Cosmetic Dentistry - Dental Bonding - Smile Makeovers

Improving My Smile with Dental Bonds

How Does Bonding Work?
Bonding uses composite resins or porcelain/composite veneers to cover the surface of stained teeth and give a nice, even appearance to broken or misshapen teeth. There are two basic bonding techniques:

• Composite bonding
  First, the front of the tooth is slightly reduced to prevent the "new" tooth from being too bulky. Microscopic grooves are then etched into the tooth surface with a mild acid. A composite resin matched to the colour of the surrounding teeth is applied to the tooth, contoured into shape, set using a curing light, and finally smoothed and polished.
• Veneer bonding
  A veneer is made to match the colour and shape of your tooth. Porcelain veneers are generally stronger, while composite veneers are less expensive. With porcelain veneers, the dentist takes an impression of the tooth and sends it to the dental lab for fabrication of the veneer, usually after the front of the tooth has been reduced. With either method, the tooth is prepared for bonding by roughening the front surface with mild etching solution. The veneer can then be bonded to your tooth using a dental bonding cement.

While more expensive, a porcelain veneer offers a better colour match to your surrounding teeth and typically lasts for five to 10 years.

Above article from: www.colgate.ca

Kingery & Kingery, DDS, PLLC
Dentists Clemmons NC  

Tel: (336) 766-0511
2554 Lewisville Clemmons Rd 

Clemmons, NC 27012

Dental Health Care - Heart Disease and Gum Disease

Is There a Link Between Gum Disease and Heart Disease?
Overall the data indicates that chronic gum disease may contribute to the development of heart disease, the nation's leading cause of death in both men and women.

How does this happen? Gum disease is a bacterial infection that can affect conditions outside your mouth. In heart disease, one theory is that gum disease can cause bacteria to enter the bloodstream where they attach to the fatty deposits in the heart blood vessels. This condition can cause blood clots and may lead to heart attacks.

If I Have Heart Disease, Are There Special Requirements to Maintain Proper Oral Health?
To maintain the best oral health, you should:

• Establish and maintain a healthy mouth. This means brushing and flossing daily and visiting your dentist regularly.
• Make sure your dentist knows you have a heart problem.
• Carefully follow your physician's and dentist's instructions, and use prescription medications, such as antibiotics, as directed.

Am I at Risk if Dental Procedures are Performed?
If you have certain preexisting heart conditions, you may be at risk for developing bacterial endocarditis — an infection of the heart's inner lining or the valves. Anytime there is bleeding in the mouth, certain oral bacteria can enter the blood stream and may settle on abnormal heart valves or tissue weakened by an existing heart problem or heart condition. In these cases, the infection can damage or even destroy heart valves or tissue.

There are precautions you need to take if you have any of the following conditions:

• Artificial (prosthetic) heart valves
• A history of endocarditis
• Congenital heart or heart valve defects
• Heart valves damaged (scarred) by conditions such as rheumatic fever
• Mitral valve prolapse with a murmur
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Be sure to tell your dentist if you have a heart condition, and what, if any, medications you are taking for it. Your dentist will record important health information in your record and coordinate treatment with your physician.

Above article from: www.colgate.ca

Kingery & Kingery, DDS, PLLC
Dentists Clemmons NC  

Tel: (336) 766-0511
2554 Lewisville Clemmons Rd 

Clemmons, NC 27012

What are Dental Implants?

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are metal posts or frames that are surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums. Once in place, they allow your dentist to mount replacement teeth onto them.

How do Dental Implants Work?

Because implants fuse to your jawbone, they provide stable support for artificial teeth. Dentures and bridges mounted to implants won't slip or shift in your mouth — an especially important benefit when eating and speaking. This secure fit helps the dentures and bridges — as well as individual crowns placed over implants — feel more natural than conventional bridges or dentures.

For some people, ordinary bridges and dentures are simply not comfortable or even possible, due to sore spots, poor ridges or gagging. In addition, ordinary bridges must be attached to teeth on either side of the space left by the missing tooth. An advantage of implants is that no adjacent teeth need to be prepared or ground down to hold your new replacement tooth/teeth in place.

To receive implants, you need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant. You must also commit to keeping these structures healthy. Meticulous oral hygiene and regular dental visits are critical to the long-term success of dental implants.

Implants are usually more expensive than other methods of tooth replacement, and most insurance carriers typically cover less than 10 percent of the fees.

The American Dental Association considers two types of implants to be safe. They are:

Endosteal implants — these are surgically implanted directly into the jawbone. Once the surrounding gum tissue has healed, a second surgery is needed to connect a post to the original implant. Finally, an artificial tooth (or teeth) is attached to the post-individually, or grouped on a bridge or denture.

Subperiosteal implants — these consist of a metal frame that is fitted onto the jawbone just below the gum tissue. As the gums heal, the frame becomes fixed to the jawbone. Posts, which are attached to the frame, protrude through the gums. As with endosteal implants, artificial teeth are then mounted to the posts.

How Long do Dental Implants Last?

Implants generally last 10-20 years, depending on the location of the implant and patient compliance with oral hygiene and dental visits. Because molars receive more stress and wear and tear, these implants typically do not last as long as implants located at the front of your mouth.

Above article from: www.colgate.ca

Kingery & Kingery, DDS, PLLC
Dentists Clemmons NC  

Tel: (336) 766-0511
2554 Lewisville Clemmons Rd 

Clemmons, NC 27012

White Dental Fillings

No Mercury! No Metals!
No Kidding!

White Dental Fillings - Tooth Colored Fillings

For years, the silver-mercury amalgam was the standard filling material used in dental practices, and many practices still use it. While they are a reasonable restoration, amalgams have certain shortcomings. Metal does not bond well to teeth, so decay can and does eventually leak into the tooth. But the biggest reason many of our patients are choosing the white bonded fillings has to do with the way they look. Many people just don’t want an ugly black plug in their teeth. We offer modern restorations that are a natural-looking white, contain no metals, and can actually strengthen your teeth. They also bond very tightly with the healthy part of the tooth so there is much less chance of decay in the future.

Kingery & Kingery, DDS, PLLC
Dentists Clemmons NC  

Tel: (336) 766-0511
2554 Lewisville Clemmons Rd 

Clemmons, NC 27012

Dental Laser Scanner Cavity Detection

The Laser Scanner Finds Ultrasmall Cavities
Years Earlier

Have you ever had a dentist find a cavity and place a large filling, and wondered why the filling is so large if the cavity wasn't there just six months before? The cavity was there six months before — it just wasn't big enough to show on X-rays, and it wasn't visible to the dentist yet. The Laser Scanner can find cavities years earlier, when the small cavity can be removed and repaired with a small invisible bonded filling. Sometimes patients complain of tooth sensitivity, or mild to severe pain, yet X-rays and examination cannot pinpoint the source. Patients are often given sensitivity toothpaste to deal with the problem. However, sometimes, dentists have to perform root canals to get the pain or sensitivity to stop, when the actual source turned out to be undetectable decay. The laser scanner can detect previously undetected decay and, once identified, allow us to remove the discomfort and leave you with a healthy smile.

Kingery & Kingery, DDS, PLLC
Dentists Clemmons NC  

Tel: (336) 766-0511
2554 Lewisville Clemmons Rd 

Clemmons, NC 27012

Dental Root Canal Treatment

Saving Hopeless Teeth

Dental Root Canals

Teeth with roots that have been damaged or infected used to require extraction, which can cause a lot of problems and should be avoided whenever possible. The good news is that we are well experienced in advanced root canal therapy. A root canal is a procedure to fix a tooth by removing the pulp chamber of the tooth and filling it with a filling material. This is often necessary when dental decay reaches the nerve of the tooth (or the tooth has become infected), and a simple filling will not be suitable. In the not too distant past, root canals would have required the tooth to be extracted. When dentists started performing root canals, they were quite painful, and the root canal has received a reputation as something to be avoided. However, with modern anesthetics and technology, the root canals we can perform in our practice are tolerable and sometimes even painless.

Kingery & Kingery, DDS, PLLC
Dentists Clemmons NC  

 

Tel: (336) 766-0511
2554 Lewisville Clemmons Rd 

Clemmons, NC 27012

Dental Crowns, Bonding and Veneers

Beautiful, Natural-Looking
Smile Makeovers
We emphasize the aesthetic aspect in ALL our work because we know that when your smile looks good, you feel good! We use the best combination of preventive care, tooth-colored fillings, and restorative techniques for optimum dental health. Modern smile makeovers are so easy (and affordable!) that there’s simply no reason why you can’t have the perfectly beautiful, natural-looking smile you’ve always wanted. Ask us what veneers, crowns, bonding, and whitening can do for YOUR smile!

 

 

Kingery & Kingery, DDS, PLLC
Cosmetic Dentistry Smile Makeovers
Tel: (336) 766-0511
2554 Lewisville Clemmons Rd 

Clemmons, NC 27012