Treatments
Articles are listed alphabetically.
- Air Abrasion: The Drill Alternative Many children associate the high-pitched whirring of a dental drill with pain. Just the sound alone can make even adults wince. Air abrasion is an especially good option for children who may be afraid of the needle, a…
- Bonding, Veneers, Contouring & Reshaping Cosmetic dentistry is an important part of overall dentistry. In some cases, people elect to have cosmetic dentistry performed on their children in order to improve their smile and overall appearance. In others, cosme…
- Braces (Orthodontia) Braces are applied to teeth for various reasons, including poorly aligned jaws, crooked, crowded and missing teeth, or a bad bite (also called malocclusion). Various things can cause teeth to become crooked or jaws mi…
- Bridges Bridges are natural-looking dental appliances that can replace a section of missing teeth. Because they are custom-made, bridges are barely noticeable and can restore the natural contour of teeth as well as the proper…
- Crowns Crowns are synthetic caps, usually made of a material like porcelain, placed on the top of a tooth. Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth's function and appearance following a restorative procedure such as a ro…
- Dentures A denture is a removable replacement for missing teeth and adjacent tissues. It is made of acrylic resin, sometimes in combination with various metals.
- Extractions In most cases, a tooth may need to be pulled when other less radical procedures, such as amalgams or restoration, make it impossible or imprudent to save your child's original tooth. Advanced anesthetic techniques tod…
- Extractions When restoration procedures such as root canal therapy, crowns, or fillings are not enough to save a tooth, it may need to be pulled, or extracted. Tooth extraction procedures today are far less painful than ever befo…
- Fillings There are three basic kinds of fillings used to restore teeth after decay is removed: amalgams, composites and stainless steel crowns. Amalgams Most dental amalgams are silver in color and are made from a mixture of m…
- Flap Surgery Your bone and gum tissue should fit snugly around your teeth like a turtleneck. When you have periodontal disease, this supporting tissue and bone is destroyed, forming "pockets" around the teeth. Over time, these poc…
- Guidance Eruption Guidance eruption is a method used to create enough room for crowded lower permanent incisors. Crowding can often be seen with the eruption of the permanent teeth of the lower jaw at 6 to 7 years old. The permanent in…
- Jaw/TMJ People who grind their teeth can sometimes develop a serious problem with their jaw, which left untreated, can adversely affect the teeth, gums and bone structures of the mouth. One of the most common jaw disorders is…
- Maxillofacial Surgery When facial reconstruction, including procedures involving the oral cavity, is called for, a specialist is needed. Surgical procedures of the neck and head area are performed by a maxillofacial surgeon. Common maxillo…
- Missing Teeth Fixed bridges and implants are often used to replace missing teeth and to correct some kinds of bite problems. Crowns and bridges are the most effective procedure for replacing missing teeth or bite problems.
- Root Canal Root canals are rarely needed in children. However, there are instances when a root canal becomes necessary in an older child. Before root canal therapy came into practice, if your child had a tooth with a diseased ne…
- Root Canal Therapy Root canals are tiny passageways that branch off from beneath the top of the tooth, coursing their way vertically downward, until they reach the tip of the root. All teeth have between one and four root canals. Many t…
- Scaling and Root Planing Some cases of acute periodontal (gum) disease that do not respond to more conventional treatment and self-care such as flossing may require a special kind of cleaning called scaling and root planing. The procedure beg…
- Sealants The pits and grooves of your teeth are prime areas for opportunistic decay. Even regular brushing sometimes misses some of these intricate structures on the chewing surfaces of your teeth. Enter sealants, which are th…
- Teeth Whitening There are two types of tooth stains - intrinsic (internal stain) and extrinsic (external stain). Intrinsic stains occur from within the tooth, and cannot be removed by brushing and flossing; bleaching may also not be …
- X-Rays In addition to spotting cavities early, X-rays are used to examine erupting teeth, diagnose bone diseases, evaluate injury, or plan orthodontic treatment. In general, children need X-rays more often than adults becaus…