General Dentist in Wilmington, NC
We offer a variety of services to provide our patients with beautiful, healthy smiles.
Preventative Care
- Oral cancer screening
- Intraoral Camera so patients can see what the dentist sees
- Full Mouth Debridements
- Scaling and Root planning
- Cleanings
- Fluoride and sealant treatments
- Teeth Whitening
- TMJ/TMD care
We recommend a periodic check-up usually every six months to prevent or diagnose any oral health issues. Check-ups include a head and neck exam along with a cancer screening. Our cleaning involves one of our great hygienists cleaning your teeth to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth, which can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. We do recommend x-rays once a year for a more thorough exam. Regular exams can lead to early detection and hopefully prevention of serious problems such as infected teeth, tooth loss, and periodontal disease.
At our office we also have the ability to let the patient see what we see in use of an intraoral camera. The patient will be able to see broken fillings, some decay, cracked teeth, etc.
In certain situations a regular cleaning will not do the best job for someone displaying advances gum disease and periodontal disease. In these cases we may do scaling and root planing. This is a more in depth cleaning that allows us to get to tarter or plaque that is deep under the gum tissue.
Restorative Care
- Tooth Colored (Composite) Fillings
- Root Canal Therapy
- All Porcelain, Porcelain Fused to Metal, and Gold Crowns(Caps),
- Restore Dental Implants
- Dentures and partial dentures – removable
- Extractions
If a cavity is detected, then we will likely need to do a restoration on the tooth. We have the option of using tooth colored(composite)fillings or silver(amalgam) fillings. Sometimes a restoration would be so large that we recommend a cap(crown) on the tooth for a better outcome. The crown can add strength to the tooth and increases the longevity. A weakened tooth can break during the force of biting and chewing and crown can help avoid this. We offer all full ceramic crowns, gold crowns, or porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.
When a cavity or a cracked tooth goes untreated, it can lead to a need for root canal therapy. Root canal therapy is used to remove the infection and save the tooth. It is important to treat this infection to prevent it from spreading to the root tips and causing an abscess that can be very painful.If a tooth can not be saved, we do offer extractions. We perform extractions on all teeth including wisdom teeth. Some extractions are more difficult and are termed surgical. In some cases where the teeth are not fully in the mouth, we can refer to an oral surgeon to get the work done.
Once a tooth is missing, we offer a variety of treatment. Sometimes a patient elects to get a dental implant. A dental implant usually involves two phases, surgically placing the implant and restoring it with a crown. To place the implant, an opening is made in your gums and then a channel is shaped in the bone to receive the implant. Next, the body of the implant is placed into the prepared channel. An extension is attached to the implant at the time of surgery and may take several months to heal while the implant becomes firmly attached to the bone. These procedures are performed by a gum specialist or oral surgeon. We then make the crown that sits on top of the implant at our office.
We also do fixed bridges to replace missing teeth. The procedure is less invasive as the dental implant surgery.
When all of your lower or upper teeth are missing, a full denture (removable) is a good treatment option. Multiple visits are required (impressions, wax rim, wax replica, and final fit). Conventional dentures enable you to eat foods more easily and speak more clearly. In addition, they support your lips and cheeks for a more attractive and youthful appearance.