General Dentistry
Comprehensive Evaluation / Oral Examination
During your evaluation, we may review home care instructions, perform an oral cancer screening and take digital radiographs. Radiographs allow for a more complete examination, helping the doctor to detect cavities, problems in existing dental restorations, gum and bone recession or other abnormal conditions within the mouth, head and neck area. Your oral examination will include a visual inspection of the mouth, head, and neck, performed to detect abnormalities.
Regular Dental Check Ups / Cleaning
Regular dental check-ups and hygiene visits are essential for maintaining excellent oral health, fresh breath, and diagnosing potential problems early. Our hygienists will reinforce oral home care routines to practice on a daily basis specific to each patient’s needs. Periodontal disease or ‘gum disease’ is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults and is completely preventable in most cases. Professional dental cleanings combined with a proper home-care routing can remove the disease causing bacteria and plaque.
Fluoride
Fluoride is a mineral that is not added to our water supply here on Long Island. It has been found to reduce the number of teeth that get cavities by half in children with a developing dentition. In adults, fluoride can reduce the incidence of root decay and eliminate temperature sensitive teeth caused by gum recession. Fluoride is found in vitamin supplements given to children, and rinses or gels for adults (and children undergoing orthodontic treatment). Topical Fluoride is essential in patients wearing braces to prevent tooth decay and demineralization around bands and brackets which leads to discolored teeth.
Sealants
Sealants are a thin layer of flowable composite that fills in the pits and grooves on the chewing surface of molars and premolars. Most dental decay begins in these areas. When done properly, sealants will dramatically reduce the incidence of decay in children. They can be applied without anesthesia or needles and usually only need to be done once per tooth to get a child through adolescence cavity-free.
Night Guards
At Artistic Dental Associates, we offer a TMJ exam to evaluate the tissues involved in jaw movement and the functionality of the hinges. Problems can include swelling of the joint tissues or dislocation of the disc which ‘cushions’ the joint. Night Guard therapy can relieve the majority of a patient’s symptoms. This appliance is worn while sleeping to minimize the forces of clenching or grinding and relieve the overloaded joints.
Scaling and Root Planing
Scaling and root planing is a non-surgical procedure used to treat gum disease. During the scaling process, specialized dental instruments are used to remove dental plaque and calculus from beneath the gums. Planing is the procedure used to smooth the tooth roots after the scaling process. Root planing helps the gums heal and reattach themselves to a cleaner and smoother root surface.
Root Canal Treatment
Root Canal Therapy involves cleaning the pulp (living tissue) inside the root of a tooth and sealing the remaining empty canals with Gutta Percha (a rubber material cemented in place). This is done because of infection, trauma or fracture that may cause the nerve to become symptomatic. At Artistic Dental Associates we assess each case individually and render the most predictable and conservative treatment needed.
Root Canal procedures require one or more visits to complete depending upon the extent of the infection and the anatomy or complexity of the teeth involved. Many teeth have multiple roots and nerve canals and sometimes require the expertise of an Endodontist or Root Canal specialist. While root canal treatment can be a very successful treatment to save a tooth from extraction, there are times that root fractures or accessory canals prevent the relief of symptoms and a tooth must be extracted.
Extractions
A tooth that can not be saved with restorative procedures may need to be removed. In our office, we offer sedation dentistry options to make tooth extraction less painful. A tooth may need to be removed because of the following concerns: failed endodontics, root fractures, bone loss, infection or not enough tooth remaining to hold a restoration.