is then cemented onto the prepared tooth.
Crown build-up
A build-up is when teeth are built up because their foundation is insufficient to attach a crown. For the crown to be successful, it must have a good foundation to support it. Your dentist will need to grind away a significant portion of the existing tooth to create a stable platform and post to cement the crown securely in place.This procedure provides this support and effectively replaces the original shape of the tooth so that it will be easier to later design a crown for it.
dental bridges
Dental bridges replace missing teeth with artificial replacements. A bridge is held in place by composite materials that are anchored to surrounding teeth. This procedure consists of the dentist paring down the teeth on either side of the gap, and taking an impression of the prepared teeth. The impression is set to the dental lab where the bridge is made. At the dental lab, the technician will make a replacement crown for each prepared tooth included in the bridge, these crowns are then joined to an artificial tooth which replaces the missing tooth. The bridge is then cemented over the prepared teeth.
Bonding
Bonding is the process of using composite resins to "glue" materials to the surface of a tooth for restorative purposes. Chipped or cracked teeth are typically repaired through bonding. An enamel-like composite material is applied to the surface of a tooth, sculpted into shape, contoured and polished, making the crack or chip invisible.
dentures
Dentures are prosthetic teeth constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clasping onto teeth or dental implants. There are two main categories of dentures, complete dentures or partial dentures.
Complete dentures are used when all the teeth are missing, while partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain. Complete dentures can be either "conventional" or "immediate." A conventional denture is made after the remaining teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has begun to heal.
Immediate dentures are made in advance and can be positioned as soon as the remaining teeth are removed. As a result, the wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period.
A removable partial denture usually consists of replacement teeth attached to a gum-colored plastic base, which is connected by metal framework that holds the denture in place in the mouth. Partial dentures are used when one or more natural teeth remain in the upper or lower jaw.
root canal therapy
Root canal Therapy is a procedure to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or becomes infected. Inside of all normal teeth is a space containing nerves, blood vessels and live soft tissue called the dental pulp. During a root canal procedure the infected nerve and pulp are removed from the root chamber of the tooth. When the internal space of the tooth is hollow and cleared, this space is filled with a rubber-like material called gutta percha and the tooth is "capped" with a crown for protection. Without treatment the tissue surrounding the tooth will become infected and abscesses may form.
post & core
A post is a metallic structure that is placed within the body of the root of a tooth that had previous root canal therapy. It consists of a post that fits into the root canal, and a core portion that projects above the gum. The post is used to help anchor the core to the tooth. This procedure is required in order to create the optimal foundation for the new restoration. Core placement is a procedure where a dentist replaces missing tooth structure in preparation for making a new dental crown. While a dental core can be created for any tooth, a post and core can only be made for a tooth that has had root canal treatment. A core can be made out of any type of permanent dental restorative. In most cases it's either dental amalgam or dental composite (bonding).
peridontal maintenance
Periodontal maintenance is the recommended ongoing treatment to manage and control periodontal disease, which is a chronic and non-curable bacterial infection. In this procedure, plaque, tartar/calculus and bacterial toxins are removed from root surfaces below and above the gum line. Periodontal maintenance (PM) is distinctly different than prophy and is most commonly utilized for patients who have had active perio treatment.