Common Procedures
Regular Exams and Cleanings
Regular exams are an important part of maintaining your oral health. As part of the regular exam visit, the dental hygienist performs medical history update, blood pressure evaluation, evaluates for periodontal disease, educates you on how you can best overcome sensitivity, whiten teeth, and eliminate mouth odors, as well as the most effective methods of keeping your smile in excellent condition. She may also use the Diagnodent laser to determine if an area of enamel is weak or has broken through with decay. She also performs a thorough cleaning.
Your regular exam can take anywhere from 40 minutes to 60 minutes. As part of the regular exam visit, the dental hygienist performs medical history update, blood pressure evaluation, evaluates for periodontal disease, educates you on how you can best overcome sensitivity, whiten teeth, and eliminate mouth odors, as well as the most effective methods of keeping your smile in excellent condition. She performs a thorough cleaning.
She may also use the Diagnodent laser to determine if an area of enamel is weak or has broken through with decay. DIAGNOdent aids in the detection of caries. Even very small lesions and incipient caries can be detected, enabling you to protect and preserve the tooth substance.
New advancements in dental technology allow us to use dental diode laser for gum inflammation. Minimally invasive, gentle, and precise, dental lasers improve patient comfort, healing and recovery time while eliminating the pain .
Visiting our office every six months gives you the chance to talk with Dr. Hanna and receive answers for any questions you may have about your oral health. Regular exams are offered by appointment only, so please contact our practice today to schedule your next dental exam and hygiene visit.
Bonding
Bonding is a conservative way to repair slightly chipped, discolored, or crooked teeth. During dental bonding, a white filling is placed onto your tooth to improve its appearance. The filling "bonds" with your teeth, and because it comes in a variety of tooth-colored shades it closely matches the appearance of your natural teeth.
Tooth bonding can also be used for teeth fillings instead of amalgam fillings. Many patients prefer "bonded" fillings because the white color is much less noticeable than the silver amalgam fillings. The bonding process desensitizes the tooth, as well. Bonding fillings can be used on front and back teeth depending on the location and extent of tooth decay.
Bonding is less expensive than other cosmetic treatments and usually can be completed in one visit to our office. However, bonding can stain and is easier to break than other cosmetic treatments such as porcelain veneers. If it does break or chip, tell Dr. Hanna. The bonding can generally be easily repaired in one visit.
Bridges
A bridge may be used to replace missing teeth, prevent shifting of teeth, and restore function on that side, alleviating stress in your bite.
A bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth, looks great, and literally bridges the gap where one or more teeth may have been. Your bridge can be made from porcelain, gold, alloys, or a combination of these materials and is bonded onto surrounding teeth for support.
The success of any bridge depends on its foundation - the other teeth, gums, or bone to which it is attached. Therefore, it's very important to keep your existing teeth, gums, and jaw healthy and strong.
Crowns
Crowns are a restoration used to improve your tooth's shape or to strengthen a tooth. Crowns are most often used for teeth that are broken, worn, or have portions destroyed by tooth decay.
Crowns are "caps" cemented onto an existing tooth which fully cover the portion of your tooth above the gum line. In effect, the crown becomes your tooth's new outer surface. Crowns can be made of porcelain, metal, or both. Crown materials are chosen based on your particular needs because they mimic the translucency of natural teeth and are very strong.
Your crown is created in a lab from your unique tooth impression which allows a dental laboratory technician to examine all aspects of your bite and jaw movements.
We use theITERO digital scanner to make a 3D model of the teeth and a beautiful final fit.
Extractions
There are times when it is necessary to remove a tooth. Sometimes a baby tooth has misshapen or long roots that prevent it from falling out as it should, and the tooth must be removed to make way for the permanent tooth to erupt. At other times, a tooth may have so much decay that it puts the surrounding teeth and jaw at risk of decay, so Dr. Hanna may recommend removal and replacement with a bridge or implant. Infection, orthodontic correction, or problems with a wisdom tooth can also require removal of a tooth.
When it is determined that a tooth needs to be removed, Dr. Hanna may request another visit for this procedure. The root of each tooth is encased within your jawbone in a "tooth socket," and your tooth is held in that socket by a ligament. In order to extract a tooth, Dr. Hanna must expand the socket and separate the tooth from the ligament holding it in place. While this procedure is typically very quick, it is important to share any concerns or preferences for sedation with us.
Once a tooth has been removed, neighboring teeth may shift causing problems with chewing or with your jaw joint function. To avoid these complications, Dr. Hanna may recommend that you replace the extracted tooth.
Fillings
Traditional dental restoratives (fillings) include gold, porcelain, and composite/amalgam. The strength and durability of traditional dental materials continue to make them useful for situations where restored teeth must withstand extreme forces that result from chewing, such as in the back of the mouth.
Newer dental fillings include ceramic and plastic compounds that mimic the appearance of natural teeth. These compounds, often called composite resins, are usually used on the front teeth where a natural appearance is important. They can be used on the back teeth as well depending on the location and extent of the tooth decay.
What's Right for Me?
Several factors influence the performance, durability, longevity and expense of dental restorations:
- The components used in the filling material
- The amount of tooth structure remaining
- Where and how the filling is placed
- The chewing load that the tooth will have to bear
- The length and number of visits needed to prepare and adjust the restored tooth
The ultimate decision about what to use is best determined in consultation with your doctor. Before your treatment begins, discuss the options with Dr. Hanna. To help you prepare for this discussion it is helpful to understand the two basic types of dental fillings: direct and indirect.
- Direct fillings are fillings placed immediately into a prepared cavity in a single visit. They include resin composite, glass ionomers, resin ionomers, and dental amalgam. Dr. Hanna prepares the tooth, places the filling, and adjusts it during one appointment.
- Indirect fillings generally require two or more visits. They include inlays, onlays, veneers, crowns, and bridges fabricated with ceramics, composites, gold, or metal alloys. During the first visit, Dr. Hanna prepares the tooth and makes an impression of the area to be restored. Dr. Hanna then places a temporary covering over the prepared tooth. The impression is sent to a dental laboratory which creates the dental restoration. At the next appointment, Dr. Hanna cements the restoration into the prepared cavity and adjusts it as needed.
Are Dental Amalgam Filings safe?: When amalgam fillings are placed in or removed from teeth, they can release a small amount of mercury vapor. Amalgam can also release small amounts of mercury vapor during chewing, and people can absorb these vapors by inhaling or ingesting them. High levels of mercury vapor exposure are associated with adverse effects in the brain and the kidneys. Since the 1990s, several federal agencies have reviewed the scientific literature looking for links between dental amalgam and health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is little scientific evidence that the health of the vast majority of people with dental amalgam is compromised, nor that removing amalgam fillings has any beneficial effect on health. In our office we use the ISOLITE suction device or Rubber Dam to complely isolate the amalgam removal from the mouth. We also have had an amalgam separator in place since 2008 to catch and hold the excess amalgam waste so that it is not released into the environment.
Root Canal (Endodontic) Treatment
In the past, if you had a tooth with a diseased nerve, you'd probably lose that tooth. Today, with a special dental procedure called root canal treatment, you may save that tooth.
Inside each tooth is both the pulp and the nerve. The nerve is the vestige of the tissue that originally formed the tooth. Once the tooth has been in the mouth for a time, the functioning of the nerve is no longer necessary.
When a tooth is cracked or has a deep cavity, bacteria can enter the pulp. Germs can cause an infection inside the tooth. Left without treatment, pus builds up at the root tip in the jawbone, forming a "pus-pocket" called an abscess. An abscess can cause the pulp tissue to die. When the infected pulp is not removed, pain and swelling can result. Certain by-products of the infection can injure your jawbones and your overall health. Without treatment, your tooth may have to be removed.
Treatment often involves from one to three visits. During treatment, your general dentist or endodontist (a dentist who specializes in problems of the pulp) removes the diseased pulp. Next, the pulp chamber and root canal(s) of the tooth are cleaned and sealed. Often posterior teeth that have endodontic treatment require a cast crown placed in order to strengthen the remaining structure. Then, as long as you continue to care for your teeth and gums with regular brushing, flossing, and checkups so that the root(s) of the restored tooth are nourished by the surrounding tissues, your restored tooth can last a lifetime.
Most of the time a root canal is a relatively simple procedure with little or no discomfort, involving one to three visits. Best of all, it can save your tooth and your smile!
Sealants
Sometimes brushing is not enough. Everyone has hard-to-reach spots in their mouth and brushing doesn't always fully clean those difficult places. When that happens, you are at risk of tooth decay. Using sealants on your teeth gives you an extra line of defense against tooth decay. Dr. Hanna and her team use the Diagnodent laser to "read" the surface of the tooth, to determine if decay is present.
Dental sealant is a plastic resin that bonds to the deep grooves in your tooth's chewing surface. When sealing a tooth, the grooves of your teeth are filled and the tooth surface becomes smoother - and less likely to harbor plaque. With sealants, tooth brushing becomes easier and more effective against tooth decay.
Sealants are usually applied to children's teeth as a preventive measure during the years of most likely tooth decay. However, adults' teeth can also be sealed. It is more common to seal "permanent" teeth rather than "baby" teeth, but every person has unique needs. Dr. Hanna will recommend sealants on a case-by-case basis.
Sealants generally last from three to five years. However, it is fairly common to see adults with sealants still intact from their childhood. A dental sealant only provides protection when it is fully intact so if your sealant comes off you must let your dentist know.
Veneers
There's no reason to put up with gaps in your teeth or with teeth that are stained, discolored, badly shaped, chipped, or crooked. Today, a veneer placed on top of your teeth can correct nature's mistake or the results of an injury and help you have a beautiful smile. Veneers are a highly popular solution among dental patients because of their lifelike tooth appearance.
Veneers are thin, custom-made shells crafted of tooth-colored materials (such as porcelain) designed to cover the front side of your teeth. To prepare for veneers, Dr. Hanna will create a unique model of your teeth. This model is sent to the dental technician to create your veneers. Before placing your new veneer, Dr. Hanna will remove a small amount of your tooth to make room for the veneer.
When placed, you'll be pleased to see that veneers look like your natural teeth and even resist staining. Though veneers are stain resistant, your doctor may recommend that you avoid coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco to maintain the beauty of your veneer.
Anxiety Free Dentistry
You know about the importance of regular dental visits, but if a dental phobia is keeping you from enjoying good oral health, it's time to talk to Kalamazoo sedation dentist Dr. Hanna.
Sedation dentistry is the perfect choice for those who experience overwhelming dental anxiety because, with a range of options, you'll be completely relaxed and care-free throughout your next dental appointment.
Don't let your fear of the dentist stand in the way of your dental health. At Briarwood Valley Dentistry we believe that everyone deserves a bright, clean, natural-looking smile without worrying about the potential stress and pain of dental treatments.
Experience sedation dentistry with Dr. Lorraine Hanna, who understands the needs of people who fear the dentist and does her best to help you feel at ease while you receive your much needed dental treatment.
For quality sedation dentistry, just call Briarwood Valley Dentistry at (269)349-3203 or stop in to arrange for a consultation. Lorraine Hanna, D.D.S., will be happy to discuss the many affordable options available to meet your dental needs.
