Dentistry Services

Dental problems start small but grow rapidly even with proper brushing and flossing. We recommend our patients to schedule an appointment every 6 months. Through routine professional cleanings, our team can detect issues before they become problems.

Prevention of dental disease is a very important aspect in obtaining good oral health. Preventing dental disease takes place both in the home and at the dental office. To maintain healthy dental hygiene, the patient must be sure to:

• Eat a balanced diet
• Schedule and attend dental exams and regular cleanings
• Schedule regular X-rays
• Apply sealants and fluoride

The tasks listed can prevent serious problems and help you avoid gum disease and periodontitis. We strive to help our patients become more aware and conscientious about their daily dental habits, as it is the foundation of good, lasting dental health. At our Provo dental practice, we will provide you with the keys to having a healthy, confident, and beautiful smile.

A denture is a removable dental appliance created to replace the spaces for missing teeth and surrounding tissue. Dentures, when used, are an important part of keeping the teeth and mouth in frame when one or more teeth are missing.

There are two types of dentures – complete and partial. Complete dentures are for patients who are missing all of their teeth, while partial dentures will only fill the spaces for missing teeth. When missing any teeth, partial dentures play an important role in preventing other teeth from shifting position in the mouth.

Typically, our patients receive dentures for the following reasons:

• Complete loss of all teeth in an arch
• Partial loss of teeth in an arch
• Enhancing smile and facial tissues
• Improving chewing, speech and digestion

The dentures received are strong and durable. On occasion, dentures may need to be remade, repaired or readjusted due to regular wear and tear.

A perfect solution for damaged or missing teeth is a crown or a bridge. Because crowns and bridges are cemented in, they offer the perfect long – term solution for many patients.

Strengthen and restore your smile.

Our team may recommend a crown if your tooth is fractured, a filling is deteriorated, to protect a root canalled tooth, or as a cosmetic solution for chipped, or discolored teeth. Bridges are an excellent, long term solution to replace missing teeth.

Once your permanent teeth are grown in, there may be some instances where the tooth (or teeth) may need to be extracted. These cases need to be properly diagnosed by a professional dentist – any and all alternatives should be discussed when considering tooth extraction. Some reasons for tooth extraction may vary, but often include one or more of the following:

• Preparation of Orthodontia or Cosmetics
• Infection
• Risk of Infection
• Advanced Periodontal Disease
• Advanced Decay

Under most cases, the extraction of the tooth is the last resource to maintain dental health. In order to keep your teeth healthy and functional, it is important that you maintain proper oral hygiene within the home and consistently attend regularly scheduled dental appointments. The odds of detecting decay and preventing infection are greatly increased by scheduling regular exams and cleanings.

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A crown (or cap) is a covering that encases the entire tooth surface, restoring it to its original shape and size. A crown protects and strengthens tooth structure that cannot be restored with fillings or other types of restorations. A crown may become necessary or desired, for one or more of the following reasons:

• Broken/Fractured Teeth
• Cosmetic Enhancement
• Decayed Teeth
• Fractured Fillings
• Large Fillings
• Root Canal

There are several different kinds of crowns. The most popular type of crowns are porcelain crowns, because they most resemble your natural teeth. Crowns are made durable and strong. They are expected to last many years but, like most dental restorations, a crown may eventually need replacement. Porcelain crowns are made and customized in size, shape and color to match your naturally grown teeth. This is done to restore full functionality to your teeth and to provide optimal cosmetic results for your smile.

When confronting this type of decay or infection, the patient has two options: pull the affected tooth or save the tooth through root canal therapy. When extracting a decayed or infected tooth, significant and costly dental problems will arise for adjacent teeth. In the end, tooth extraction may cause more problems than it will solve. Root canal therapy is a much more desirable alternative, as it will provide full functionality to the tooth and mouth, and will not cause any future problems with adjacent teeth.

The reasons a dentist will recommend root canal therapy include the following:

• Decay has reached the tooth pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth)
• Development of infection or abscess inside the tooth or at the root tip
• Trauma or injury to the tooth

The restoration that root canal therapy provides will usually last a lifetime. It will provide full functionality back to your tooth and mouth. There may be a need in the future to retreat the tooth, but this would only be necessary if a new, separate infection arose.

A filling is used to repair a tooth that is affected by decay, cracks, fractures, and so forth. In just one appointment, the decayed or affected portion of the tooth will be removed, cleaned, and filled.

There are many types of filling materials available, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. When choosing which material you would like, consulting with your dentist is strongly recommended. There are further options that are aesthetically suited for use in front teeth or the more visible areas of the teeth. As with most dental restorations, fillings may not be permanent and may someday need replacement. However, they often last for many years and provide you with a fully restored smile.

In dentistry, a veneer is a thin layer of material placed over a tooth, either to improve the aesthetics of a tooth or to protect a damage to a tooths surface. There are two main types of material used to fabricate a veneer, composite and dental porcelain. A composite veneer may be directly placed (built-up in the mouth), or indirectly fabricated by a dental technician in a dental laboratory, and later bonded to the tooth, typically using a resin cement such as Panavia. In contrast, a porcelain veneer may only be indirectly fabricated.

Affordable Braces for Children and Adults
The benefits of orthodontics are both cosmetic and health-related. Crooked teeth can lead not only to lack of confidence, but also to poor oral hygiene, bone structure and other problems that occur with age. The ADA recommends every child at the age of seven should have an orthodontic consultation.

Traditional Braces
Traditional Braces are metal brackets attached to the teeth and connected together with a fine metal wire. This small force, exerted by this springy wire, moves the teeth into the desired position. Standard braces may also be used in conjunction with other appliances like removable or functional appliances or headgears.

The objective of scaling and root planing, otherwise known as conventional periodontal therapy, non-surgical periodontal therapy, deep cleaning, is to remove or eliminate the etiologic agents which cause inflammation: dental plaque, its products and calculus, thus helping to establish a periodontium that is free of disease.

Invisalign Braces
An Invisalign Orthodontic Treatment consists of a series of clear acrylic “aligners” that are made from a highly accurate impression of your teeth. Unlike traditional braces, Invisalign aligners can be removed for eating, drinking and normal hygiene. They are worn for 23 hours a day and don’t require frequent tightening. They are clear, totally smooth and cause minimal discomfort compared with standard braces.

Whitening procedures have effectively restored the smile of people with stained, dull, or discolored teeth.

The darker tissue of your teeth, the dentin, can become exposed as the outer layer of enamel is worn away by the effects of aging or things like caffeine and tobacco.

Food particles are naturally attracted to a tooth’s enamel by a certain protein. Products like coffee and tea, berries and soy sauce are notorious for staining teeth. Over time, teeth actually become more absorbent and vulnerable to staining from food and other substances.

One type of stain—caused by traumatic injuries, medications and fluorosis—actually begins inside the tooth; brushing and flossing don’t help. Another type of stain—one that can be more easily attacked by brushing, flossing and rinsing—is caused by external factors such as foods.

Healthy Smiles Start at an Early Age

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry suggests that children should visit a dentist as soon as the first tooth appears. They should begin with routine cleanings as soon as they are able to sit still for the exam –usually around the age of three.