General Dentistry Services
Fillings
Of all the procedures performed in the dental office, placing fillings is by far the most common. While it is a frequent occurrence, Dr Falcone’s fillings are anything but common. Whatever material you and the doctor decide on using, he will work to make the new filling as natural and functional as possible.
Dr. Falcone prides himself in placing the most modern, bonded, tooth-colored restorations, providing comfortable chewing and life-like esthetics. Done in one visit in most cases and providing years of service, fillings can preserve a tooth that has suffered decay or minor fracture, arresting the process and avoiding eventual loss of the tooth.
Remember, often a conservative step like placing a small filling can prevent a much more invasive procedure in the future. Luckily, modern dentistry offers us many options to avoid ever having to suffer tooth loss.
Veneers
What Are Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are thin shells of ceramic that bond directly to the front and top surfaces of the teeth. They are an ideal choice for improving your smile and have become increasingly popular due to their simplicity and versatility. With veneers as an alternative, there is no reason to put up with gaps between your teeth, teeth that are stained, badly shaped, or crooked. A veneer placed on top of your teeth can correct these maladies, simply and quickly and help you achieve a beautiful smile!
Will They Look Like Normal Teeth?
When bonded to the teeth, the ultra-thin porcelain veneers are virtually undetectable and highly resistant to coffee, tea, or even cigarette stains. For strength and appearance, their resemblance to healthy, white tooth enamel is unsurpassed by other restorative options. Because they are thin, light can shine through them and they take on the natural color of the underlying tooth.
How Durable Are Porcelain Veneers?
With proper care, porcelain veneers will brighten your smile for well over a decade.
Dr. Falcone will ensure that your veneers are crafted from the highest quality porcelains and are bonded with the most advanced and proven materials available.
The Procedure
This procedure will require three appointments:
- Diagnosis and treatment planning
- Preparation
- Bonding
Diagnosis & Treatment Planning
You will want to take an active role in planning your smile design. Dr. Falcone will review the corrective limitations of this procedure and help you plan your new smile.
Preparation
The second appointment will take one to two hours. Although the porcelain veneer is very thin, the teeth are minimally prepared, sometimes removing one half, to one and one half millimeters of tooth structure. Anesthetic may be required.
Then a mold is taken of the teeth and sent to the lab for fabrication. In some cases, temporary veneer will be placed at this time. The permanent veneer should be ready in approximately one to two weeks.
Bonding
At the time of your third appointment, Dr. Falcone will first place the veneer on your teeth with water or glycerin to check the fit and color. At this point, the color of the veneer can still be adjusted by the shade of the cement used to adhere it. Once the color is determined and the veneer is ready to be applied, the tooth is cleaned with specific chemicals to achieve a bond. A special cement is placed between the teeth and the veneer and a visible light beam is used to harden the cement. This appointment takes approximately one to two hours.
Care & Follow-Up
Brush and floss daily. Return for a follow-up visit after one to two weeks.
Maintenance Of Your New Veneers
Brush and floss as you normally would. Don’t be afraid that you will damage your veneers by doing so. Non-abrasive toothpaste is recommended. A good home care regimen will insure the best aesthetic success of your veneer.
You may experience some sensitivity to hot and cold after placement of your veneer. This is due to the amount of enamel left on the tooth after preparation. Sensitivity is totally normal and should dissipate in one to two weeks. If sensitivity persists, please call the office
If you are a known clencher (bruxer), please be sure to let us know. Dr. Falcone may recommend a nightguard for you to wear to minimize stress placed upon your teeth while you sleep.
We hope that your new veneers fulfill your esthetic goal. With proper home care and scheduled visits, they are sure to provide you with a beautiful smile for years to come.
Bonding
An alternative to veneers, bonding can be used as a restorative procedure for teeth that are chipped, cracked, discolored, or misarranged.
How Does It Work?
The tooth is prepared for the procedure by lightly etching the surface and applying a bonding liquid. Once the liquid sets, a plastic resin is applied and sculpted into the desired shape by the dentist. Once set, the resin is trimmed, smoothed, and polished to a natural appearance.
Considerations
The bonding procedure can often be completed in a single office visit, and can significantly improve the appearance of a tooth. However, since the plastic resin used is not as strong as your natural tooth enamel, it is more likely to stain, chip, or break than natural teeth. Bonding typically lasts three to five years before repair is needed.
Bleaching
Having a beautiful smile may be even easier than you think. Many people achieve the look they've been dreaming of with our simple "bleaching" procedure.
It's safe, quick, and inexpensive. Just let us know at any appointment if you would like to begin bleaching. You can lighten only your upper teeth or both the upper and lower, depending on how much of each shows when you talk and smile.
In about a week your custom bleach splints will be ready for you. We provide you with a special bleaching agent that you put into the clear, nearly invisible splints. With only a few hours of wear per day, our special bleaching agent bubbles stains right out of your enamel in a very short time without altering tooth structure or existing dental work in any way. When your teeth reach the brightness you want, only occasional treatment is needed to maintain your new smile. We'll want to take "after" photos at your next appointment.
Dental bleaching can be used to correct many tooth discolorations. These discolorations may have been caused by staining, aging, or chemical damage to teeth. Using the latest in bleaching technology, we can offer a safe method for creating a beautiful, "brilliant" smile. In cases of extreme tooth discoloration, crowns, or veneers may be the only choice. However, because of the low cost of bleaching treatments, bleaching is nearly always worth a try.
Key Benefits
- Corrects brown, yellow, and mottled tooth staining
- Works on people of all ages.
- Is a near permanent solution for a "dull" smile, restoring brightness, and bringing a smile alive.
How Is It Done?
An impression is taken to make a specialized "mouthguard" or "stent" to hold the bleach against the teeth. The material is used each night for about three to four hours for a week or two, after which significant whitening will occur. In some cases, the change is nothing short of brilliant. For confidence in appearance, bleaching technology offers improvements in yellowing, aging, or stained teeth. For very severely stained teeth, crowns, or veneers may be more appropriate.
Crowns
Most dentistry looks like dentistry. Our goal is to provide dentistry that is undetectable. We replace existing crowns and fillings with restorations that look and feel like your natural teeth.
Where damage to a person's teeth is extreme and apparently beyond repair, we can use porcelain or porcelain "pasted-on gold" crowns to make the smile appear "as new". This is an extremely reliable technique for repairing the most severe dental problems, even permanently replacing missing teeth to offer a complete smile and a functional bite. We are renowned for the quality of our work and the fantastic changes we make for people using this technology. These treatments are used for a long-lasting correction of major dental problems. It is usual for these treatments to last for 20 to 30 years, which is as close to permanent as dental treatment can get.
How Long Does It Take?
Fitting a crown requires at least two office visits. Initially, we will remove decay, shape the tooth, and fit it with a temporary crown of either plastic or metal.
On the subsequent visit, we will remove the temporary crown, and then fit and adjust the final crown. Finally, we will cement the crown into place and you have a new beautiful looking tooth.
Key Benefits
- Replaces missing teeth
- Offers support to misshapen teeth or badly broken teeth
- Looks completely natural
- Fixes "smile" and functional chewing problems.
What Is The Capability Of A Crown?
Crown and bridgework is a very reliable solution for major dental problems caused through accidents, diseases, or wear and tear. Major problems can usually be corrected using these techniques. Materials used in these repairs are either high-grade porcelain or porcelain bonded to gold. The higher strength of the porcelain and gold materials is recommended to treat the most serious of dental problems. Where accidental damage has occurred resulting in lost teeth, or teeth have broken away through excessive wear, or as the result of old fillings breaking, crowns and/or bridges can be used as a long-term solution.
Many people have unexplained pain from filled back teeth that is usually due to hairline cracks in the chewing part of the tooth. Placing crowns on these teeth relieves the pain and allows a return of full dental function for these teeth. In front teeth, older fillings can both weaken the teeth and cause appearance problems due to staining or chipping. Porcelain crowns and bridges are suitable in cases where porcelain veneers are not. In teeth with root canal fillings, crowns can prevent breakage.
Bridges
All of your teeth play an important role in speaking, chewing, and maintaining proper alignment of other teeth. Tooth loss doesn't necessarily have to occur as you age. But if you do lose teeth, they must be replaced to maintain proper function of your mouth. Fortunately, there are options for correcting tooth loss.
Options
A bridge — a device used to replace missing teeth — attaches artificial teeth to adjacent natural teeth, called abutment teeth. Bridges are either permanently attached (fixed bridges) or they can be removable.
Fixed bridges are applied by either placing crowns on the abutment teeth or by bonding the artificial teeth directly to the abutment teeth. Removable bridges are attached to the teeth with metal clasps or by precision attachments.
If you're missing one or more teeth, you may be aware of their importance to your appearance and dental health. Your teeth work together for many daily functions from eating to speaking. With missing teeth, it's difficult to do these things. Missing teeth can and should be replaced. Fixed bridges are a great way to restore your dental health and appearance.
What Is A Bridge/Fixed Partial Denture?
A bridge (fixed partial denture) is a device that fills the gap where teeth are absent. Fixed bridges are bonded into place and can only be removed by a dental professional. Removable bridges, as the name implies, can be taken out and cleaned. Fixed bridges offer more stability than their removable counterparts.
Why Do I Need A Bridge?
Oral functionality and appearance are important reasons for wearing a bridge. A bridge helps support your lips and cheeks. The loss of a back tooth may cause your mouth to sink and your face to look older.
Dental health is the most important reason for a bridge. Teeth were designed to complement each other. Unusual stresses are placed on the gums and other oral tissues when teeth are missing, causing a number of potentially harmful disorders.
Increased risk of gum disease has proven to be one of the worst side effects of missing teeth and can be minimized with a bridge.
Missing teeth can cause speech disorders as they are used to make many of the sounds we use to speak clearly.
How Is A Bridge Attached?
The attachment procedure usually takes two or three appointments to complete. At the first appointment, Dr. Falcone will prepare the teeth on either side of the gap by removing a portion of the enamel and dentin.
Since the bridge must be fabricated very precisely to ensure correct bite and to match the opposing tooth, impressions of the teeth are taken and sent to the lab where the bridge will be constructed.
Fixed bridges are typically cemented to the natural teeth next to the space left by the missing tooth. A pontic (false tooth) replaces the lost tooth. Crowns, which are cemented onto the natural teeth, provide support for the bridge.
What Materials Are Used?
Bridges can be constructed from gold alloys, non-precious alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. Porcelain is often bonded to either a precious or non-precious metal.
How Do I Take Care Of My Bridge?
A strict regimen of brushing and flossing will keep the bridge and surrounding teeth clean. This is of critical importance since the bridge relies on the neighboring teeth for support.
Extractions
You and Dr. Falcone may determine that you need a tooth extraction for any number of reasons. Some teeth are extracted because they are severely decayed. Others may have advanced periodontal disease or are broken in a way that cannot be repaired. Other teeth may need removal because they are poorly positioned in the mouth (such as impacted teeth) or in preparation for orthodontic treatment.
The removal of a single tooth can lead to problems related to your chewing ability, problems with your jaw joint, and shifting teeth, which can have a major impact on your dental health.
To avoid these complications, Dr. Falcone will discuss alternatives to extractions as well replacement of the extracted tooth.
The Extraction Process
At the time of extraction the doctor will need to numb your tooth, jawbone, and gums that surround the area with a local anesthetic.
During the extraction process you will feel a lot of pressure. This is from the process of firmly rocking the tooth in order to widen the socket for removal.
You feel the pressure without pain as the anesthetic has numbed the nerves stopping the transference of pain, yet the nerves that transmit pressure are not profoundly affected.
If you do feel pain at any time during the extraction, please let us know right away.
Sectioning A Tooth
Some teeth require sectioning. This is a very common procedure done when a tooth is so firmly anchored in its socket or the root is curved and the socket can't expand enough to remove it. The doctor simply cuts the tooth into sections then removes each section one at a time.
After Care
Bleeding
Some bleeding may occur. Placing a piece of moist gauze over the empty tooth socket and biting down firmly for 30 minutes can control this.
Blood Clots That Form In The Empty Socket
This is an important part of the healing process and you must be careful not to dislodge the clot.
- Avoid rinsing or spitting for 24 hours after the extraction.
- Avoid use of a straw, smoking, or drinking hot liquids.
Swelling
If swelling occurs, you can place ice on your face for ten minutes and off for 20 minutes. Repeat this cycle as you feel necessary for up to 24 hours.
Pain & Medications
If you experience pain, you might use non-prescription pain relief medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Eating
For most extractions, make sure you do your chewing away from the extraction site. Stay away from hot liquids and alcoholic beverages for 24 hours. A liquid diet may be recommended for 24 hours.
Brushing & Cleaning
After the extraction, avoid brushing the teeth near the extraction site for one day. After that you can resume gentle cleaning. Avoid commercial mouth rinses, as they tend to irritate the extraction site.
Beginning 24 hours after the extraction, you can rinse with salt water (one half teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) after meals and before bed.
Dry Socket
Dry socket is when a blood clot fails to form in the socket where the tooth has been extracted or the clot has been dislodged and the healing is significantly delayed.
Following the postoperative extraction instructions will reduce the chances of developing dry socket. Dry sockets manifest themselves as a dull throbbing pain that usually doesn't appear until three to four days after the extraction. The pain can be moderate to severe and radiate from the extraction area. Dry socket may cause a bad taste or bad breath and the extraction site appears dry.
Dr. Falcone will apply a medicated dressing to the dry socket to soothe the pain.
Healing
After a tooth has been extracted there will be a resulting hole in your jawbone where the tooth was. In time, this will smooth and fill in with bone. This process can take many weeks or months. However after 1- 2 weeks you should no longer notice any inconvenience.
Replacing Teeth With
Dental Implants
Dental implants are designed to provide a foundation for replacement teeth that look, feel, and function like natural teeth. The person who has lost teeth regains the ability to eat virtually anything and can smile with confidence, knowing that their teeth appear natural and that their facial contours will be preserved. The implants themselves are tiny titanium posts that are placed into the jawbone where teeth are missing. The bone bonds with the titanium, creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth. In addition, implants can help preserve facial structure, preventing the bone deterioration that occurs when teeth are missing.
Dental implants are changing the way people live! With dental implants, people are rediscovering the comfort and confidence to eat, speak, laugh, and enjoy life.
If, like many others, you feel implant dentistry is the choice for you, we ask that you undergo a dental/radiographic examination and health history. During these consultation visits, your specific needs and considerations will be addressed by Dr. Falcone or by a specialist (an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or periodontist) suggested by our practice. Your questions and concerns are important to us. Out team will work with you very closely to help make your procedure a success.
Procedure
Dental implants are metal anchors that act as tooth root substitutes. They are surgically placed into the jawbone. Small posts are then attached to the implant which protrudes through the gums. These posts provide stable anchors for artificial replacement teeth.
For most patients, the placement of dental implants involves two surgical procedures. First, implants are placed within your jawbone. For the first three to six months following surgery, the implants are beneath the surface of the gums gradually bonding with the jawbone. At the same time, our office designs the final bridgework or denture, which will ultimately improve both function and aesthetics.
After the implant has bonded to the jawbone, the second phase begins. The oral surgeon or periodontist will uncover the implants and attach a small healing collar. Then, Dr. Falcone will be able to begin making your new teeth. An impression must be taken. Following this, posts or attachments can be connected to the implants. The teeth replacements are then made over the posts or attachments. The entire procedure usually takes six to eight months. Most patients do not experience any disruption in their daily life. However, due to improvements in technology, this phase is getting shorter and shorter, with some cases being completed immediately.
