Surgical Dentistry
Common Dental Surgical Procedures Include:
- Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure in which the gum tissue or bone height is modified to expose enough tooth structure to support a crown. (This is common in with broken-down teeth, or teeth with very large fillings.)
- Third molars, or wisdom teeth, typically erupt in early adult years. These "extra" teeth are positioned far back in the mouth and can be difficult to clean, making them troublesome for most people. If you have wisdom teeth, we may recommend that they be removed to prevent infection or decay that might affect surrounding teeth.
- Restorative surgical treatments such as bone and tissue grafts may be recommended to repair areas of bone loss, provide support for dental implants or to optimize the fit of dentures. Our doctors work closely with surgical specialists to coordinate this type of care with your overall treatment plan.
Root Canals
Root Canal Therapy
When a tooth is damaged due to decay or trauma, the nerve of the tooth can sometimes become inflamed and infected. If this occurs, a root canal procedure may be recommended to save the tooth.
- Root canal therapy involves making a small opening in the tooth and completely removing the nerve and infected tissue. The root canals are cleaned and disinfected and then sealed with special materials to help support the canal walls and prevent re-infection.
- Because removing the tooth nerve also eliminates circulatory blood flow to the tooth, a tooth that has had root canal therapy loses vitality and requires extra protection from a crown.
Our doctors may recommend that a root canal specialist, or Endodontist, perform the root canal procedure. We then work closely with the Endodontist to coordinate placement of a dental crown following root canal treatment.
Save Your Teeth
Patients that are facing root canals often ask us if extracting the tooth is a better option. In most cases, this is not the best approach. If there is enough remaining tooth structure to support a root canal, this is usually the recommended procedure to save a tooth that has become infected, rather than extraction.
- By having root canal treatment, the tooth can remain in position and maintain its role in supporting jaw bone structures, bite balance and proper chewing.
- Tooth replacement options such as a bridge, or implant and crown are typically more costly procedures than a single root canal and crown.
