Cavities and Composite Fillings

TA cavity is when bacteria get inside your tooth and start rotting and eating it away. In fact, it is an infection in your tooth, and we know this infection can spread toxins into your body. Cavities can cause systemic issues if that decay and infection are getting into your body. Your health in general is important to us, which is why we're not about "drilling and filling" and just managing your cavities.

We look at all your risks and work to get you fully healthy. Some questions we'll ask are: Why do you get cavities? Do you have acid reflux? What is your genetic background? What do your nutrition and diet look like?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help us address the underlying causes of cavities so you can get back to complete oral health.

Chipped or Broken Tooth

We have two different options for fixing a chipped or broken tooth, depending on where it is in your mouth. At the front of the mouth, cosmetic bonding is a common fix. Large breaks may require a porcelain crown or a veneer.

In the back of the mouth, smaller chips or breaks may require a simple tooth-colored filling. Back teeth generate a lot of force, so fillings aren't always appropriate. For larger chips or breaks involving a cusp of a tooth, an inlay (indirect filling) may be a better option.

Bad Breath

Bad breath odors vary, depending on the source or the underlying cause. Some people worry too much about their breath even though they have little or no mouth odor, while others have bad breath and don't know it. Because it's difficult to assess how your own breath smells, ask a close friend or relative to confirm your concerns.

When to see a doctor?

If you have bad breath, review your oral hygiene habits. Try making lifestyle changes such as brushing your teeth and tongue after eating, using dental floss, and drinking plenty of water. if your bad breath persists after making such changes, call us for an appointment.

Causes

• Food: The breakdown of food particles in and around your teeth can increase bacteria and cause a foul odor. Eating certain foods, such as onions, garlic and spices, can also cause bad breath. After you digest these foods, they enter your bloodstream, are carried to your lungs and affect your breath.
• Tobacco: Smoking causes its own unpleasant mouth odor. Smokers and oral tobacco users are also more likely to have gum disease, another source of bad breath.
• Poor dental hygiene: If you don't brush and floss daily, food particles remain in your mouth, causing bad breath. A colorless, sticky film of bacteria (plaque) forms on your teeth. If not brushed away, plaque can irritate your gums and eventually form plaque-filled pockets between your teeth and gums (periodontitis). Your tongue also can trap bacteria which produces odors. Dentures that aren't cleaned regularly or don't fit properly can harbor odor-causing bacteria and food particles.
• Dry mouth: Saliva helps cleanse your mouth, removing particles that cause bad odors. A condition called dry mouth or xerostomia can contribute to bad breath because production of saliva is decreased. Dry mouth naturally occurs during sleep, leading to "morning breath”, and it worsens if you sleep with your mouth open. Chronic dry mouth can be caused by a problem with your salivary glands and some diseases.
• Medications: Some medications can indirectly produce bad breath by contributing to dry mouth. Others can be broken down in the body to release chemicals that can be carried into your breath.
• Infection in your mouth: Bad breath can be caused by surgical wounds after oral surgery.
• Other mouth, nose and throat conditions: Bad breath can occasionally stem from small stones that form in the tonsils and are covered with bacteria that produce odor. Chronic inflammation in the nose, sinuses or throat, which can contribute to postnasal drip, can also cause bad breath.
• Other causes: Chronic reflux can be associated with bad breath.

Root Canal

What is a Root Canal?

A root canal is needed when damage occurs to a tooth’s pulp. This can happen due to an injury or a severe tooth decay. It is often a dreaded procedure but is the only alternative to having a tooth extracted. It is also very effective at eliminating tooth pain.

While root canals can take two or more appointments, the S6 team will work to make each appointment as comfortable as possible for you. At S6, we strongly believe in practicing gentle dentistry. Our dentists will evaluate your tooth and determine if the issue was caused by cavities, a split tooth or root, and if the nerve is in danger. Usually, if the nerve is damaged, it will require a root canal.

The time span and effectiveness of the procedure depend on how extensive the tooth damage is. During the root canal treatment, the area is assessed, and then the damaged and/or dead pulp is removed, and the area is then sealed.

What Happens After a Root Canal?

After a root canal, you should consider having a porcelain crown put over the tooth as this will help prevent tooth breakage. This is especially helpful if extensive restoration was done, leaving a thin shell of a tooth. If pain, swelling, and other problems occur after root canal treatment, you may need to meet with your dentist again to determine whether further work needs to be done.

No one wants to have a root canal, but when you need one, you want it done RIGHT! S6 Dental Clinic offers top quality dental services and has an extensive history in performing root canals. Our procedures are performed gently helping you be as relaxed and comfortable as possible. Our highly accredited dental professionals give the highest priority to the quality of work and the comfort of our patients.

Tooth Ache

A toothache usually refers to pain around the teeth or jaws and is primarily a result of a dental condition. In most instances, toothaches are caused by tooth problems, such as a dental cavity, a cracked tooth, an exposed tooth root, or gum disease.

Disorders of the jaw joint can also cause pain that can be referred to as a toothache. The severity of a toothache ranges from mild to sharp and excruciating. The pain may be aggravated by chewing, cold, or heat. A thorough oral examination, including dental X-rays, can help determine whether the toothache is coming from a tooth or jaw problem, and the cause.

Dark teeth

In-Office laser Whitening: “Boost”

Opalescence Boost (TM) uses a high-concentration hydrogen peroxide gel that absorbs quickly and thoroughly into the teeth, whitening teeth from the inside out. For several years, Boost has been proven to be the most effective in-office dental whitening procedure available. It far surpasses Zoom! in whitening studies and competitions of all kinds, and it is what we recommend at S6 Dental Clinic. At your whitening appointment, we’ll place protective barriers and coatings on your lips, cheeks, and gums so that the strong peroxide only contacts your teeth. Your job is to sit back, relax with noise-cancelling headphones and your choice of TV programming, and to enjoy!

After two or three cycles of the peroxide gel, your teeth will get shades whiter in just one hour. It takes an average of 3 in-office dental whitening procedures to get your teeth to the whitest shade your teeth can attain. It does not work better than the trays or strips, it just works faster. This system is suitable for people who prefer to not wear trays or strips for an hour every day.

Custom Take-Home Trays Whitening

Whitening with custom trays is the system that has been the most widely used over time. It is considered the gold standard for teeth whitening. We make models of your teeth and fabricate a clear plastic tray that fits perfectly. You are given syringes of whitening gel which goes in your trays.

One of the benefits of having these trays is that when you run out of gel, you only need to purchase more gel syringes, not a whole new system. So, it’s great for touch-ups (say after a month of heavy Starbucks.

Indirect Fillings

What Are Porcelain Fillings?

Dental inlays and onlays are porcelain or composite fillings that are alternatives to crowns. When a tooth is cracked, or an old amalgam filling is leaking or failing, an inlay is an ideal way to restore the tooth. Dentists used to have to grind teeth down to nubs and place crowns on teeth, but not anymore. At S6 Dental Clinic, we prefer to keep your teeth intact and restore only the unhealthy or unstable parts of your teeth.

Inlays and onlays are more conservative than crowns for that reason.

Crowns and Bridges

At S6 Dental Clinic, we strive to be as conservative as possible. It’s the responsible way to conduct dentistry. In the old days, “crown or filling” was the only restoration option by your family dentist. Now, with advancements in adhesion protocols and porcelain systems, we can offer more conservative options like inlays. In certain cases where we are replacing an existing crown, or when there is a lot of decay or damage to the tooth, the best option might be a full coverage crown. Our crowns are metal-free (zirconium or e-max) or with a metallic infrastructure. Nothing replicates natural enamel and dentin better than porcelain.

What Is a Porcelain Bridge?

A porcelain bridge is a treatment option for replacing a missing tooth. We take great pride in producing bridges that look great natural and are highly functional. We won’t accept anything less than the best in replacing a lost tooth or teeth.

If for any reason you have lost a tooth which has resulted in a gap between your remaining teeth, you are likely a candidate for a bridge. Your other options are dental implant replacements, or removable partial dentures. When you schedule a consultation with us, we will review each of these options with you to find out which is the best treatment for you.

Veneers

The porcelain systems we have today are technologically much different than they were in the past. You may have seen veneers that remind you of Chiclets. That look is indicative of old-school dentistry, where very opaque and monochromatic porcelain was used, OR it was a porcelain crown fused to metal. The advanced technology we have today produces veneers that are:

• Stronger
• More translucent, like your natural teeth
• Super thin
• The best option for creating a beautiful, natural smile!

Crystalign

What is crystalign?

Crystalign is a system of clear plastic trays used as orthodontic devices. Essentially crystalign acts as clear braces. Crystalign trays fit exactly over your teeth and move them gradually to an ideal arch-form, bite alignment, and a beautiful smile. They typically move your teeth quicker than traditional braces, and they do so invisibly. Other people will not know you are wearing braces because crystalign trays are almost invisible.

Implants

If you’ve never been a dental implant patient before, the concept and process can be confusing and strange . However, implants quickly became the gold standard for tooth replacement after being introduced to dentistry in the early 1980s due to how versatile and predictable they are.

Dental implants are made of titanium, one of the most bio-compatible materials on the market, which means even if you have a metal allergy, you are still likely to be an excellent candidate for implants. The implant is designed to function as the root of a tooth, which means it is placed entirely in the jawbone, just as your tooth’s natural root is. The top portion of the implant can be a single tooth, a part of a bridge helping to replace multiple teeth, or a component designed to improve a denture or partial denture.

Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Great improvements in dentistry now allow wisdom tooth extraction to be gentle, comfortable and easy for the patient. When you hear that you should have your wisdom teeth taken out, it doesn’t sound like good news, but we make it easy!

We offer wisdom teeth removal for patients of all ages. When you have your wisdom teeth removed, you will be treated by an expert who understands the leading-edge technology that makes the procedure comfortable and easy for you.

Pediatric Dentistry

We provide comprehensive dental care so that children can stay in excellent oral health. With regular appointments, we can identify and treat infections early so that your child can avoid feeling any discomfort or having premature tooth loss. Our pedodontist understands how important it is for your child to remain in good health and does his best to achieve that.