SERVICES
At West Bay Family Dental, we want you to be as big of a part of this process as you desire. We pride ourselves in our patient education and take the time to explain to you what your current oral health level is and offer an individualized plan and approach that matches your needs, goals, and of course, finances.
Dental cleanings, often known as a dental prophylaxis or prophy, involves the removal of bacteria, plaque, and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth. A cleaning is a preventative or prophylactic treatment that prevents bacteria, plaque, and tartar from causing an infection of your gums, known as periodontitis. After a dental cleaning, you will leave feeling refreshed with a sparkling, clean smile.
Dental Prophy
Scaling and Root Planing
Periodontal treatment often starts with a procedure called scaling and root planing, sometimes known as a deep cleaning. It is the treatment of your teeth and gums once gum disease is present. When bacteria, plaque, and tartar are not removed routinely, your gums can become inflamed and infected which may result in the recession of the bone that supports the teeth. It is often first noticed by red, swollen, or bleeding gums. Although periodontal disease is typically painless, its effects are damaging. In severe cases, the resulting bone loss can cause the loosening of teeth and even tooth loss. With a thorough cleaning of the teeth, roots, and gums, periodontitis can be halted and further damage prevented. With each visit, we will do an evaluation of your teeth and gums where we will explain the current health of your gums and determine what type of cleaning is needed for you. In certain circumstances, we will work together with a periodontist to find the right combination of care to get your gums back to optimal health and prevent further damage.
When most people think of the dentist, the first thing they think of is, “Do I have cavities?” or “Do I need a filling?” Cavities, or more formally known as dental caries, are holes or soft spots that form on your teeth. Natural and normal bacteria that exist in everybody’s mouth will feed on sugars and carbohydrates and create an acidic environment that pulls the minerals from your teeth. As this occurs, the hard tooth structure softens, and a hole or soft spot forms. If untreated, these cavities can extend deeper into your tooth causing sensitivity or even an infection of the tooth. When treated early, the decay is removed and a filling replaces the affected tooth structure.
We have a variety of filling materials that we select from based on the size, location, and aesthetics of the cavity we are treating. We use all composite varieties of fillings which come in different shades of white to match your teeth.
Cavities and Fillings
Dental crowns, sometimes called caps, are restorations that fully cover your tooth. Crowns are a fantastic treatment option for teeth that have extensive decay, cracks, or have been previously patched together with large fillings. Crowns serve as a “helmet” for the tooth and can also act as the band or ferrule around a barrel. They help to hold and squeeze cracks together to prevent them from extending further and they do a great job strengthening an already compromised tooth.
While crowns can still be made with metal or gold, our technological advances have created superstrength ceramics that allow strong and aesthetic crowns that are made to match your other teeth. We now can make your crowns here in our office in a single visit so that you do not need a temporary crown, nor need to return for a second appointment. Our patients love the convenience of our single-appointment crowns.
Crowns
Tooth Replacement Options
Bridge
A dental bridge is similar to a crown. In its most simple form, it is three crowns all connected together that span over a missing tooth. It connects to and is cemented to the adjacent teeth. Bridges function the same as your natural teeth and you care for them like you would your natural teeth. There is some additional care for a bridge as it cannot be flossed like your natural teeth as the prosthetic teeth are each connected.
Implants
Dental implants have been one of the greatest advances in dentistry in the past 20 to 30 years. A dental implant is a titanium post that is surgically placed into the bone that would otherwise support your tooth. The bone will integrate and grow into the implant making it every bit as strong as your natural tooth. Once healed, the implant can support a single tooth or it can support an appliance that clicks into a denture or a partial denture.
Implants have given dentists and patients abilities to replace teeth that were previously never an option. We work directly with oral surgeons in the area to place the implant. Once it has healed, the restoration of the implant is done with us in our office.
Complete Dentures
In cases where patients are missing all of their teeth or the remaining teeth need to be removed, we have the option to custom-make a complete denture. A number of steps are taken to ensure that the teeth fit our patients ideally so that they are comfortable, functional, and natural looking.
The advances in dentures and implants give us previously unattainable options and results. When paired with implants, we can make dentures that snap into place making them secure and improving comfort. There are even options for denture varieties that are semi-permanently attached to the implants. These “dentures” remain in place at all times and are brushed and cared for similarly to your natural teeth.
Partial Dentures
A partial denture is used when we need to replace some missing teeth. Partial dentures can replace a single missing tooth or can be used to replace as many as 12 to 14 missing teeth. A partial denture works by attaching to your remaining natural teeth. Clasps keep the partial in place so that it is stable and solid. Similar to complete dentures, we now have options to use implants to snap partial dentures into place. This means that we do not have to rely on the existing teeth for retention and support of your partial.
Every tooth has a blood supply and a nerve that gives the tooth sensation. We call this nerve and blood supply the pulp of your tooth. It resides in thin canals that extend from the bone around your tooth up to the centermost part of the tooth that you can see. Whether from trauma, a cavity, a crack, or for reasons unknown, the nerve of your tooth can “go bad.” In certain circumstances, the nerve within your tooth can die or become severely inflamed. In some cases, this may be severely painful or it can go completely without notice. Either way, a dead nerve is at high risk for an infection or abscess.
Root canal therapy is simply accessing the canals within your tooth, disinfecting the area, and filling the canals back in with a rubber-like material that will prevent future infection. While the words “root canal” often strike fear in patients, the bias is unearned. Root canal therapy is almost always painless and will result in patients leaving the office feeling much better than when they arrived.
Root Canals
We are a family practice, meaning that we love to see you, your parents, your grandparents, and even your young children. The typical child requires the same dental care that you do. We perform cleanings, radiographs, and fluoride treatment for children as young as two years old. For routine dental care like fillings, sealants, or even extractions of baby teeth, we are happy to treat your kids. There are times when kids require more specialized or advanced care, and we will help you to find a pediatric dentist that can care for you and your family when needed.
Our office offers nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, which is an excellent tool to safely relax children and provide a more enjoyable and safe environment to complete any necessary dental work.
Pediatric Dentistry
We are a proud provider of Invisalign. The recent advances in clear braces has made treatment much more predictable. We provide Invisalign for teenagers and adults of all ages—you are never too old to stop caring about your appearance or self-image. Nearly all of our simpler orthodontic cases can be performed in our office using Invisalign.
When treatment is more demanding, or perhaps more complicated, we work directly with local orthodontists to provide the necessary care. We routinely send radiographs, treatment options, and plans back-and-forth to make sure that we are on the same page regarding your treatment.
Orthodontics
To schedule an appointment, please contact us at (231) 271-4537.