Amalgam Fillings
One of the most common questions we get is regarding the safety of amalgam fillings. Amalgam fillings are a mix of mercury, silver, tin and copper, are silver in color and have been used for 150 years to fill cavities.
To this day, amalgam continues to be the most durable and cost-effective material to use to fill a cavity. Dentists are still using amalgam today, especially for fillings on the back teeth and more than a billion amalgam fillings are placed annually.
The question about safety comes from mercury but when combined with the other materials the chemical make-up changes, making the mercury harmless. One hundred years of research has proven that the amount of mercury released is less than what is found in food, air, and water.
Composite Fillings
Teeth are usually filled with a material called composite resin, which is designed to look like your natural teeth. Composite resin takes a little longer than gold, porcelain, or silver amalgam, though most people still prefer it for natural-looking teeth. It takes more than one layer, and a special light is used to harden the area around the filling.
Once your tooth is all filled in, we will smooth over the rough edges and polish it so it looks natural.
Crowns(caps)
If you have missing or cracked teeth, you are probably not happy with your smile. We are here to help you feel better about your mouth so you enjoy showing it off.
One way we can do this is by offering crowns to our patients. A crown covers up a bad tooth so you have a natural-looking tooth that fits right into your mouth.
Crowns are also used to keep a filling in place when there is not much tooth left. They can also strengthen your regular teeth by giving them extra protection. If you have discolored teeth or teeth that are misshapen, a crown will help you have a smile of which you can be proud.
Crowns are attached right to your teeth so you will be able to do everything you can do with normal teeth. You can eat all of the foods you enjoy, no matter how hard it is to bite.
Dentures and Partial Dentures
Dentures are used to help solve problems that happen when patients start to lose teeth, whether we remove them or they fall out. After removing one or more teeth, a person’s mouth will start to shift, making changes to your mouth and your face!
For this reason, we offer complete and partial dentures. Complete dentures are for when all of your teeth are missing, and partials are for when you still have a few teeth.
We also offer both conventional and immediate dentures. Immediate dentures are made prior to removing your teeth while conventional dentures are made afterward. Then it takes eight to twelve weeks to get them.
It is our goal to make the process go as smoothly as possible. We will discuss your options, and together we can decide the best way to proceed.
If you have any questions about dentures or would like to schedule an examination to see if you could benefit from them, feel free to contact us today at (806) 894-4499.
Empress Restorations
Empress® restorations are ideal for patients seeking high esthetics and are completely metal free. For decades, Empress® has been committed to creating natural-looking restorations and is one of the world’s leaders in dental ceramics.
Known for their durability and esthetic materials, Empress® provides a natural look while restoring complete function. Empress® offers a variety of restorations to meet the demands of most and can be fabricated as veneers, onlays and overlays, and, in some instances, even bridges.
We prefer Empress® because it’s biocompatible and doesn’t harm the other dentition. It has excellent translucency, which blends well with the other teeth and makes the restoration appear natural. The Empress® material polishes well for high shine and acceptability. Empress® can truly make your teeth sparkle.
Onlay Restorations
Inlays and onlays are restorations used to repair teeth with mild to moderate decay. They can also be used to fix cracked and fractured teeth that are not damaged enough to need a crown.
Since inlays and onlays do not require as much work as repairing more severely damaged teeth does, we are able to conserve a lot of your original tooth structure.
There are many benefits to getting inlays and onlays instead of traditional metal fillings. They are made from tough materials that last up to 30 years. They can also help strengthen your teeth by up to 75 percent. Inlays and onlays can prolong the life of your teeth and prevent the need for additional dental treatment in the future.
Getting inlays and onlays requires two visits. At the first visit, the damage and decay will be removed. This will clean the tooth and prepare it for the dental inlay or onlay. We will then take a mold of the damaged tooth and send it to a dental laboratory. This is done so that the inlay or onlay fits you perfectly.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canals are done to repair and save teeth that infected or decayed when a filling won’t work We also perform root canals on teeth that have suffered damage from blunt force trauma.
When performing a root canal, we remove the dead nerve from your tooth. However, we don’t stop there. We also seal off the nerve to prevent another infection from happening and to prevent an abscess from forming around your tooth.
If you don’t get a root canal, the tooth decay will just continue or the infection will get worse. It may even go deep into your gums which can be quite painful. You may also notice swelling and discomfort.
If you have a painful tooth, it is important to see a dentist as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the more treatment will be necessary. You may be in pain until we are able to fix the problem.