Fillings are a common dental procedure used to repair decay, cracks, and chips. At our office, the vast majority of fillings we do use composite, or tooth colored material. Composite fillings blend in seamlessly with your surrounding tooth, so they’re completely visible. Fillings take only one appointment, and anesthesia is used if necessary so they’re pain free.
Crowns, completely cover your tooth surface, and restore it to it’s original shape & size. Crowns are often necessary when a tooth can’t be properly treated with composite fillings, and can repair broken teeth, old fillings, severe decay and with root canal therapy.
Dental bridges are restorations that combine the best aspects of crowns and partial dentures to literally “bridge” the gap created by missing teeth. When placing a bridge, our dentists first take careful molds of your teeth to send to our lab, which will ensure that your bridge will look and fit very naturally when it’s placed. With easy home care instructions and a little practice, your bridge will feel like part of your natural smile in no time!
In some cases, decay can extent far into the tooth, leading to infection and pain. Rather than removing the tooth, a root canal can often save its structure, which is usually less expensive and less problematic in the long run rather than treating issue that can arise if the tooth is extracted.
Root canals take one or two appointments. The nerves, pulp, decay, and bacteria are all removed, and the tooth is filled with medicated solutions that restores its proper function. Once the nerves are gone, so is any pain. Finally, most teeth with root canals are crowned to restore their original appearance.
Bleaching or teeth whitening is used to correct discoloration of the teeth by removing the brown and yellow staining. Philips Zoom! is for patients who desire a brighter smile.
Tooth enamel discoloration can be caused by staining, aging, or chemical damage to teeth. Some of the more common causes of teeth discoloration are medications, coffee, tea, colas or cigarettes.
Though not a permanent solution, teeth whitening is very effective with results that can last for years. Depending on your personal habits, touch-up kits can be used every 6–12 months to enhance and maintain whitening results.
People typically have their teeth whitened to improve their appearance. When people have a brighter smile, they tend to smile more often and their confidence shines through.
With the Philips Zoom! in-office whitening it takes as little as 1 hour to whiten your teeth.
With the Philips Zoom! in-office whitening many patients have little to no sensitivity at all. For the patients that do end up experiencing the sensitivity, it usually wears off by the very next day.
Periodontal disease is a disease of the gums and bone that surrounds the teeth. It is extremely common, and it’s been estimated that four out of five people have it and don’t know it. It can also be extremely serious, and studies have linked it to heart disease, diabetes, smoking and pregnancy complications.
Early stage periodontal disease often presents without any symptoms, which is why regular checkups and cleaning are so important. When symptoms do appear, they include pain and sensitivity in the gums, bleeding, swelling, redness, and recession (gum loss). The news is that, when diagnosed, periodontal disease is treatable.
Scaling and Root Planning: Treatment for periodontal disease entails a special, deep cleaning called scaling and root planning. Bacteria, plaque, and tarter (also known as calculus) are removed above and below the gum line, and any rough spots are smoothed. Scaling and root planning is typically done in quadrants.
After your treatments, maintaining good oral hygiene is imperative to staying on top of periodontal problems. The importance of flossing can’t be overstated; it should be done at least once a day, and we’ll help you make sure you’re doing it properly.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O), commonly called “Laughing Gas” is one of the safest forms of sedation available to alleviate anxiety during dental procedures.
It is simply a gas, which you breathe in through a small personal mask. Nitrous oxide is colorless gas which decreases pain sensitivity and gives the patient a sense of distance from the dental experience. It is sweet-smelling and nonirritating. The patient begins to feel a pleasant level of sedation in anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 or 4 minutes. The cheeks and gums also begin to feel numb in about a third of patients. The effects wear off soon after the mask is removed. This means you are 100% ready to carry on your life after the use of nitrous oxide.
After the gas is adjusted to the appropriate dose, and the patient is relaxed and sedated, the dentist can comfortably give an anesthetic injection to the patient, and then proceed with the dental treatment. After the treatment is completed, the patient is given pure oxygen to breathe for about 5 minutes, and all the effects of the sedation are usually reversed. Unlike general anesthesia, the patient can almost always leave the office by themselves, without an escort.
Almost anyone can have nitrous oxide treatment. We can vary the depth of sedation depending on your level of anxiety. Nitrous oxide gas also tends to reduce gag reflexes and saliva flow. Most importantly, you will bask in a feeling of relaxation as we care for you.
As a precaution, patients should not eat anything for about 2 hours prior to use of the gas. Nitrous oxide has few side effects although high doses can cause nausea in some patients, and about 10% of patients do not benefit from it. Patients who are claustrophobic or have blocked nasal passages cannot use nitrous oxide effectively. Nitrous oxide is one of the safest anesthetics available.
Family Dental Practice proudly serving patients in Humble, Atascocita, Cleveland, Conroe, Huntsville, Livingston, Magnolia, North Houston, Oak Ridge North, Porter, Shenandoah, Shepherd, Spring, The Woodlands, Tomball & Willis Texas.
