Teeth Fillings

 

White Fillings

Many patients opt to replace their silver amalgam fillings with white fillings. The reasons often include the following : aesthetics, child patient, a known history of allergy to mercury, a history of impaired renal function or a preference to have non-mercury containing fillings in their mouth.

White fillings exist as an alternative to silver amalgam fillings and have the distinct advantages of superior aesthetics, and lack mercury content. They can last up to 10 years depending on the diet and wear characteristic of the individual patient.

Types:

• Direct Composite Resin
• Indirect Composite Resin
• Porcelain Inlays or Onlays

Silver Fillings

Prior to white fillings , amalgam was the defacto standard as a tooth restorative material. As a basic restorative material, it continues to be the most durable and the most economical. In general, it also possesses a far higher wear resistance than white fillings and therefore may still be the treatment option of choice in the back of the mouth where strength and durability are often a factor.

However, mercury fillings (amalgam), have the significant disadvantage of generating toxic mercury vapour during chewing. Although this vapour falls well below the daily toxic dose of mercury for the average individual, it can nonetheless impair kidney function in susceptible individuals, deposit in the brain, liver and kidneys and in rare cases create a true allergic response.

Dentures

Dentures represent one alternative for aesthetic teeth replacement therapy. They serve to re-establish both form and function when the natural dentition has been lost. In so doing, dentures serve to restore and preserve the natural facial harmony and tissue integrity while preventing facial implosion.

Modern denture placement often is accompanied by implant therapy. By implanting roots into the jaw, implants serve to anchor both partial and full dentures.

This combination of implant dentistry and denture therapy has significant advantages over dentures alone, in that bone resorbtion (i.e. the melting away of bone from the pressure and abrasion of the denture) is arrested, and bone regeneration often occurs. The patient therefore retains a more youthful appearance and the dentures, due to increased stability, behave more like real teeth.

Hygiene Services

Preventative maintenance is the cornerstone of any respectable dental treatment plan. During the last 20 years, research has shown that the primary cause of tooth loss is no longer tooth decay but gum disease. As such, we have focused our attention on the periodontal health of our patients by instituting a non-surgical soft tissue management program to allow for early detection and treatment of periodontal infection.

This includes:

• De-plaquing, scaling and root planing of the teeth roots
• Irrigation with bacterialcidal solutions below the gums
• Desensitization of the teeth roots
• Polishing of the teeth
• Fluoride Treatments
• Regular re-care intervals that are patient specific

Digital Radiography

Digital Radiography is a type of x-ray that uses a small sensor instead of the film used in conventional x-rays. The sensor transmits the image to a computer monitor.

Advantages of digital radiography over conventional x-rays include: less radiation exposure, enhanced patient education and faster dental procedures.

Panoramic Radiography

Panoramic radiographs serve as a useful tool in screening for many ailments of the head and neck. These include:

• Dental cysts
• Fractured jaws
• Impacted wisdom teeth
• Extra teeth
• Missing teeth
• Assessing crowded teeth
• Orthodontic assessments
• Implant assessments
• Nerve proximity
• Tooth decay
• Periodontal disease
• TMJ - Temporo-mandibular joint disease
• Oral Cancer

Sealants

The most important reason for getting sealants is to avoid tooth decay. Sealants are thin, plastic coatings painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, thereby removing the home where plaque often reside. Getting sealants put on is simple and painless.

Children should get sealants on their permanent molars as soon as the teeth come in - before decay attacks the teeth. The first permanent molars come in between the ages of 5 and 7. The second permanent molars come in when a child is between 11 and 14 years old. Other teeth with pits and grooves also might need to be sealed. Teenagers and young adults who are prone to decay may also benefit from sealants.

Fluoride

Discovered in the 1960's, fluoride represents another inexpensive method of preventing tooth decay. Fluorides act by replacing a water soluble hydroxyl group on the enamel crystal with a fluoride group, thereby rendering the enamel crystal of which the teeth are made, insoluble in acid.

Fluoridation of the teeth may be from topical application during a cleaning appointment, the use of fluoride toothpastes, the fluoride in your drinking water or the fluoride in some mouthwashes. All of these serve to strengthen the teeth against the acid excreted by bacteria.

Mouth Guards - Toronto

Imagine what it would be like to be missing one or two (or more) of your front teeth. Suddenly, the confidence with which you smile, speak and eat would be significantly affected.

The use of a properly fitted mouthguard has proved itself invaluable in the prevention of numerous injuries to the mouth for several decades. Mouthguards work by helping to cushion the blows that might otherwise cause chipped or broken teeth, nerve damage, or even tooth loss.

Do I Need a Mouth Protector?

Click here for a Mouth Guards article written for a local paper by Dr. Brown

Bruxism Splints (Night Guard)

Bruxism (grinding your teeth) is a harmful dental habit that results in the rapid destruction of the enamel and dentin on the biting surface of the teeth. The results of this destruction include; tooth decay, periodontal disease, TMJ (temporo-mandibular

It usually occurs unbeknownst to the patient during sleep and is usually the result of stress imbalance in one's life.

Bruxism splints consist of a hard clear acrylic material that covers either the upper or lower biting surfaces of the teeth, thereby offsetting the grinding of the natural tooth surface. It is usually worn during sleep, but in severe cases is worn at all times except during meals.