Our main focus at Denzinger Family Dentistry is to give you a smile that's healthy and one you're proud to display. We place emphasis on total preventive care for our patients and are proud to offer a wide range of dental services to meet all of your needs in our office. Dr. Sara stresses the importance of regular hygiene visits, regular checkups and continued home oral health routines.
Dental disease and injury can damage teeth; Dr. Sara uses the latest techniques to replace missing or damaged teeth with crowns and bridges to restore your natural smile and preserve your bite. Dr. Sara also uses tooth-colored fillings instead of metal/amalgam fillings for safety and aesthetic reasons. Healthier and requiring less removal of the tooth, tooth-colored fillings are preferred by Dr. Sara's patients for their natural color, strength and overall appearance and feel, plus, they are naturally more comfortable!
Prevention
Dental prevention is your insurance policy toward a healthier, pain free, debt-free lifestyle. It encourages a bright smile, fresh breath and an overall good feeling of personal security. Dr. Sara and her team provide excellent services in assisting you with maintenance of your overall dental health and prevention plan. Regular check-ups and cleanings are instrumental in stopping plaque and tartar build up, cavities and other dental problems. Brushing, flossing, a healthy diet and proper oral hygiene are also instrumental in keeping a clean bill of oral health. It is important that you visit our office regularly to ensure your overall dental health. Click here for more on prevention.
Regular Check-Ups
Regular dental visits are the key to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. For maximum benefit, good oral hygiene must be supplemented with a visit to Dr. Sara at least every six months. Depending on the status of your oral health, we may recommend more frequent visits.
Checking your teeth for cavities and decay is only a small part of our oral exam. During each visit, Dr. Sara will also: probe your gums (gingiva) for inflammation, tooth mobility and pockets; examine your mouth for signs of possible oral cancer, diabetes or vitamin deficiencies; as well as note any irregularities in your facial structure, bite, saliva and temporomandibular joint (TMJ). One of our hygienists will clean your teeth and reiterate the importance of good oral hygiene. Click here for more on dental visits.
Common Problems
Sensitive Teeth
Your teeth expand and contract in reaction to changes in temperature. Hot and cold food and beverages can cause pain or irritation to people with sensitive teeth. Over time, tooth enamel can be worn down, gums may recede or teeth may develop microscopic cracks, exposing the interior of the tooth and irritating nerve endings. Just breathing cold air can be painful for those with extremely sensitive teeth.
Bad Breath (Halitosis)
Daily brushing and flossing helps to prevent the buildup of food particles, plaque and bacteria in your mouth. Food particles left in the mouth deteriorate and cause bad breath. While certain foods, such as garlic or anchovies, may create temporary bad breath, consistent bad breath may be a sign of gum disease or another dental problem.
Canker Sores
Canker sores (aphthous ulcers) are small sores inside the mouth that often recur. Generally lasting one or two weeks, the duration of canker sores can be reduced by the use of antimicrobial mouthwashes or topical agents. The canker sore has a white or gray base surrounded by a red border.
Orthodontic Problems
A bite that does not meet properly (a malocclusion) can be inherited, or some types may be acquired. Some causes of malocclusion include missing or extra teeth, crowded teeth or misaligned jaws. Accidents or developmental issues, such as finger or thumb sucking over an extended period of time, may cause malocclusions. Click here for more on orthodontics.
Tooth Decay (Cavities)
Teeth are meant to last a lifetime. By taking good care of your teeth and gums, you can protect them for years to come. Tooth decay is not just a problem for children. It’s a problem for adults as well.
Decay ruins the enamel that covers and protects your teeth. When you don’t take good care of your mouth, bacteria can cling to your teeth and form a sticky, colorless film called plaque. Plaque can lead to tooth decay and cavities. Gum disease can also cause your teeth to decay.
Using a fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse can help protect your teeth. If you have a problem with cavities, your dentist or dental hygienist may give you a fluoride treatment during your office visit. The dentist also may prescribe a fluoride gel or mouth rinse for home use.
Fillings
The concept of a “filling” is replacing and restoring your tooth structure that is damaged due to decay or fracture with a material. We will replace old, broken-down amalgam/metal fillings that contain traces of mercury with white fillings (composites) to restore your smile and teeth to a more natural look and feel.
With today’s advancements, no longer will you have to suffer the embarrassment of unsightly and unhealthy silver/mercury fillings or metal margins of the past. Eliminate the dark, black appearance in your teeth with new-age, state-of-the-art, tooth-colored resin or porcelain materials.
Comparing White Fillings Versus Silver Amalgam Fillings:
- White fillings bond to the tooth; they strengthen the tooth by restoring most of its original shape. Silver amalgams, on the other hand, weaken the teeth and make them more susceptible to breaking. Broken teeth can be very expensive to replace; white amalgam can actually save time and money in the long run.
- White filling composites are preferred by most patients. This is due to the natural color, strength and overall appearance and feel. Composites are naturally more comfortable.
- Hot and cold sensitivity is greatly reduced with composite material compared to the silver/mercury amalgams.
- Restorations with composites require less removal of tooth, less structure to place than those with amalgams and especially with new cavities. Dramatically smaller holes are needed with a composite.
- White fillings are healthier because no traces of mercury are used, unlike silver amalgams.
Root Canals
A root canal is a procedure that extracts decayed pulp from the central part of the tooth, reshapes the canal and replaces it with strengthening filler.
A cavity is the result of superficial decay of the enamel of the tooth. Left long enough, this decay can burrow into the deeper reaches of the tooth, causing extensive damage to tooth structure. When the damage goes beyond what can be treated with a filling, dentists can perform a root canal (or endodontics), preserving the tooth and retaining its original integrity; thereby, saving a tooth that in the past would have to have been pulled.
Procedure:
- The patient undergoes anesthesia.
- A dental dam is used to isolate the tooth.
- The tooth is opened to allow for removal of infected or dead dental pulp.
- The tooth is comprehensively cleaned, including any cracks and canals.
- With special tools, the doctor reshapes the canals.
- The tooth is filled again with cutting edge biocompatible filling material.
- A temporary covering is used to cover the access opening.
- Patients MUST see their regular dentist quickly for a permanent restoration of the tooth.
Implants
Do you wish that you could replace one or more of your teeth but don’t want to get dentures?
Dental implants are a natural looking, long lasting, comfortable and safe alternative to bridgework or dentures. For people with good oral health, replacing a lost tooth with an implant is an ideal option.
Implants look like your natural teeth, and because of their “root” being secured to your jaw like a real tooth, neither you nor anyone else will know the difference. You don’t have to worry about implants coming loose and embarrassing you; you won’t have to take them out to soak; and you won’t worry about losing them, either.
Not everyone is a candidate for implants. We will inform you about the different factors that determine whether or not a patient fits the criteria of an implant recipient. Factors like pre-existing disease and bone loss can affect a patient’s ability to receive implants.
