Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease that will not resolve without treatment.
Research has shown that almost everybody has a 95% chance of experiencing some tooth decay. When tooth decay does occur, it is highly important to remove the decay, clean the tooth and repair the tooth with some type of restoration. In addition, lost or missing teeth need to be replaced to protect your overall oral health.
Americans are consuming foods and drinks high in sugar more often and in larger portions than ever before. It’s clear that “junk” foods and drinks gradually have replaced nutritious beverages and foods for many people. The average teenage boy drinks 81 gallons of soft drinks per year. The average teenage girl drinks 61 gallons. Alarmingly, a steady diet of sugary foods and drinks, including sports drinks, can ruin teeth, especially among those who snack throughout the day. Common activities may be contributing to the tendency toward tooth decay. These include “grazing” habitually on foods with minimal nutritional value, and frequently sipping on sugary drinks. Even snacks thought to be “healthy” can have cariogenic (cavity-causing) potential, such as sticky fruit snacks and raisins.
Sugar mixed with the bacteria in your mouth produces acid. This acid attacks your enamel for up to 20 minutes. When sugar is consumed over and over again, the harmful effect on teeth can be dramatic. And when a tooth decays, the enamel does not grow back. The only option once decay occurs is to call our office and have the tooth treated.
From routine fillings to complex crown and bridge or implant cases, the experienced team at Generation Dental Group is equipped to meet your needs. We offer the full spectrum of dental care, from extractions to root canals to dentures. In this section, we will look at the various restorations we can use to protect and restore decayed or missing teeth.
Restorative (fillings)
To treat a cavity, Dr. Ring will remove the decayed portion of the tooth and then “fill” the area on the tooth where the decayed material once lived.
Fillings are also used to repair cracked or broken teeth and teeth that have been worn down from misuse (such as from nail-biting or tooth grinding).
What Steps Are Involved in Filling a Tooth?
First, the area around the tooth to be worked on will be numbed with with a local anesthetic. Next, a highspeed drill will be used to remove the soft, decayed area.
Next, the doctor will test the area during the decay removal process to determine if all the decay has been removed. Once the decay has been removed, the cavity will be cleaned of bacteria and debris. If the decay is near the root/nerve of the tooth, a liner made of glass ionomer may be placed over the deepest areas to protect the nerve.
Next, the tooth-colored material is applied in layers. Finally, a special light that “cures” or hardens each layer is applied. When the multilayering process is completed, the composite resin will be shaped to the desired result, trimmed and polished.
The location and extent of the decay, cost of filling material, insurance coverage and consultation with Dr. Ring will assist in determining the type of filling that will best address your needs.
Root Canals
Root canal treatment, also known as endodontic therapy, is probably the most maligned of all dental procedures, but the reputation of pain typically associated with “having a root canal” is really not deserved. For the majority of people who will undergo root canal treatment the process itself will be no more involved than having a filling placed.
Root canal therapy refers to the process by which the inner aspects of a tooth, specifically that area inside a tooth that is occupied by its “pulp tissue” is treated. Most people would probably refer to a tooth’s pulp tissue as its “nerve.” While a tooth’s pulp tissue does contain nerve fibers it is also composed of arteries, veins, lymph vessels, and connective tissue.
Once upon a time, if you had a tooth with a diseased nerve, you’d probably lose that tooth. Today, with a special dental procedure called a root canal therapy you may save that tooth. Inside each tooth is the pulp which provides nutrients and nerves to the tooth, it runs like a thread down through the root. When the pulp is diseased or injured, the pulp tissue dies. If you don’t remove it, your tooth gets infected and you could lose it. After the dentist removes the pulp, the root canal is cleaned and sealed off to protect it. Then a crown is generally recommended to cover the tooth to help make it stronger and protect it from fracturing.
Extractions
From time to time, a tooth may be too periodontally involved or have too much decay to restore. Whatever the reason, if a tooth needs to be removed, Dr. Ring has extensive experience and skill in tooth extractions, and can can take care of the majority of your oral surgery needs.
Crowns
Crowns are custom-made “hats” that are made to fit over the top of your tooth and protect it from fracture. Crowns are recommended for a variety of reasons, including to strengthen teeth that have had root canals, hold a tooth together that’s had large fillings, relieve sensitivity due to cracks, and for esthetic reasons.
Bridges
Bridges are used to replace a tooth that is missing or damaged. They can replace one tooth or several teeth. The bridge consists of a false tooth anchored on either side by a crown. Crowns are placed directly over your existing teeth and the bridge is designed to match your natural teeth as closely as possible in size and color.
Bridges are an effective way to:
- Eliminate gaps in your smile
- Improve your ability to chew and speak
- Prevent the sunken cheek look that comes from missing teeth
- Equalize pressure on your bite
- Keep remaining teeth from drifting out of position
Removable Dentures
If you have many missing teeth, you may be a candidate for dentures. Dentures are removable replacements that improve chewing and speech and restore sagging face muscles to their natural shape.
There are two main types of dentures-complete and partial. A denture that replaces all teeth is called a complete denture; a partial denture replaces missing teeth and keeps the surrounding teeth from changing position. Complete dentures can be either conventional or immediate. For a conventional denture, all the patient’s teeth are removed and time is allowed for the patient to heal, after which the dentures are fitted. Immediate dentures are placed in the mouth as soon as the teeth are removed.
Implants
Did you know that dental implants are frequently the best treatment option for replacing missing teeth? Rather than resting on the gum line like removable dentures, or using adjacent teeth as anchors like fixed bridges, dental implants are long-term replacements that your periodontist surgically places in the jawbone.
Statistics show that 69% of adults ages 35 to 44 have lost at least one permanent tooth to an accident, gum disease, a failed root canal or tooth decay. Furthermore, by age 74, 26% of adults have lost all of their permanent teeth.
Twenty years ago, these patients would have had no alternative but to employ a fixed bridge or removable denture to restore their ability to eat, speak clearly and smile. Fixed bridges and removable dentures, however, are not the perfect solution and often bring with them a number of other problems. Removable dentures may slip or cause embarrassing clicking sounds while eating or speaking. Of even greater concern, fixed bridges often affect adjacent healthy teeth, and removable dentures may lead to bone loss in the area where the tooth or teeth are missing. Recurrent decay, periodontal (gum) disease and other factors often doom fixed bridgework to early failure. For these reasons, fixed bridges and removable dentures usually need to be replaced every seven to 15 years.
Orthodontics
At Generation Dental Group, we strive to make dental care convenient. To that end, our team has completed certification in Invisalign orthodontics. If you are a candidate for Invisalign, Dr. Ring and her team will take the necessary records, including digital photographs and impressions of your teeth, and get your Invisalign treatment underway!
Invisalign is a breakthrough technology that straightens teeth with a series of clear, virtually invisible, custom-molded aligners. These aligners replace the wires and brackets of the past, making orthodontic care practically unnoticeable to others. And, unlike braces of the past, these clear aligners can be removed while you eat and brush your teeth.© Copyright 2009 ChaseHealthAdvanceDental Financing.
The average invisalign course of treatment takes about a year. During that time, you will change to a new set of aligners every two weeks. Each set of aligners gently moves your teeth one step closer to their optimal position until you develop a beautiful, healthy smile.
Unlike traditional braces, few people will even know you’re wearing Invisalign. That’s because each aligner is nearly invisible. So you can have the confidence you need while looking great at work, at school, and with friends. It’s a new type of orthodontics, helping you look good now to look great in the future!
Invisalign has been proven effective in both clinical research and in dental practices nationwide. Here are just some of the cases we can treat:
- Crowded teeth
- Gaps in teeth
- Shifting of teeth after braces
Best of all, Invisalign helps improve your overall health, including:
- Healthier gums
- Easier cleanings
- Improved chewing
- Reduced risk of abnormal tooth wear
- Improved speech
- Greater sense of well-being
Your Invisalign treatment will consist of a series of aligners that you switch out about every two weeks. Each aligner is individually manufactured with exact calculations to gradually shift your teeth into place. And since your Invisalign system is custom-made for your teeth and your teeth only, with a plan devised by you and Dr. Ring, you know you’ll end up with a smile that truly fits.
If you feel you could benefit from the Invisalign technology, please call us to schedule a consultation to see if Invisalign is right for you. Remember, with Invisalign, there’s nothing to hide.
At Generation Dental Group, we know and understand that the dental office may not be your favorite place to be. To that end, Dr. Ring and her staff have undergone extensive training and received certification to be able to treat patients with dental anxiety. Partnering with Premer Dental Anesthesiology, a Division of Western Anesthesia, we can provide comprehensive dental care in our office with the aid of mild or deep sedation or even general anesthesia. The team at Premier Dental Anesthesiology is a mobile one, who provides anesthetic services to our patients on site, allowing us to focus on what we do best: general dentistry.
We are able to provide general anesthesia and/or sedation dentistry in the comfort of our office for patients with special needs or extreme anxiety. Working in conjunction with Premier Dental Anesthesiology, we are able to reverse years of neglect by providing comprehensive dental care in one visit (usually). As always, we strive to individualize your treatment, as we realize every patient has unique challenges and concerns. If you would like to pursue general anesthesia or sedation dentistry, please contact our office at 636-532-2228 to schedule a consultation with our experienced staff.