Maintenance and Preventive Care
Next to actually brushing and flossing your teeth daily, a routine checkup every 6 months is the most important thing you can do to keep your teeth healthy. Not only do we remove the plaque, tartar and stain that accumulate around your teeth but we inspect your teeth, gums and soft tissues to maintain your healthy mouth. Early detection of cavities and gum (periodontal) disease helps avoid more serious dental problems later on. We can promptly treat the small issues before they become bigger ones. An oral cancer checkup is always done during the exam.
A routine checkup is also a great opportunity to discuss your concerns and wishes for a happy beautiful mouth. Dr. Frydman always enjoys chatting about your questions and concerns. We all feel strongly about educating our patients to understand all their needs.
For over 150 years cavities were filled with amalgam, a silvery-grey mix of metals that restore damage done to your teeth by cavities. They often corrode in the mouth over years and turn black. They have worked well in many cases and lasted for many years. Although they still are approved for use, we like to avoid their use as much as possible.
Tooth colored fillings that match the color and shape of your tooth to almost seem invisible are superior in that they tend to be smaller and of course superior cosmetically. They are done in one appointment by securely bonding the composite material of the appropriate color directly to the tooth surface.
A tooth can break for many reasons: A fracture, a large cavity or even trauma. If the break is too large for a simple filling we can still save a tooth. This is done by using a fixed dental crown. The remaining weakened enamel of the tooth is gently cleaned and removed, a model of the teeth is made and a laboratory makes a porcelain replacement to recreate and enhance the natural shape and color or the original tooth. The crown is then permanently cemented on the tooth and you will not notice it there.
Improvements in technology have given us the capability of making crowns virtually undetectable in the mouth. Porcelain crowns can last for many years in your mouth.
When a person loses a tooth or teeth a gap is created in their mouth. Most people want the gap filled for appearance and to properly chew their food. Many options for filling the gap exist but usually a fixed in place option is desired over a removable option. That is because this option as well as a fixed implant option is the most comfortable and feels most natural.
A bridge made mostly or wholly of porcelain is cemented to the adjacent teeth on either side of the gap. The gap can be filled whether there is one or multiple teeth missing. Most people prefer bridges or implants since they provide a completely fixed instead of removable option when one or more teeth or lost. A bridge is made in two or three appointments and is custom fitted to look, feel and function as if no teeth had been removed.
A root canal is not a treatment. It is the deepest part of a tooth that contains nerves, blood vessels and living tissue which gives your teeth sensation. If a cavity gets too deep or if a tooth fractures very deeply this canal gets exposed to bacteria and an infection starts that can cause much pain. Root canal treatments involve therapy to this condition and are an important part in keeping your teeth healthy. The key to this treatment is painless treatment. No one wants to hear that they may need a root canal but we are there to provide you with comfortable sessions. Our goal is to alleviate pain caused by this condition and restore a patient’s mouth to a healthy condition. We provide nitrous oxide as well as local anesthetic to insure you are comfortable.
Neglecting to see a dentist on a regular basis opens you up to developing gum disease. Periodontal disease is the major reason for tooth loss and need for dentures among adults. It’s just that easy to brush and floss daily and see us for cleanings twice a year to avoid this condition.
If you do suffer from constant bleeding gums or soreness to your teeth and gums a simple cleaning may not be enough to cure your condition. Over 80% of all Americans have to some degree inflammation or periodontal disease and it often progresses until later stages. At our office we strive to treat this disease in order to prevent advanced bone loss which leads to tooth loss. We regularly review your gum condition during your regular maintenance cleaning.
What is the TMJ?
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is located directly in front of your ears and is the joint that allows you to open, close, chew and move your jaw in all directions. It is in constant use especially when speaking, swallowing and chewing your food. This is the most complex joint in your body and is susceptible to problems for people of all ages.
What symptoms occur with people with TMJ Disorder?
Many symptoms can occur which confuse most people but in general they are related to the joint itself, the muscles that move your jaws and even the teeth themselves. Some of the symptoms can include:
- Temporal headaches
- Pain to your jaws- spontaneous or while chewing or both
- Clicking or popping sounds in the jaw
- Annoying feeling when simply talking
- Pain upon yawning
- Deviation of the jaw to one side
- Inability to fully open your mouth
- Pain to teeth that have nothing wrong with them
- Severe wear from grinding your teeth
Depending on the severity and frequency of these symptoms, treatment can often be conservative. A simple lab made nightguard can often relieve all symptoms. Please contact us to review your symptoms and determine the treatment necessary for you.
Your child is very precious to us. We view their oral health as integral to their complete health. We also want your child to develop positive feelings of trust and comfort with us. By bringing your child to us starting from age 3 we feel honored by your trust and we wish to give your child an anxiety free visit in which they will look forward to coming to see us for their cleaning with big smiles on their faces. Please bring them by for a calm happy experience here with us. We will instruct them on proper maintenance of their teeth and show them how our dental office works.
We want to protect your children’s new adult teeth which start coming in at about age 6. All adult posterior teeth have groves and these teeth are most likely to be where they get their first cavities. We now have sealants which are easily placed to protect those teeth from getting these types of cavities.
Sealants are plastic coatings applied to the grooves of teeth that seal out bacteria that cause cavities. They are easily and quickly applied in one sitting to all teeth that have deep grooves or pits.
Years ago, cavity rates used to be much higher for children. Not only did children have more cavities then today but the size of each cavity was much larger then they are today. It is proven that change has occurred because of the use of fluoride today. Fluoride is a vitamin for your teeth. It hardens tooth enamel and makes your teeth more resistant to cavities. We strongly believe in its benefits.
We now use the latest delivery system in applying fluoride to your kid’s teeth. No more foam trays or swishing with nasty solutions. We now use a quick, pleasant tasting varnish which takes seconds to apply and children don’t mind.
As Americans arrive at retirement and beyond we are faced with new challenges in dentistry. In previous generations, most people had lost all their teeth by age 65. Periodontal disease was rampant and upper and lower dentures were usually expected. Today this is not the case. Most seniors still have most of their teeth and expect to keep them forever. But older technology in dentistry did not adequately prepare people for the wear and tear of restorations for many years. To add to this problem, many retirees are living on fixed incomes without the benefit of dental insurance. This causes financial challenges for the patient. At our office we are acutely aware of these challenges- financial, maintenance of old restorations and also complications caused by chronic medical conditions.
We recognize the problems our family of patients faces as they age and we work hard to ensure they retain a healthy and functioning mouth. Please contact us with your concerns. We are sure we have answers that will please you.
By the time a person loses all their teeth, they have been suffering for years because of pain, difficulty chewing, a disfigured smile and the lack of confidence with their appearance. Similarly, when a patient is in need of a replacement denture, they may have had the same problems.
A denture must be made for a patient with extreme attention to detail and with patience. Not only must they look natural, but they must feel comfortable and function so that speaking and eating can be done easily. As many of you know that is not always an easy task. We take the time and attention to detail to create new and comfortable smiles.
Sometimes, when there is no alternative, a tooth must be extracted. It’s not enough to know that a dentist can extract a tooth, but can it be done painlessly? Experience, anesthetic and compassion are our concerns when we see that an extraction is necessary. We are indeed honored by the trust given us by our thousands of patients that have used us for these services.
We pride ourselves on our use of advanced digital x-rays and panoramic imaging for almost a decade. A digital x-ray offers you the advantage of using a fraction the radiation used by conventional film x-rays significantly enhancing your safely. Furthermore computerized enhancement provides greater diagnostic ability in your dental care.
We are very aware that many patients have anxiety visiting any dentist. Nitrous oxide is a way to relax you and lower your anxiety if you need any dental procedure, even a cleaning! It is safe for all but pregnant women and has no after effects. Patients can leave the office and drive since it only is effective when breathing it in.