Dental Exams & Teeth Cleaning Maplewood
Maplewood Dental Associates is proud to be your choice when you’re looking for a dentist in Maplewood, MN. We’re committed to helping you achieve excellence in oral health by providing a wide variety of dental services. Because we offer such an extensive list of treatment options, we don’t need to refer you to any other specialists; for your convenience, you can just visit us for all your dentistry needs, such as dental exams & teeth cleaning in Maplewood. Our general treatment services are as follows.
Dental Examination
When you come in for your check-up, we will thoroughly examine your teeth and gums and look for any potential problems. We may also choose to take X-rays. If you’re showing any signs of tooth decay or other problems, we will recommend treatment options. We will also provide oral hygiene suggestions to allow you to take care of your teeth to the best of your ability.
Routine Teeth Cleanings
During a routine teeth cleaning, one of our dental hygienists will remove plaque from your teeth, especially in the harder to reach places in your mouth such as underneath the gum line and between the teeth. After that, we will clean your teeth and apply fluoride to your teeth in order to protect them. You should schedule a routine dental cleaning with us twice a year.
Fillings
Fillings are a restorative material that can be used to replace damaged or decayed tooth structure. There are a few different types of filling material that include:
- Silver Amalgam Restorations – Silver used to be the most common filling material when it came to restorations, however, silver fillings don’t generally have the same aesthetic appeal to patients as its alternatives.
- Composite (White) Restorations – These fillings are tooth-colored and are also stronger, longer-lasting, and more aesthetically pleasing. They can even be custom-colored to perfectly match the color of the patient’s teeth. These fillings bond directly to the tooth and strengthen it by restoring most of its original shape.
Crowns
A crown is a custom-made covering that fits over an original tooth. This is used when the original tooth is damaged, decayed, or cracked. Crowns can be made out of a variety of different materials, which can include porcelain, gold, acrylic resin, or even a mix of these. The process for receiving a crown generally follows these steps:
- First, the tooth is numbed to remove the decay in or around it.
- The tooth is then re-sculptured to provide an optimal fit for the crown.
- A physical or digital impression is made of the teeth in order to create the custom crown.
- A temporary crown is made out of acrylic resin and fitted to the tooth while the custom crown is made.
- After the custom crown is finished, the temporary crown is removed and the custom-made crown is fitted onto the tooth.
- If the crown has the proper look and fit, it will be cemented into place.
Modern technology has reduced the amount of time needed to create strong and natural-looking crowns. With proper care, crowns can last a lifetime!
Bridges
A bridge is a dental device that’s used to fill a space that a tooth previously occupied. A bridge may be necessary to prevent teeth from shifting, to fix bite problems, or just to ensure the strength and integrity of the surrounding teeth. Here are a few different types of bridges we can utilize depending on the patient’s needs:
- Fixed Bridge – This is the most popular bridge. This consists of a filler tooth attached to two crowns in order to hold the bridge in place.
- Maryland Bridge – This is commonly used to replace missing front teeth. Tooth-colored metal bands are used and bonded to surrounding teeth.
- Cantilever Bridge – This bridge uses two crowned teeth that are positioned next to each other on the same side of the missing tooth.
Root Canals
A root canal extracts decayed tissue from inside a tooth, reshapes the canal, and replaces it with strengthened filler. Some reasons a root canal may be necessary include dental injuries, severe tooth decay, or inflammation in the tooth pulp. When these problems are left untreated, they can cause severe damage to the tooth structure. Root canals can usually be treated in one visit, though more extensive cases may require an additional appointment.
Tooth Extractions
A tooth extraction is the complete removal of a tooth. Extractions may be necessary in the following circumstances:
- A primary (baby) tooth is preventing the eruption of a permanent tooth.
- The patient has gum disease.
- The tooth cannot be repaired or restored due to extensive tooth decay or trauma.
- The tooth is impacted. This is often the case for wisdom teeth, as they are the last teeth to erupt and may not have sufficient room to develop.
Depending on the case, the extraction will be performed surgically or non-surgically. Anesthesia is used to ensure the patient’s comfort throughout the procedure.
Schedule Your Maplewood Dental Exams & Teeth Cleaning Today
If you need dental exams & teeth cleaning in Maplewood, we encourage you to fill out our online appointment request form to schedule an appointment with us. Alternatively, you can give us a call at (651) 770-3831. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us. We hope to see you soon!