Dental Services provided at Lifesmiles
Whether you have a small area of decay, or a large dental problem, problems with “buildup” or bleeding gums, you will be given treatment options designed just for you and your specific dental health concern.
Composite (Bonded) restorations:
Bonded restorations are tooth colored fillings made by using a special dental resin. Tooth colored fillings can match your teeth and make it difficult to see that fillings have been placed. Bonded restorations can be used in instances where small or medium repairs need to be made to a tooth.
Advantages of tooth colored fillings are:
- Better seal between healthy tooth and filling.
- Blended color matches the rest of the tooth to make your filling virtually invisible.
- Can be used on front teeth to cover defects.
- Less tooth structure needs to be removed to make a repair compared to “silver” mercury-filled amalgam fillings.
Bonded fillings are placed in a very dry tooth, so we take more time to ensure that our technique is correct to provide you with the longest lasting restoration.
Dental Crown:
A dental crown also known as a “cap” is the best way to repair a tooth that is severely damaged by decay, cracks, or breaks.
Our Dental Lab uses the highest technology available to customise your crown to fit your mouth and bite. The materials used are the strongest materials that dentistry has ever had. This technology also has made it possible to match the adjacent teeth and make your crown blend in with your other teeth.
Why use a crown?
A crown is designed to repair a tooth that has enough damage that it can break and cause you severe pain, or in danger of breaking to a point that extraction is the only treatment option.
A crown is so strong that it is the best way to protect your tooth for a very long period.
A Crown can:
- Strengthen a cracked, decayed, or broken tooth.
- Strengthen a tooth after a root canal.
- Improve the look of a tooth by changing color, and/or shape.
- Cover an implant.
- Fill in a space from a missing tooth using a fixed/cemented bridge.
- Repair a tooth for a long duration of time.
We are here to help you keep your teeth for a life time!
Endodontics:
When decay (a cavity), a crack, or periodontal disease invades deep into a tooth it can cause another infection known as an abscess. This infection attacks the nerves and blood vessels in the soft tissues of the tooth and the tissues connecting the tooth to the jaw. When the infection creates enough pus to begin destroying the bone around the tooth, it shows up as an abscess on an x-ray. An untreated abscess can allow bacteria to travel out of the tooth, into the surrounding tissues and bone, as well as the rest of the body, and create a very serious health risk.
People experiencing an abscess can keep an infected tooth, if it is treated early enough to save the tooth and its surrounding connecting bone and tissues.
Typical treatment consists of:
- Antibiotics to reduce the number of bacteria causing the infection.
- Draining the infection.
- Root canal of the infected nerve and blood vessels and sealing it securely with a special material and protecting it with a crown.
- Thoroughly cleaning the the space between the tooth and the gum, if the infection is gum disease related. We highly recommend that our patients follow good home care hygiene habits that include:
- Twice daily brushing.
- Flossing at least once a day.
- Rinsing with an oral rinse such as, Listerine or Crest Pro Health, twice daily.
- 2 or more yearly preventive care appointments with a dental exam that provides an oral cancer screening. We have found that frequent appointments help our patients reduce their risk of infections.
An abscess can be identified as:
- Pain.
- Swelling.
- Redness in the gum tissue around tooth.
- Bad taste in the mouth.
- Fever.
An Abscess is diagnosed with an x-ray.
Certain conditions may make it necessary for us to refer you to a specialist in endodontics.
Prevention:
Professional, reoccuring visits for your gum and body health.
Education and treatment tailored to your specific situation to aid you in your quest toward complete health with bacterial reduction.
Your gums and your body talk.The health of your gum tissues can affect the entire health of your body. We offer treatments specific to the health of the tissues surrounding your teeth. Our hygienist’s have exceptional options available to aid you in your health goals.
Digital Radiographs (Digital X-rays):
Digital x-rays show the dental professional the inside of a tooth. These x-rays show the same things that film x-rays show with additional benefits such as:
- An image that is easier to show to you and explain diagnosis and treatment.
- Reduced radiation exposure.
- An image that is larger than film for better – more accurate diagnosis.
- An image that is adjustable if contrast or exposure is not adequate.
- Unlimited copies of origional quality.
- Easier submission to dental benefit providers resulting in quicker compensation for you.
- The sensor to aquire the exposure is more comfortable than the sharp “cardboard” film x-ray.
- Instant exposure of x-ray to show to you immediately. Making less waiting time.
We prefer using the digital x-rays because it is quicker to aquire an image of your mouth health and is easier to show to you on the computer screen.
Intra-oral cameras (IOC’s):
An intra-oral camera is a camera small enough to reach into the oral cavity. These specialized cameras and their photographs, can give you and your dental team a close-up look at the condition of your entire mouth. With these pictures, you and your dental professional, can thoroughly evaluate your health, and make educated decisions for improving your health.
Advantages of IOC’s are:
- Giving you an opportunity to be better informed about your treatment.
- Earlier detection of dental disease.
- Improved education.
- Accurate dental record keeping.
- Providing an image to forward to dental benefit companies.
When your over-all health is involved, we want you to be well informed and know exactly what is happening. IOC’s aid us in giving you the information that you need to keep your body healthy and your mouth smiling and make an informed decision.
Whitening:
Making your teeth brighter and nobody will know it. Have custom trays made for you to use to whiten your smile and give you a healthy-youthful appearance. Read More
Dentures are appliances that are acrylic teeth custom fitted to your mouth. These teeth are removable and can be supported with dental implants to hold them into place.
Advantages of dentures are:
- Easier to speak clearly.
- More chewing function.
- Make face appear less saggy, looking younger.
- Replace teeth lost from gum disease, severe tooth decay, or injury.
New dentures can feel awkward to gum tissues, similar to a new pair of shoes to our feet. It may take a few weeks until you become accustomed to them and it is not uncommon to have minor soreness or irritations. We recommend follow-up appointments to help you adjust accordingly.
As with natural teeth, dentures need daily hygiene, brushing the appliances and gently brushing your gums and tongue will reduce plaque and reduce odor.
Regular dental check-ups are also recommended for denture wearers too. We will professionally clean your appliances, and do a thorough oral cancer screening.
invisalign®:
Does your smile reflect the real you?
Why are crooked teeth a problem? Crooked teeth can be harmful to your mouth and body for the following reasons:
- Periodontal disease can form because crooked teeth are harder to clean.
- Crooked teeth do not hit properly can wear abnormally or prematurely.
- Unhealthy gums from crooked and hard-to-clean teeth can allow oral bacteria to infiltrate the body and contribute to systemic health problems such as: coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, or diabetes just to name a few.
- Crooked teeth chip and break more easily.
- Embarrassment and reluctance to smile.
We offer a no-charge consultation to see if invisalign® is right for you.
Coordinated services:
We coordinate the following services with our sister practice, LifeSMILES of Cadillac.
Dental implants:
If your smile and chewing ability are important to you, and you are concerned about how others see your mouth when you’re missing a tooth, consider a dental implant as a replacement.
Dental Implants are a safe and excellent way to fill in open spaces in your smile, or replace lost or broken teeth to add chewing space.
Dental Implants can be utilized to:
- replace front teeth
- replace molar teeth
- support bridges.
You will enjoy the convenience of having your dental implant completed, start-to-finish, right here in our friendly office, by people that you know and trust.
We encourage you to ask us about our implant services and see whether you are a candidate for this treatment at our sister practice, Lifesmiles Complete Health Dentistry in Cadillac, Michigan.