Services        Technology

We'll check your teeth, your gums, and your bite. We'll discuss how you feel about your smile and whether you want to enhance it. We focus on preventive, restorative, and esthetic dentistry, as well as head, neck, and facial pain disorders. Read on to find out more about the dental services we offer.

INVISALIGN ORTHODONTIC SYSTEM

If you are like many adults, you wish for straighter teeth, but don’t want the hassle and appearance of traditional braces.  Invisalign maybe the answer!  Invisalign is a system of clear, removable, orthodontic retainers which straighten teeth.

Two huge advantages exist over conventional braces. The retainers are not worn while eating, brushing or flossing, and they are virtually invisible. Many adults are choosing Invisalign for these two reasons.

The aligners are worn 23 hours per day and changed very 2-3 weeks. The total treatment time varies depending on the amount of crowding.

We do not  recommend Invisalign for children until the baby teeth are gone and the twelve year molars have erupted.

Ask us if you may be a candidate for straightening with Invisalign!

Esthetic/Cosmetic Dentistry

With cosmetic dentistry, we can make your smile light up a room when you enter. Through different procedures, we'll create that beautiful smile you've been dreaming of. With whitening, veneers, implants, crowns and bridges, we can change an average smile into a brilliant one that warms a room. We can close gaps in your smile, whiten stained teeth, and straighten crooked teeth. We can dramatically improve your smile confidence. For more information on cosmetic dentistry, or any other dental procedure, be sure to ask us at your next visit.

Cosmetic Bonding and Contouring: Gaps Closed • Chips Gone

In cosmetic bonding we apply tooth-colored material to the surface of the tooth, layer by layer in a way an artist applies paint to a canvas. Bonding covers discolorations, repairs chips, breaks and cracks and fills in gaps. A composite restoration may be used when only a small amount of tooth structure needs replacement.

Composite bonding is one of the most conservative, versatile and affordable ways to esthetically restore a multitude of cosmetic problems. It can be used to replace unattractive metal fillings, repair fractured teeth, or change the color of stained teeth. Cosmetic contouring is a reshaping procedure that can repair fractured or worn teeth due to accidents or habitual grinding. Contouring can also be used for isolated stains, and to fix irregular teeth.

Instant Orthodontics: Porcelain Veneers

A porcelain veneer is a custom-made tooth-colored covering that when bonded to your teeth can change the whole appearance of your smile. Veneers are used to close gaps or cover teeth that are stained, unsightly, crooked, or poorly shaped. They are used to restore broken or chipped teeth or to permanently whiten your teeth.

Understand that these are not old style 'caps,' Veneers are artistic, laboratory crafted, long lasting, ceramic creations that are attached directly to the existing surface of the tooth with an ultra modern bonding process. We can create natural beauty so you can smile with confidence in as short as two visits. If you want a spectacular and durable transformation, veneers would be the preferred choice. And, except for a new smile, no one ever needs to know you've been to the dentist.

Direct mock up

A direct mock up is our way of showing patients what a cosmetic procedure might look like in their own mouth - by temporarily bonding tooth colored fillings material to their own teeth. Thus, spaces can be closed instantly and teeth can be "moved". We create the illusion of a final result, so that you know how you will look when treatment has ended.

Of course, the actual treatment will be a vast improvement over this preview as no tooth structure is removed or reshaped in a mock up. However, it is amazing how close we can approximate the final result. We will take a photograph so the 'preview' can be shared with friends and family members. This is a superior technique for you to help design the smile you want.

Implants: Better Than Dentures

If you're tired of dentures or have some missing teeth and want a long-term solution, implants are the best dentistry has to offer. Dental implants remove the need for diet restrictions that can be caused by dentures. In most cases complete functionality can be restored. Dentures many times weaken your jaw and cause the bone to recede. Implants keep your jaw strong and youthful looking. It's like having your natural smile back. They are especially helpful to those who are severely handicapped by missing teeth. Dental implants can dramatically change how you feel about your smile for the rest of your life.

Crowns and Bridges: Replacing Worn, Missing Teeth

Modern crown and bridge restorations can replace a single tooth or span a space where one or more teeth have been lost in the dental arch. We replace the missing teeth with custom-designed replacement teeth, which are anchored by crowns to existing healthy tooth structure. We place a crown on a tooth where there is no longer sufficient tooth structure left to place a filling. Both the look and the function of your crown or bridge are considered when choosing the materials most suitable for you. We use both all-porcelain and porcelain fused-to-metal restorations. We can discuss the differences and what might work best for you. Just schedule a smile consultation or ask us at your next appointment.

Porcelain Inlays and Onlays: The Strengthening Solution

Before porcelain bonded inlays and onlays were available, we had two choices: composite fillings or crowns. Now we have inlays and onlays that can save more of the natural tooth because they are more flexible. Inlays and onlays are custom formed around the rough surface of the damaged areas of the tooth and strongly bonded in a seamless fashion. They require less removal of your tooth structure than crowns, thereby making your teeth stronger.

Whitening, Brightening, Exciting

Dentist-approved whitening methods, using trays developed from models of your teeth, are custom fitted to your teeth. You can wear the trays at night or during the day; many people forget they even have them in. Our at-home methods can whiten your smile significantly, giving you a beaming, confident smile.

Bonded Composites: More Than A Filling!

Nonmetallic composite 'fillings' are a natural looking healthy alternative to metal fillings, which can fill an otherwise bright smile with dark shadows. Conventional metal amalgam material can hide decay and weaken the natural tooth. Metal fillings are inserted (plugged in) usually after removing large parts of the healthy tooth. Over time, a crown may be needed because the tooth is weaker and subsequently cracks. Modern composite fillings are bonded to the tooth, avoiding the need to remove large portions of healthy tooth. This can save more of your natural tooth for many years.

No More Gummy Smile

Your gum tissue can make your teeth look short. Gum tissue can cover more of your smile than is necessary to protect it. Gum tissue esthetic therapy can correct these smile concerns. Esthetically contouring a gummy smile can improve confidence and give you the smile you've always wanted.

Contouring can also fill gaps in your gum line, which cause your teeth to look too long. It is also performed during other more complex smile cases where dental implants and bridges are used, or when trauma to the mouth has occurred. And, our radio surgery method causes no bleeding and is more comfortable because the process doesn't involve a metal scalpel.

Temporomandibular Joint Treatment

Does your jaw ache? Are your teeth sore and sensitive? Have frequent, recurring tension or morning headaches or a stiff neck in the morning? The NTI-tss Tension Suppression System could give you relief: simply, quickly. This small, clear-plastic device, only worn at night, fits over your two front teeth. It makes clenching nearly impossible!

Within a few days or weeks (sometimes just hours), your clenching reflex is suppressed. The pain associated with your involuntary, intense clenching usually begins to resolve and disappear. The NTI-tss does this by keeping your back teeth apart keeping the temporalis muscles from contracting with their usual intensity. Imagine being FREE of the over-the-counter (or prescription) pain medication you are using now to relieve this nagging problem. Can the NTI help you? Call to schedule a dental health exam - 715-834-6603. For even more information, click here.

Periodontal • Gum Therapies
Some symptoms of gum disease are:

• Bleeding gums
• Red, swollen or tender gums
• Gums that have pulled away from the teeth
• Persistent bad breath or bad taste
• Any change in the way your teeth fit together when biting
• Permanent teeth that are loose or separating
• Any changes in the fit of partial dentures
• Pus between the teeth and gums when the gums are squeezed

There are four stages of gum disease (periodontitis). Gingivitis is an early form of the disease that is painless and very treatable. The next stages can cause more severe problems. Regular preventive care can significantly reduce your chance of losing your teeth to this disease. Regular home care that includes brushing and flossing also encourages healthy gums.

There are many treatments we can perform to fight this disease. We can use anti-microbial and ultrasonic noninvasive therapies. We check tissue depths to see if there is inflammation, which can mean disease under the gums. In second stage gum disease our hygienists will remove calculus, plaque, and bacteria above and below the gum line where pockets of disease are present. There are many things we do to soothe and provide painless treatment during this stage.

If you come in with third stage gum disease, we need to be more aggressive. At this point there is some deterioration of gum tissue and bone. This could be loosening and separating the fibers that hold the teeth and bone together.

In fourth stage gum disease, you'll notice severe loss of supporting bone structure. Some teeth will be loose and tooth loss could have already occurred. We can still make positive progress against the disease at this point. However, therapies at this stage could involve surgery and replacement of missing teeth with restorative procedures such as implants. This is a very serious stage.

We can provide a comfortable and relaxing environment for your care even at this late stage. Of course, you will need to perform regular home care to improve your odds of staying healthy. Periodontal or gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. And, 3 out of 4 people unknowingly have some form of the disease.

Root Canal Therapy

We use the Profile Rotary File system when performing root canal treatment. This equipment allows us to perform quiet, comfortable root canal therapy, usually in only one visit.

Why do you need root canal therapy? Underneath your tooth's outer enamel is an area of soft tissue called the pulp, which carries the tooth's nerves, veins, arteries and lymph vessels. When the pulp becomes infected due to a deep cavity or fracture that allows bacteria to seep in, or injury due to trauma, it can die. A root damaged tooth is evident to patients when they notice a tooth that is darker than surrounding teeth or because of pain.

Damaged or dead pulp causes increased blood flow and cellular activity, and pressure cannot be relieved from inside the tooth. Pain in the tooth is commonly felt when biting down, chewing on it and applying hot or cold foods and drinks.

Without treatment, the infection will spread, bone around the tooth will begin to degenerate, and the tooth may fall out. If we catch this early, we can save your tooth. The tooth is cleaned of all diseased pulp and reshaped. Medication may be inserted into the area to fight bacteria. Depending on the condition of the tooth, the crown may then be sealed temporarily to guard against recontamination, or the tooth may be left open to drain, or the dentist may go right ahead and fill the canals.

If you're given a temporary filling, usually on the next visit, it will be removed and the pulp chamber and canal(s) will be filled with rubber-like substance or another material to prevent recontamination. If the tooth is still weak, a metal post may be inserted above the canal filling to reinforce the tooth. Once filled, the area is permanently sealed. Sometimes a porcelain crown is placed over the tooth to strengthen its structure and improve appearance.