Services We Provide
Cosmetic Dentistry
Technology

Services We Provide

Preventive
Not too many years ago, by the time people were 50 most people had lost most of their teeth. Today that's not the case. Prevention is the key to maintaining your teeth for a lifetime. Prevention includes many things:

In our practice we will work with you to customize a prevention program specific for your dental needs.

Through patient education and regular periodic hygiene dental appointments (cleanings), we can help you prevent the kinds of problems that lead to tooth loss. You can a keep your teeth for a lifetime.

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Periodontal
The vast majority of people in the United States show some signs of gum disease. Are you one of these? Ask yourself these questions:

Have you noticed any areas where the gum appears to be pulling away from the tooth?
If you answered yes to any of these, you most likely have some degree of gum disease.

If you answered yes to any of these, you may have gum disease. These symptoms could also be caused by other dental problems. In any case, a yes answer to these last four also indicate the need to see your dental professional.

What is periodontal disease? Periodontal disease is the most common disease known to humans, caused by bacteria that are normal inhabitants in your mouth. When allowed to remain undisturbed on the tooth surface at the gumline, they form into a sticky and invisible film called plaque. This begins the process of periodontal disease with symptoms of bleeding and minor swelling, called gingivitis. If gingivitis is not controlled, the infection spreads into the underlying tissues that supports the teeth (the bone and ligaments). Pockets form between the tooth and the bone, and are filled with bacteria and tartar. At this stage gingivitis becomes periodontal disease. If periodontal disease is not treated the bone continues to be destroyed with eventual tooth loss.

The goal of periodontal therapy is to stop this disease from progressing. If you have any of these symptoms, why not give us a call. We can help you get this disease under control.

Endodontics
Endodontic treatment is more commonly referred to as root canal treatment. It is performed on a tooth that has a sick or dead nerve. In the "old days" teeth were extracted when an abscessed dead nerve or extremely painful sick nerve occurred. Today we can remove the sick or infected nerve from the tooth and the tooth can remain in the mouth. Endodontics has a very high success rate...in excess of 90%... and is one of the reasons we have far fewer extractions today.
We do most root canals in our practice, but we do refer to specialists when appropriate.

Oral Surgery
We perform routine extractions. More involved surgery is referred to selected, highly qualified specialists.

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Have You Ever Wanted a Whole New Look?
Cosmetic dentistry could be your answer!
Today, more than ever before, people of all ages and from all walks of life...from the young executive to the elderly grandparent, from the salesperson to the bank teller.... are asking how they can get the look they want. More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of good health and appearance, retaining a youthful vitality, and they are desiring a beautiful smile. What about you?

What is Cosmetic Dentistry?

Cosmetic dentistry involves giving you the look you want. It may be as simple as whitening your teeth to give you a brighter smile; closing unwanted spaces with bonding or porcelain veneers; replacing dark defective old fillings with new tooth colored restorative materials; reshaping or repositioning your teeth with orthodontics or crowns and veneers; or filling in gaps where teeth are missing with tooth colored bridges.

We deliver incredible esthetic restorations and beautiful smiles for patients who value these services.

Whitening

Whitening has become very popular and is an easy way for an individual to brighten up their smile. It requires an examination by the dentist to see if the teeth can be whitened. A comfortable custom tray is made that fits the individual precisely and the tray is worn at night for approximately 7-14 nights, depending upon the individual and the degree of whitening desired. Some people require longer times, some less. An important aspect of whitening is that it needs to be monitored by the dentist.

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Bonding

Bonding is used to correct minor discrepancies in the shape of teeth. It has many benefits: it can be used to close small spaces between teeth; correct simple cosmetic defects in a tooth; cover exposed roots that are sensitive to hot and cold, sweets and tooth brushing; and it is a less expensive way to create new tooth sizes and shapes than porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns in some situations.

Porcelain Veneers and All-Porcelain Crowns

Looking for a whole new look? Want a beautiful, natural smile? Porcelain veneers and all-porcelain crowns could be your answer. These can offer the best cosmetic results (without the "blue gum" look or the "dark line around the crown" often seen in porcelain fused to metal crowns).

Veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are bonded to the outside surface of the tooth creating for you a whole new look that is incredibly natural. Veneers are usually used on teeth that are seen when you smile.

When more coverage is required because of weakened tooth structure, decay, or large old failing fillings, all-porcelain crowns are used. These provide function and durability, while giving you a totally natural, beautiful (handsome) smile.

Mercury-Free, Tooth-Colored Fillings
Gone are the days when a cavity means a new silver-eventually-turning-black filling. Today's exciting new materials allow us to restore teeth to a natural appearance. An added benefit is greater strength. Instead of being weaker after the tooth is restored, it becomes almost as strong, if not stronger, than before the cavity occurred. Called "composites," these are rapidly becoming the restoration of choice.

The silver mercury amalgam filling material that has been used for many, many years is an inexpensive way to repair damage created by decay. However, this material does not strengthen the tooth, but actually weakens it, and does nothing for the cosmetic appeal.

Dental benefits (insurance), unfortunately, pay for the cheapest way possible to fill a tooth. Because composites must be placed with meticulous care, requiring more of the dentist's time, and because the materials are more costly, insurance companies seldom pay more than a silver-mercury-amalgam benefit. Again, however, the choice is yours. For a few added dollars, you can have the smile you want, the strength you need, and the quality you deserve.

Not everything in the world is black and white...and now in dental fillings the choice is yours.

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Microabrasion

Do you have mottled whitish to brownish stains you'd like to eliminate from your smile? These stains could be from mild fluorosis to developmental stains when the tooth was forming under the gumline. Microabrasion is a conservative way to remove some of the stains embedded in the outer layers of the enamel of the tooth. If you think this might be an answer to your cosmetic problem, why not schedule your complimentary cosmetic consultation with us today?

Crowns and Bridges

Have you ever broken a tooth? Had a root canal? Developed a crack in a tooth...or in a large filling? Do any of your teeth hurt when you bite on them? All these could be signs that the crown of the tooth is not strong enough to support normal chewing and thus is a candidate for a crown. Crowns are also done to prevent further fracturing of already compromised or weakened teeth.

A crown is a porcelain or gold restoration that fits around the outside of the tooth that restores the tooth as close as possible back to its' original form and function, and can provide a wonderful cosmetic result.

Bridges are one solution to replace missing teeth. When the teeth on both sides of the missing tooth would require crowning, then a fixed cemented bridge is an excellent treatment option to replace the missing tooth. When teeth on both sides of the missing tooth are present and have had virtually no restorations, a bridge is one option, however implants should also be considered.

Implants

Do you want to replace a missing tooth? Are you unhappy with your partial denture? Are you unhappy with your full dentures? Implants can offer a solution to replace one tooth or many.

Long-term studies reveal a 98% overall success rate with implants, and offer an excellent alternative to replace missing teeth. Often it is the best option to replace missing teeth. Implants can also be used to stabilize full dentures, allowing patients to eat, smile and talk with confidence again.

If you're interested in implants and feel they might be right for you, we'd be happy to discuss this with you.

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Technology

KCP 2000
This is an instrument that can be used as an alternative to the drill in some procedures, although it is not appropriate for all procedures. Thanks to the precision and gentleness, the KCP allows us to treat decay without as much removal of healthy tooth material. Minute particles, almost too small to be seen with the naked eye, are carried to the tooth by a stream of air, gently and precisely spraying away decay. This can be used for many kinds of fillings, and in many cases with no anesthesia. This also enhances our ability to treat patients who are pregnant or medically compromised when no anesthesia is used. We often treat children without the two things they fear the most...the needle and the drill.

Intraoral Camera
Ever wanted to take a tour of your mouth? To see what is hidden in remote corners and spaces? This modern fiberoptic technology allows us a 20x magnification of all areas of the teeth and gum tissue from every angle, viewed on a monitor. We can show you fractures on the tooth that could otherwise not be seen with the eye due to size or location, leaking margins of old fillings, new decay around old fillings, periodontal problems, gum tissue or soft tissue abnormalities and much more. As we hear so often, a picture is worth a thousand words! There'll be no doubt in your mind what the problem is or why treatment is necessary.

Panoramic X-ray
The panoramic x-ray gives us a complete view of all the bony structures of the jaws and face. The benefit to you is that we can see pathologies on panoramic x-rays such as cysts, tumors, TMJ deformities, sinus abnormalities, carotid artery calcifications, and other kinds of growths and pathologies that are not visible on the small, individual dental x-rays. Concerned about the radiation involved? It's no more for the entire mouth than two of the small individual x-rays.

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Copyright © Dr. Norman Matschek