General Dentistry
Philosophically, our doctors are conservative, preventive in nature. Helping our patients maintain a healthy mouth and smile is the main goal of general dentistry. We prefer to provide more minor, preventive care than to see patients suffer with more intensive treatments from a problem that was not managed in time. We want to ensure that your oral health is in its optimal state and positively contributing to the health of your entire body. We are here to brighten your smile and pave the way for a brighter life.
Preventive Dentistry
It is important to brush your teeth at least twice daily to help remove plaque and food particles that get stuck to your teeth. It is recommended that you brush your teeth for two minutes (or longer), though most people rush through this time. You need to make sure that you reach every side of each tooth, including the inside and outside. To help keep your breath fresh, you should also brush your tongue. Then, you can begin flossing.
Cleanings And Exams
Having a dental practice perform a checkup and regular cleaning gives a preventive approach to dental care. These general dentistry treatments help prevent problems with your teeth, gums and jaw bones, or they catch and manage problems before they worsen. During your visit, our doctors will take a picture of the current standing of your dental health and what would be needed to keep your oral hygiene in its best state.
Teeth Whitening
A common request we receive is how to make a smile whiter and brighter. This is a relatively simple and quick treatment option that can be performed periodically. Certain foods and beverages, such as wine and coffee, stain the teeth and contribute to discoloration. The teeth whitening process provides a solution that lightens the shade of the teeth. Additionally, the process actually rids the teeth of plaque and tartar that tend to lead to dental problems.
Fillings
We do not do amalgam (silver) restorations. Composite fillings act as a dentistry solution for problems such as tooth decay or cracks. A composite filling is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture used to restore decayed teeth. This procedure is also utilized for cosmetic improvements of the smile by fixing any discoloration or reshaping any disfigured teeth. We also utilize the latest restorative methods such as Bioclear to improve the outcome of our results.
Extractions
An extraction is performed to remove a tooth, whether because of disease or damage. When extractions are required, the area around the tooth will be numbed and your dentist will remove the tooth. Our injection is nearly painless, and utilizing advanced technology and techniques such as Piezosurgery, we can keep the surgical procedure as minimally invasive as possible. We also provide advanced oral surgical needs in our office. Your dentist can also talk to you about bone graft procedure and dental implants to replace your missing tooth.
Emergency Care
Our highly trained doctors and staff are ready to manage all of your concerns. We have methods to alleviate the pain and help you feel calm during your emergency dental visit.
If you are facing a dental emergency, please don’t hesitate to contact us immediately at (508) 478-3800!
Oral Cancer Screenings
Nobody wants to hear that they may have oral cancer. Although it can be fatal, it is easier to treat the earlier it is caught. For this reason, we are proud to assist our patients with an oral cancer screening. All of our dental hygienists and our dentists are trained to detect oral cancer early. We also perform surgical biopsy in our office, and we work with Tufts Oral Pathology lab for any pathology needs.
Oral cancer will typically show up as white or red patches or lesions inside of your mouth. You may even notice the lesions on your tongue or on the floor of your mouth. Many people experience a hard time swallowing, bleeding in the mouth, or even swelling in your face or neck.
Sealants
When we apply a dental sealant, we paint a plastic coating on top of your teeth. This makes your teeth smooth getting rid of the rough edges, depressions, and grooves that are commonly found on teeth. It is essentially a protective coating against tooth decay and cavities.
The most common place to paint sealants is on back teeth since they are often irregular. They can also be very hard to reach, even if you brush your teeth regularly. We use it more on children though we do perform sealants on adults too!
Night Guards
It can be beneficial to use a guard, or covering, to protect your teeth from grinding while sleeping. However, the latest study has also linked night time bruxism to possible sleeping and breathing disorders. With our advanced training, our doctors can help determine if a nightguard is sufficient, or further investigation is needed to rule out possible sleep disorders.
We are also trained to adjust the nightguard or oral splint to perfection to allow the muscles to relax. Nightguards or splint are often used to treat temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJD).
TMJ Treatment
We understand that Temporo-mandibular disorder (TMD or TMJ as it’s commonly called) is very complicated to the general public. One could have read different materials, visited different practitioners and received very different opinions. We hope to explain TMD in layman’s terms, and hopefully this page can be helpful to you.
With years of experience seeing TMD patients, the most common routes where patients come to visit us are:
- Headaches or facial pain referral by MD/ENT where they ruled out sinus or other facial or neurological issues
- Self-referral or professional referral when patients experience painful jaw joint clicks or TMJ clicks
When presenting with the same symptoms to a surgeon, a chiropractor, or a physical/massage therapist, patients could receive recommendations of surgical intervention, manipulation, or massage therapy, respectively. They all have their merits. We, in fact, work with different local practitioners to achieve the best outcome on an individual basis.
As dentists with very extensive and specific training in evaluating bite harmony with muscles and the TM joint, we have treated and have seen fascinating responses with bite corrections, either with nightguards, splint therapy (orthotic), or partial/complete bite adjustment. We believe it is a non-invasive way of treating a sometimes very painful, chronic problem when compared to surgical intervention. Granted there are times when surgery is indicated, but it is of our opinion that the majority of the patients can achieve great improvement with this effective and conservative treatment.
Please call us at 508-478-3800 if you are suffering from TMD related issues. We will love to help you figure out the best course of treatment.
Patients with classic TMD symptoms present with clicking of the jaw joint, severe headaches, jaw pain, TM joint pain, myofacial pain or combination of different symptoms. Yes, there will also be a group of people who can present with intermittent ringing in the ears or pain behind their eyes. Unbeknown to some, tooth related symptoms such as cold sensitivity, toothaches could be related and are indicators of possible future TMD. When we evaluate a patient who comes in with possible TMD symptoms, we look closely at signs and symptoms of the joint, muscle, and teeth. A brief breakdown of what we look for is below:
Temporomandibular Joint
With advanced trainings in reading CT scans and MRI, the doctors can diagnose any structural deformation, joint clicks, deviations on opening, and joint pain/inflammation. With the proximity of the TMJ to the ear canal, earaches or ringing in the ear could also be a common symptom.
Muscles
Muscles govern the movement of the jaw. People who clenches, grinds, or have habits with excessive use of lower jaw can experience symptoms similar to overworked, tired muscles. Symptom includes headaches, facial pain, pain behind eyes, incoordination of muscles, tederness to touch are common with TMD.
Teeth/Bite
Often times, a poor bite or a bite that does not function in harmony with the joint, can cause joint and muscle symptoms (as illustrated above). Common signs and symptoms that we usually see with teeth are: cold sensitivity, excessive wear, mobility of teeth, fractures, and pain on chewing. Also, hyperactivity of the muscle will cause accelerated tooth wear (as above).