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The following will help you gain a better understanding of the services we provide.
- Amalgams. Silver fillings are the metal type
of fillings and have proven to hold up for years and are an easily
placed filling material. Now that newer composite (white) fillings
are coming out with stronger materials, more people are getting those
placed instead. Recent studies are showing that larger amalgams can
actually fracture teeth due to the variation in coefficient of expansion
when exposed to hot and cold compared to tooth enamel. Typically,
amalgams may cost less to place that's why insurance companies favor
them), however, with the risk of fracture and mercury exposure and
leakage, our office has chosen to provide METAL-FREE FILLINGS. We
find them to be stronger and more aesthetic. FOR
MORE INFO, VISIT OUR RESTORATIVE
SECTION.
- Bleaching. Teeth can often be whitened by the several new
techniques of "bleaching" available today. The most common methods used
are the "in-office" method where a strong bleaching agent is placed over
the isolated teeth and a special light is used to assist the bleaching material lighten
the teeth. This method is generally more controlled and probably better for people
who have tetracycline stains or streaks on their teeth. The "home" techniques
involve making trays which fit into the mouth and these are then filled with bleaching
materials. When worn for a few hours a day, noticeable results are seen generally
within a few days to a couple weeks. Results vary from individual to individual and
it is probably best to check with your dentist to help decide which method works
best for you. Some of the factors involved include the intensity of the stains, whether
or not you have fillings or crowns on your front teeth as well as what may have caused
the stains. FOR MORE INFO, VISIT OUR AESTHETIC DENTISTRY SECTION.
- Bonding. Bonding is more of a generic term
that is used to describe several procedures. When we place a composite
filling, we are doing a "bonding" of the composite to the
tooth. When we close a space in the front teeth, sometimes that is
referred to as bonding. Closing these spaces (or "diastemas")
can radically improve a person's look as well as self confidence.
Bonding can also be the term used when we place a veneer (or bond
a veneer) over a tooth. Again, this is primarily for closing spaces,
rotating teeth and lengthening teeth or changing their color. The
procedure is relatively common these days and many people have benefitted
from the different types of "bonding" available today. FOR
MORE INFO, VISIT OUR AESTHETIC DENTISTRY SECTION.
- Braces. Braces are put on teeth to help correct
rotated teeth, too large of spaces, crowding or misalignment of teeth.
This is a specialty of dentistry and we do only limited orthodontics
when there is a situation of one or two teeth needing splinting together
to support them, or space maintainers for children if they should
lose a baby tooth too early. Generally, we refer all orthodontics
out of the office, as do most general dentists. INVISALIGN is one
type of procedure that utilizes the clear plastic "aligners"
that can move and rotate teeth without any metal brackets or braces
generally.
- Children's Dentistry. Children often require
a little extra attention when having their dental work done. They
also need to be educated and treated with dignity. At our office,
we enjoy treating children. Unless a child has a serious dental condition
or a phobia of dentistry, there is no need to have them see a specialist.
We can treat them here at our office. We have many things at our office
to help kids keep pre-occupied, such as headphones, TV, a fish tank
and a toy box. We also have special medications (which we rarely need
to use) for children to help them relax prior to treatment. The Doctors
and hygienists at our office currently have children and therefore
have been trained "on-the-job", how to take care of children.
FOR MORE INFO, VISIT OUR CHILDREN'S
DENTISTRY SECTION.
- Composites. Composite or white plastic fillings,
are used when aesthetics is a concern. Many of the currently available
materials used for composites are nearly as strong as silver fillings
on the chewing surfaces, and they do excellently in the grooves, and
dramatically lower the development of cavities. We use the Air
abrasion. A relatively new technique to the dental field in which
a small high pressure spray of aluminum oxide (27 micron particle
size) is used to remove decay or drill out pieces of old fillings
and even tooth structure. It cuts down the need for a drill in many
cases and often can eliminate the need for anesthetic since there
is less trauma to the tooth while it is being used. Advantages include:
less vibration, less noise, less heat build-up. It acts like a mini
sand blaster and works excellently in preparing teeth for sealants
or conservative dental care. Sometimes it is referred to as Micro-Dentistry
or "Soft-Prep". FOR MORE INFO VISIT
OUR AESTHETIC DENTISTRY SECTION.
- Crowns. Crowns are placed over a tooth when
a large portion of the tooth is lost ot decay or has broken off. Usually
when a filling is more than half of the size of the tooth, the tooth
is weakened. If the filling would comprise a significant portion of
the tooth, often the tooth can fracture under the stresses of chewing
and therefore, placing a crown over the tooth protects the chewing
surface and prevents that from happening. Crowns that are white are
made of porcelain and are usually placed in areas of esthetic concern.
Gold crowns might be placed in the molar region or when there is heavy
grinding that might damage the opposing teeth. More conservative bonded
all-ceramic VENEERS, ONLAYS and inlays can often be
done which are highly aesthetic and save more tooth structure. FOR
MORE INFORMATION, VISIT OUR PROSTHETICS SECTION.
- Dentures. Dentures are false teeth. They are typically
made from impressions (molds) that are taken of the inside of the mouth and they
are made of a type of plastic or porcelain that duplicates the shape, size and function
of the teeth. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT OUR PROSTHETICS SECTION.
- Emergencies. How do you decide if something is a true dental
emergency? Generally, if you have swelling, an exposed tooth, bleeding, or sharp
throbbing pain, that is a dental emergency. If you knock a tooth loose or out, attempt
to gently rinse it off lightly with water and reposition it as soon as possible.
A tooth that is knocked out and let dry in the air for over an hour has a poor prognosis,
whereas a tooth that is reimplanted within twenty minutes, has a good prognosis.
If you have spontaneous ongoing pain or swelling or have experienced trauma, you
should make arrangements to see your dentist as soon as possible. Our office provides
emergency care for our patients after-hours. FOR MORE INFO,
VISIT OUR EMERGENCY CARE SECTION.
- Extractions. Dental extractions are
usually done when a tooth is so badly decayed, fractured or causing
a chronic infection, such that it can not be restored. These days,
we attempt to save as many teeth as possible using all of the latest
techno logy available, however, there are times when nothing can be
done and the tooth needs to come out. FOR MORE
INFORMATION, VISIT OUR ORAL
SURGERY SECTION.
- Implants. Dental implants, simply put,
are replacements for the roots of teeth that were lost. They are typically
titanium posts that are imbedded into the jawbone and then plastic
or porcelain teeth are placed over the portion of the implant that
sticks out of the gums. On the upper jaw, they can take up to 6 months
or longer to complete since the bone is not as dense as the lower.
On the lower, it may take 4-6 months. The bone must fuse to the posts
before any kind of pressure can be put on the implant itself. The
typical brand of implant that we utilize at our office is the Noble
Biocare and Sterioss. These are some of the longest term proven implant
on the market with the highest success rate. Implants consist of a
surgical portion done by a specialist and a restorative
portion which is done at our office. Doctor LaFrom has been treating
implant patients for nearly fifteen years now and has hundreds of
successful cases. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
OUR PROSTHETICS SECTION.
- Intra-oral Cameras. Intra oral cameras have been
around for about ten years. In the past five years, however, the dental profession
has recognized this as an invaluable tool in the dental exam. By magnifying a tooth
20 to 30 times, we are able to see things that we couldn't see with just an overhead
light and a mouth mirror. In addition, and more importantly, it allows our patients
the opportunity to see their own teeth on the TV monitor so they can see what it
is we are talking about when we describe things we see going on in their mouth. And
secondly, it gives us an additional tool to use should there be insurance involved
to help explain treatment better to them. FOR MORE INFO, SEE
OUR HIGH-TECH DENTISTRY SECTION.
- Laser. Dental Lasers have been in wide
spread use for about twelve years. Our office was one of the first
offices to get the dental laser in Santa Clara County. Dr. LaFrom
generally uses the laser to help with soft tissue work and gum treatment,
however, it is also excellent at treating teeth that are sensitive.
We can desensitize a tooth in just a couple minutes using some fluoride
and the dental laser. It micro-hardens the outer layer of the tooth,
making it more resistant to decay, air, cold and sweets. There are
several different types of lasers in use in the dental field today,
the ones that get the most publicity are the bleaching lasers,
the lasers the cut tooth structure, and the lasers that are used in
gum therapy. We also use an argon laser that can be used to cure composites,
as well as another new laser called the DIAGNODENT, which can
actually be used to help detect the intensity of decay. FOR
MORE INFO, SEE OUR HIGH-TECH
DENTISTRY SECTION.
- Mouthguards. If you play contact sports such as
basketball, hockey, football, judo, karate, martial arts, skateboarding, racquetball,
soccer, squash, wrestling, volleyball and other similar sports, you may wish to talk
with us about a mouthguard to protect your teeth. FOR MORE
INFORMATION, VISIT OUR MOUTHGUARD SECTION.
- Oral Surgery. Dental extractions, cyst removal,
implants, jaw augmentation, TMJ treatments and emergency care from serious trauma,
all come under the category of ORAL SURGERY. FOR MORE INFORMATION,
VISIT OUR ORAL SURGERY SECTION.
- Orthodontics. Straightening of the teeth and
jaws. This also involves TMJ treatment, INVISALIGN, Space maintainers,
mouth guards, night guards and more.. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE OUR
ORTHODONTICS SECTION.
- Periodontal Treatment. When it has been a
while since your last cleaning, or if you have deep pockets around
your teeth, then you are a candidate for a more involved treatment
to restore your teeth and gum tissues badck to optimum health. Without
proper gum support, you can still lose a tooth, even if it doesn't
have a cavity. Periodontal surgery is done when the extent of the
bone loss is such that the bone is irregualr and jagged and the bacteria
can get into the area around the tooth, however, you can't get in
there to clean it. As a result, the bacteria produce an acid that
eats away at the bone and causes disease. The accumulation of the
bacterial by-product and the debris from the tooth together can cause
plaque. If left on long enough, that can lead to tarter (which is
harder to clean off). If this is left on the tooth for many months,
this can begin to calcify and demineralize the outer structure of
your tooth and bone. As this occurs a build-up gets larger and creates
a "shelf" that doesn't allow a person to get a toothbrush
under the gumline. If you can't clean under the gumline, then bone
loss can occur and this can lead to tooth loss. Our hygiene department
has attended several additional courses on periodontal therapy and
soft-tissue management. This includes the use of chemicals to stimulate
bone growth, tissue reattachment, and the use of the dental laser.
Both of our hygienists are BOARD CERTIFIED in the use of dental
LASERS for dental hygiene therapy. FOR MORE
INFO, VISIT OUR HYGIENE
SECTION.
- Porcelain Veneers. Thin porcelain covering
the tooth. These can be made as a conservative approach to replacing
larger portions of the tooth when esthetics is a concern. They are
often used to close gaps, change the color of teeth and modify teeth
shapes instantly - sometimes called - "Instant Orthodontics".
Dr. LaFrom has taken hundreds of extra hours of additional continuing
education training for COSMETIC AESTHETIC DENTISTRY procedures that
many general dentists don't take the time to incorporate into their
practice. FOR MORE INFO, VISIT OUR AESTHETIC DENTISTRY
SECTION.
- Root Canals. A root canal is typically done whenever the
decay or injury to the tooth invades the inner part of the tooth where the pulp is.
This is where the nerve and the blood supply are located. When a root canal is done,
the inner portion of the pulp is removed, along with any infection that may have
invaded the inside walls of the tooth. Then a sealer material is placed with a rubbery
plastic to fill the hole so that new infection can't get into the tooth. Generally,
by removing the root, it can potentially weaken a tooth and therefore, it is common
to protect the integrity of the tooth by placing a crown over the tooth. FOR MORE INFO, VISIT OUR ENDODONTICS SECTION.
- Sealants. Sealants are plastic coatings that are placed
on the etched surface in the grooves of teeth-typically on the back molars and sometimes
on pre-molars. The procedure is fairly straight-forward and generally can be done
without anesthetic at all. We place sealants to help prevent cavities from developing
in those areas that the toothbrush cannot clean - such as the pits and fissures of
the teeth. FOR MORE INFO, VISIT OUR PREVENTIVE CARE SECTION.
- TMJ. The temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) is a very
unique and fragile joint. Because of the numbers of tendons, ligaments and muscles
that are used to hold it in position, it is subject to trauma and stress. As a result,
headaches, jaw soreness and and neckaches can all be related to problems related
to the TMJ. Sometimes the small disc that separates the lower jawbone from the socket
where it rests gets displaced and a bite splint may be used among other therapies
to "reposition" the jaw into the proper alignment. Because this is such
a fragile joint, we often refer to specialists when we see a need to begin extensive
treatment to help a patient. FOR MORE INFO, SEE OUR TMJ SECTION.
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