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 DENTAL
HEALTH
Your dental health is critical to your overall health. Cheyenne
Mountain Dental Group offers many treatments to increase your dental
health such as fillings, sealants, bonding, non-surgical gum treatments
and X-trays.
FILLINGS
Fillings are done to remove decay, and replace the affected tooth
structure. It is called a filling because new a material fills hole that
decay left. Caught early enough, cavities can be treated easily and
painlessly. If not treated decay can lead to tooth pain and/or
infection, and the tooth would need root canal treatment or extraction.
BONDING
Bonding involves adhering composite resin material that is matched to
the color of the tooth, to the front of the tooth. This is done to
repair damage done to the tooth by decay, to alter the alignment of the
tooth, close gaps between the teeth, or for cosmetic purposes. First the
surface of the tooth is roughened in order to accept the bonding and
hold it. A gel is applied to micro etch the tooth surface, and a
primer/bond agent is applied so the material adheres to the surface.
Then the material itself is placed on the tooth and hardened with
intense light. The composite resin material is shaped and polished to
get a lustrous finish as a last step.
SEALANTS
This is used to fill in narrow grooves in a tooth that cannot be
adequately cleaned by brushing. In some cases, the tooth structure has
fine grooves or pits which accumulate plaque, not because the person
doesn't brush, but because they're too narrow to allow even one bristle
into them. These will develop cavities over time, and you don't want
that. So the dentist will brush on a coating that seals the grooves and
pits, making it possible to brush off all the plaque and keep your teeth
healthy.
NON-SURGICAL GUM TREATMENTS
The gums, ligaments, and bone around the teeth form the foundation for
ones teeth. All structures are also referred to as the periodontium.
When the periodontium is not healthy, it jeopardizes the teeth just as a
bad foundation would threaten the stability of a house. Signs of
unhealthy periodontium (gum disease) may be as follows: gums that are
red and bleed easily, persistent bad breath, gums that are pulled away
from the tooth, loose teeth, and changes in the position or bite of the
teeth. Any of these signs may mean something is wrong. With the proper
care, however, it may be possible to return them to a healthy state.
This is where appropriate gum treatments come in. If you're having a
problem, come in and see us so we can take care of it right away. The
treatment usually involves a deep cleaning or root planing done under a
local anesthetic, along with local antibiotic agents. If the gum disease
gets too severe it may need to be treated through surgery or extraction.
This is why it is important to get it treated at the first sign of a
problem.
X-RAYS
This is a focused beam of X-Ray particles through bone which produces an
image on special film, showing the structure through which it passed.
This gives the familiar black and white images that doctors and dentists
use to diagnose problems. X-rays are a necessary part of the diagnostic
process, and not to use them could lead to undiagnosed disease. Without
an X-ray of the whole tooth, and supporting bone and gum tissues, there
is no real way to detect infection or pathology that requires attention.
In our office we use digital radiography which allows us to take X-rays
using 50-70% less radiation versus conventional X-rays. Coupled with
computer monitorying, digital x-ray technology allows us to enhance the
images for better diagnosis of any dental concerns.
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