Drs. Jessica Johnston, DDS & Brent Charles Alexander, DDS

Teeth Cleanings In order to make sure your dental health is on the right track, it is recommended that adults schedule two teeth cleanings per year, and that children should begin their hygiene visits by their first birthday. During a teeth cleaning, a dental hygienist will examine your smile for signs of decay, cavities, periodontal disease and oral cancer. We will remove plaque, tartar and food from your teeth and deliver a fluoride treatment to strengthen your teeth. Periodontics During a routine cleaning we will always check for gum disease. Bleeding gums are not normal, and are a sign of disease. Gingivitis is mild gum disease, whereas periodontal disease is more advanced and affects other areas surrounding the teeth, such as the jaw. You may find that the gums are receding, or your gums are painful and bleed easily. When we detect the beginnings of gum disease, we will thoroughly clean your teeth to prevent the inflammation from spreading. For more advanced cases, we may need to perform surgery. Keeping up with brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing every day can help prevent gum disease. Root Canals/Endodontics When your tooth has experienced a significant amount of trauma or decay, but it isn’t necessary to extract it, a root canal may be in order. This procedure involves providing local anesthesia and then removing the infected pulp from the tooth, disinfecting the area to remove any remaining bacteria, refilling the tooth, and then restoring it, usually with a crown. We use the most advanced root canal techniques to minimize the amount of pain and discomfort the patient experiences. Most people actually feel it isn’t much worse than receiving a filling. Extractions If a tooth is decayed, cracked or broken beyond repair, or it is causing overcrowding, it is best to extract it. During an extraction, we will remove both the tooth and the root, and we highly recommend replacing the tooth with an artificial tooth, such as an implant or a partial denture. If you simply leave the gap in your smile, your teeth may shift, and your jaw bone may begin to deteriorate. Depending on your individual situation, this can be either a surgical or non-surgical procedure, but we provide local anesthesia to minimize discomfort. Wisdom Teeth Wisdom teeth, or your third molars, are the teeth located at the very back of your mouth. Usually, they have to be extracted because they are impacted, meaning they won’t break through the gums, or because they are causing your other teeth to shift. It’s much easier for patients to have them removed during adolescence. We can remove some or all wisdom teeth, depending on what is best for you. We will work with you to determine a plan that will protect your smile from damage. Laser Treatment Laser dentistry is a revolutionary technique that results in less side effects, reduced healing time, and decreased risk of damage to other areas of your mouth. Laser treatment can be used for hard or soft tissues. We often use this technique to reveal wisdom teeth that won’t erupt all the way, grab tissue samples to test sores or tumors, and to treat gum disease. Laser entreats are also used on pediatric patients to take the place of numbing. Dentures & Partials Our practitioners can create full or partial sets of dentures for you. When creating partials, we use Valplast®, which is the latest denture technology. Dentures replace lost teeth to make it easier to chew and speak, prevent jaw bone damage and restore confidence in your smile. We will take accurate measurements of your mouth to create a set that fits comfortably and works functionally, so you will hardly notice they are there Sealants A sealant is a bonding that is placed over the tooth for protection. If you have a tooth that is at risk of decay or that is decaying and you wish to prevent further damage, a sealant will block food, tartar, plaque and bacteria from coming into contact with it, thus providing a barrier. TMD/TMJ TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint. This is the joint that allows the jaw to open and close properly. If you are experiencing pain in this area, including difficulty chewing or swelling, come to us. We can examine your jaw to determine if there are signs of deterioration or damage. Usually, over-the-counter pain relievers or ice packs can help reduce symptoms. For more severe cases, we can provide mouth guards or retainers, and in the worst case scenario, surgery may be necessary.

Teeth Whitening If you are looking to remove surface stains from your teeth, often caused by drinking dark liquids, or discoloration from childhood usage of certain medications poor hygiene or tobacco usage, opt for our in-office teeth whitening treatment. This treatment is more effective than over-the-counter solutions. We use a gentle, gel-activated hydrogen-peroxide treatment that whitens your teeth in just one visit. DURAThin Veneers DURAThin Veneers are custom-created, thin porcelain facings that are placed on the front of your teeth to improve their appearance. Veneers can fix gaps, cracks, chips, discoloration, or unevenness in your smile. Because they don’t require drilling, they are a painless and easy option to quickly deliver amazing results. Fillings Fillings are used to restore strength to a tooth that is decayed. Fillings today are no longer that noticeable silver and gold that they used to be. Now, we can create tooth-colored fillings that are custom-made to match your natural tooth color, so they blend seamlessly into your smile! Crowns & Bridges Crowns and bridges are both restorative options that strengthen and protect your teeth from further damage. A crown is an option for a decayed or broken tooth, and ours are made completely out of porcelain. It is important, once your crown is put in place, to take care of it with proper hygiene habits to ensure it lasts. A bridge is a solution that fills in the space created by a missing tooth. The bridge helps prevent the rest of your teeth from shifting and improves the appearance of your smile. A fixed bridge includes placing an artificial tooth into the gap and attaching it to two crowns on either side of the replacement tooth. Bonding Dental bonding involves using a high-intensity light to attach a tooth-colored resin to the teeth. This resin can be used to fill in gaps and cracks, fix the sizing or shape of a tooth, or to cover up discoloration to restore the brightness and aesthetic appeal of your smile.

A dental implant is a replacement tooth. Whether you have lost a tooth or had to have it extracted, it can be dangerous to leave a gap in your smile. Not only may it make you feel insecure, but it can cause the teeth to shift, reduce your ability to speak or eat properly, or can cause jaw bone damage. There are three types of dental implants, but the root implant is the most popular solution. A root implant involves replacing the root of the tooth with a titanium screw. After a few months, this screw will attach to the jaw bone, at which time we can restore the tooth with a permanent crown. This tooth will be completely functional, and no one will notice that it isn’t real. This process generally takes three to eight months. We can replace just one tooth or multiple. A plate form implant is used for patients with thinner jawbones, whereas subperiosteal implants are for patients whose jawbones are too weak or small to be able to hold an implant. To make your implant last, it is essential to keep up with proper dental hygiene habits.