Our Offered Services
Often, people have questions about the things we do. Here are brief descriptions of some of the services we offer at Arboretum Family Dentistry. If you have a question or would like to know what kind of treatment would work for you or your family, call us at 704-544-9199.
Root Canal
Root Canal treatment suffers from an unfair, and inaccurate, bad reputation. Modern advances make root canal treatment rapid and comfortable, resulting in many teeth being saved that would have been lost. Most treatments are completed in a single appointment. New pain control techniques make that old joke about root canal pain a thing of the past.
Composite Fillings
Composite Fillings are also "bonding." Everyone knows about the silver fillings dentists have placed for years. While there is nothing wrong with the silver filling material, many people today are opting to have cavities filled with tooth-colored material. It looks better and, with the improvements in the strength of the new materials, they work well in areas where there are lots of chewing and biting pressure. Also, if you are unhappy with the appearance of those old metal fillings, composite fillings may be just the thing to improve your appearance and smile.
Crowns
Crowns, or caps as many people call them, are best defined by what they do, which is to cover the entire remaining tooth to give it the strength that now has lost. In addition to this, crowns can be made to enhance a smile and would then be part of cosmetic dentistry. For that, the crown would be made of porcelain supported by a metal substructure or, perhaps, all porcelain. Other material used to make crowns include gold or silver metals.
Bridges
Bridges are used when a tooth is missing to fill in an empty space. The dentist uses teeth on either side of the space as supports for the bridge. Crowns are placed on these teeth and these crowns are connected with false teeth in the empty spaces. All the bridge is a single piece, and it is usually put in place with special dental "glues" that hold the bridge in place.
Veneers
Veneers are similar to crowns in that they can drastically alter the shape and color of your teeth. They are eggshell thin pieces of porcelain, custom made for each patient, then bonded to the teeth. Once bonded, they are very strong and the results are amazing.
Bonding
Bonding usually means using a "composite", a filling material that looks like real tooth color, to reshape teeth. While a very good procedure in many cases, it doesn't usually last as long as porcelain or metal restorations.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic Dentistry refers to a range of services including bleaching, bonding, porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns, to name a few. Modern dental materials allow many options not only to brighten your smile, but also to change the shape and apparent position of your teeth. Sometimes cosmetic dentistry may mean only that a jagged edge is smoothed. Whatever the treatment, cosmetic dentistry improves the appearance of your smile!
Bleaching
Bleaching is a popular cosmetic dentistry procedure today. A custom made tray to hold the bleaching gel is an important part of this procedure for it to be safe and effective. The trays containing the gel are worn a few minutes a day for up to two weeks. Many people see brighter smiles in only a few days.