General Dental Services in
South Jordan and Daybreak
Preventative and Diagnostic
An oral examination is when a doctor looks inside your mouth, head, and neck to find problems. X-rays are used to check for cavities, infections, and other issues. Most of the exam doesn’t need x-rays, but they are important for finding serious problems. We spent a lot of money on digital x-ray machines to get good information with less radiation. Our best machine makes a 3-D model with less radiation than the old machines. This helps us make better diagnoses and plan better treatments. We think the new technology is really important and we wouldn’t want to work without it.
A dental cleaning is when a dentist cleans your teeth by removing plaque and tartar, which are yellow and hard. They use special tools that make sure it doesn’t hurt your teeth. They first use a machine that vibrates and sprays water to remove the bigger pieces of tartar. Then they use small tools to remove the remaining tartar and make your teeth smooth. Finally, they polish your teeth to make them shiny.
Athletes in contact sports need to use a mouth guard to protect their teeth and gums. This also helps prevent dental injuries. You can buy a mouth guard from a sports shop, but they might not fit well or be comfortable. Semi-custom mouth guards are another option. However, at our office, we can make a custom mouth guard that fits your mouth perfectly, especially if you have braces. We will take an impression of your teeth to make the mouth guard. Remember to bring your mouth guard to your dental appointments so we can check its fit.
Restorative Dentistry
We use a tooth-colored material called “Composite” to fill holes in teeth. This material is made of strong and smooth resin and glass-like materials. First, we remove the decay and then fill the hole with composite material. We harden it with a special light in one visit to make it stronger. We don’t need to make the hole bigger than necessary because we bond the fillings to the teeth. Tooth-colored fillings are better than old metal fillings because they are stronger and require less of the tooth to be removed. We can use them on all teeth, even the ones at the back. Tooth-colored fillings used to turn yellow or brown, but now they are much better.
An inlay or onlay is like a half crown. It replaces missing tooth structure and is used when there is not enough tooth to support a filling, but not so little that a full crown is needed. Gold or porcelain are typically used to make inlays and onlays. They look good and are effective in replacing missing tooth structure.
CAD/CAM means using computers to design and make dental restorations, like inlays, onlays, crowns, and bridges. It helps dental teams make these restorations very accurately.
A crown is a covering that is put over a tooth if the tooth is badly damaged. This helps the tooth to become strong again so that you can eat properly. When getting a crown, you would need to visit the dentist two times. During the first visit, the dentist will make the tooth smaller to fit the crown and take a picture of it to ensure the crown fits perfectly. A temporary crown will be put on the tooth so you can still eat before the permanent crown is ready. During the second visit, the permanent crown will be fitted and cemented onto the tooth carefully.
A dental bridge is an option for filling gaps in your teeth. It doesn’t need dentures or dental implants. A bridge needs two crowns and a tooth or teeth in between. These crowns go onto the teeth next to the gap, with the false tooth in the middle. For many missing teeth, a dental implant can be placed to hold the bridge in place.
Dental implants have three parts: a metal tooth root, a connection called an abutment, and a porcelain crown. The metal tooth root replaces the root of an extracted tooth and supports the replacement teeth. It’s placed in the jawbone where the root of the tooth used to be. The jawbone and the metal root fuse together over a few months. Once the fusion process is complete, the abutment is placed into the metal root. The abutment supports the porcelain crown, which is the final restoration.
If you don’t have many or any teeth, you can get a denture to have a nice smile again. Dentures can be taken out and put back in. There are two types: full and partial. We don’t make dentures because they usually work better with dental implants. Prosthodontists are denture specialists and we know some really good ones we can recommend if you need help getting a denture.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Whitening is a way to make teeth brighter. There are two types: In-Office Bleaching and At-Home Bleaching. The basic idea is to use a substance called peroxide to get rid of stains on teeth. The stronger the peroxide, the faster the results but also the more sensitive your teeth may become. There are many different types of whitening methods, some use lights, some use trays, some are painted on and some are used for minutes or all night long. Based on experience, one-hour and daytime systems tend not to whiten as deeply and the results do not last as long. Wear-at-night systems produce a more natural and stable whitening, although they take up to 14 days to achieve the best results. Consider what you want to achieve, how long you want to whiten each day, and what you can tolerate in order to choose the best method for you.
If you want beautiful teeth quickly, veneers might sound like a great option. They involve grinding down your teeth and bonding a new ceramic layer onto the front. This is popular in Hollywood for actors who need to look good fast. But there are downsides: it’s expensive and it damages your teeth. You’ll have to replace the veneers as you get older, and sometimes they don’t look very natural. Insurance often doesn’t cover this procedure, so you’ll have to pay for it yourself. Prices start at around $1000, but some people choose to pay more for high-end veneers that look perfect. So, veneers are a quick but expensive way to get the Hollywood smile you want.
Cosmetic bonding is a way to fix small issues with a few teeth, like chips or odd shapes or colors. It’s not as strong or pretty as getting veneers, but it can look very real and is cheaper. Some people use cosmetic bonding to improve their smile while they save up for veneers. It doesn’t last as long, only a couple of years, but can be a good option to make your smile look better.
Additional Services
This treatment is poorly named. It should simply be called a deeper cleaning. Sometimes, minerals made of bacteria stick to the roots of your teeth and can’t be removed by brushing or flossing. This causes swelling, bleeding, and pain when you brush. To clean this mineral deposit off your roots, we will numb your mouth and clean below the gum line. This condition is caused by infrequent dental cleaning or improper teeth cleaning. We’ll explain what caused the infection and how to prevent it from coming back. Usually, only one deep cleaning is needed for most patients.
If your tooth has a hole in it or has been broken really badly, it might reach the middle part where the nerve is. If this happens, the nerve needs to be cleaned and sterilized. Once it’s all clean, a special cement is used to seal up the little space where the nerve was and your tooth will be fixed.
If a tooth can’t be fixed with fillings, it might need to be taken out. Before this happens, the area will be numbed with medicine so you don’t feel pain. Then, the tooth will be gently moved from the gum and jawbone until it gets loose. Finally, it can be completely removed. It may be necessary to sew the area closed with a few stitches after the tooth is removed.
TMJ stands for your jaw joint, and you have a TMJ problem when your jawbone can’t move smoothly. It’s like having a bad disc in your back or knee. This happens when the protective disc in your joint is damaged from things like injuries, wear and tear, or arthritis. Sometimes chewing gum or grinding your teeth can cause TMJ problems, but not always. Everyone is different. Most people with TMJ pain find that wearing a mouthguard helps by protecting their teeth and creating more space between the joint bones. The goal is to decrease inflammation and prevent more damage. If the TMJ problem is severe, you may need to see a specialist for more advanced treatment.