Cleanings
The American Dental Association recommends adults and children receive a routine cleaning at least twice a year. Dr. Truong will thoroughly clean your teeth, removing any plaque that has built up and any stains to ensure positive dental health.
In addition to a cleaning, children may receive sealants on molar teeth and a fluoride varnish application as a guard against future decay.
If it has been over a year since your last cleaning, possible treatment may include Periodontal Scaling and or Root Planning commonly known as deep cleaning.
Dental Sealants
Tooth Sealants can play an important role in helping to prevent tooth decay in some locations on teeth. Placing sealants involve bonding a plastic coating into the grooves of a tooth (the tooth’s pits and fissures). The net results are a smoother tooth surface that is less likely to harbor food and plaque and is easier to clean with a toothbrush.
Custom Night Guards
Most people grind and clench their teeth from time to time. Especially at night while sleeping. When teeth are grinding on a regular basis, the teeth can be damaged, and other oral implication can arise such as jaw ache and jaw clicking. This is called 'Bruxism'.
The most effective way to reduce the effects of teeth grinding is to wear a 'Custom Night Guard' during sleep. Our Night Guards are fabricated at a dental lab and will fit over your teeth comfortably allowing you to wear it during sleep.
Tooth Colored Fillings
Did you know, for over 150 years cavities were filled with a mixture of metals including silver and mercury? It was perfectly normal to see dark gray areas in someone's mouth when they laughed. Today you can get your cavities as well as any other smaller hollow areas in your teeth filled with composite fillings.
At Dr. Truong's dental we use 'composite' fillings made from resins that match your natural tooth color, so they become invisible when applied. Composite fillings provide an excellent seal on the affected area so that tooth decay can be prevented.
Crowns
There are many different reasons why you might want to consider having a crown placed on a tooth. You may have lost some of your teeth due to injury or gum disease, or it may have gotten discolored for some reason.
Dr. Truong will evaluate the health of the tooth. It's imperative that a tooth and the gums surrounding it are free of any health problems such as infection before it is capped.
Capping can help to bring a tooth back to the way it looked before the damage occurred and can help provide protection against future damage. Capping covers the entire tooth area and is built upon any remaining natural tooth that is there.
Dental Implant Crown
A dental implant is needed when a natural tooth is either congenitally missing or must be removed due to decay or injury. The implant becomes the support system for a new tooth, replacing the root.
After the referred specialist surgically places the implant, Dr. Truong will take an impression of the implant and the surrounding gumline in order for the professional lab to fabricate the “dental implant crown.” Dr. Truong will complete the restoration process by placing the dental implant crown on top of the implant. The end result is a dental implant that looks and feels like a natural tooth.
Dental Bridge
Having one or more missing teeth can have a serious effect not only on your smile but also on your dental health. Specifically, missing teeth can cause:
A shift in the alignment of your teeth
Increased risk of periodontal disease
Increased risk of tooth decay
Loss of adjacent teeth
Speech disorders
Difficult to chew food on that side of the mouth.
Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
Like dental implants, dental bridges are used to replace a missing tooth, except bridges are supported by the teeth on either side called abutment teeth.
Like many cosmetic dental procedures, placing bridges also serves a restorative purpose. A dental bridge will improve your ability to chew and speak as well as your smile. In a study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, dental bridges were shown to dramatically reduce the risk of losing teeth that are adjacent to a missing tooth. Also, dental bridges can help keep your jaw and face from changing shape, as they tend to do when a person has missing teeth.
Dental bridges can last from 8 to 15 years and can last even longer if you maintain good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing regularly.
The procedure of installing a dental bridge is typically completed in two visits. First Dr. Truong will determine if you are a good candidate for a dental bridge. If you are, your teeth will need to be prepared by reshaping or reconstructing any badly decayed or damaged areas. Afterward, Dr. Truong will take an impression of your teeth which is then sent off to a professional lab where it is cast into a mold, and give you a temporary bridge to wear. On your second visit, this mold will be fitted to your teeth, and any necessary corrections or adjustments will be made on that same visit.
Bridges can be partially covered by insurance providers, but expect to pay out-of-pocket towards some of the cost.
Root Canal
In the past, teeth with diseased nerves were extracted from the mouth. Receiving Root Canal treatment on a diseased tooth can save it. This procedure involves little to no patient discomfort.
Within the walls of each tooth, a strand of dental pulp – the substance that supplies the tooth with nerves, nutrients, connective tissue and blood vessels – laces downward into the root. If the dental pulp becomes diseased, the pulp dies, cutting off the nutrients and nerve signals which the tooth needs to be healthy. If the diseased pulp is left in the tooth, the tooth will become infected, forcing it to need extraction.
Root canal treatment allows Dr. Truong to remove the pulp, clean the canal and seal the tooth, effectively protecting and saving the tooth. After an opening is created through the crown of the tooth into the dental pulp chamber, the pulp is removed. The canal is cleaned out, and the pulp chamber is permanently filled. Dr. Truong will proceed by putting in a temporary filling. Afterward the temporary filling will be replaced with a permanent filling or a crown, depending on the location of the tooth within the mouth.
Veneers
Veneers are thin coverings that go over the front of the teeth and help to correct such problems as discoloration, chips and cracks, and uneven spacing. Though their main function is cosmetic, they have the added benefit of providing protection.
They are made of strong porcelain or resin composite material and are considered permanent, lasting 15 years or more.
Partial and Complete Dentures
Whether from disease, malnutrition or genetic disorders, sometimes it is necessary for us to extract all of a patient's lower or upper teeth. While this can be devastating. Dentures can provide a second chance at a beautiful smile.
Having complete dentures help with chewing as well as support one's facial structure and improve speech.
With immediate dentures, you can have a full set of teeth while you are waiting for your gums to heal and your bone to realign after having teeth removed. This can take up to six months, so immediate dentures are a great alternative during that time.
Sometimes complete dentures are not necessary. Partial dentures can replace a string of missing teeth and are secured to your remaining teeth with clasps.
No matter which kind of dentures you choose, you can be assured to receive natural-looking dentures that match your facial structure and desired tooth color from Dr. Truong.
Tooth Extraction
Dr. Truong will make every attempt to treat your teeth and remedy any dental malady. If the damage to your teeth is extensive, then it may be necessary to extract one or more teeth to maintain dental health.
If a tooth is broken, cracked or extensively decayed it may be necessary to remove it. Likewise, a tooth that is associated with advanced stages of periodontal disease should be removed, as well as teeth that are poorly positioned or non-functional.
Whatever the cause, you can rest assured that Dr. Truong will carefully explore and inform you of any other options before making the decision to remove a tooth. Should tooth extraction become necessary, we will make every attempt to keep you comfortable throughout the procedure.
Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening is a very popular procedure in dentistry. Stained or discolored teeth are very common among adults of all ages, and come from a variety of sources, such as:
Coffee & tea
Red wine
Soda
Tobacco
Some medications