Family Dentistry

Generally, dentists recommend that teeth be cleaned professionally at least twice per year. Professional cleaning includes tooth scaling, tooth polishing, and, if too much tartar has built up, debridement. This is usually followed by a fluoride treatment for children and adults.

Fluoride is a beneficial tool to help prevent cavities on teeth. Fluoride disrupts the metabolism of cavity-causing bacteria. Fluoride also combines with enamel, the outer mineral shell of your tooth, and makes it more acid resistant. Fluoride is found in most toothpastes and in drinking water, and fluoride varnish may be applied directly to cavity-prone areas of a tooth.

A dental sealant is filling material bonded over the grooves and pits of a tooth. These pits and grooves harbor cavity-causing bacteria and help them attach and form cavities. Sealants are recommended to protect adult molar teeth that erupt during childhood when brushing habits are still developing.

Oral cancer is any cancerous tissue growth located in the mouth. It may arise as a primary lesion originating in any of the oral tissues, by metastasis from a distant site of origin, or by extension from a neighboring anatomic structure, such as the nasal cavity or the maxillary sinus.

Oral cancers may originate in any of the tissues of the mouth, and may be of types. Oral or mouth cancer most commonly involves the tissue of the lips or the tongue. It may also occur on the floor of the mouth, cheek lining, gingiva (gums), or palate (roof of the mouth). Most oral cancers look very similar under the microscope and are called squamous cell carcinoma. These are malignant and tend to spread rapidly.

Dental X-rays are pictures of the teeth, bones, and surrounding soft tissues to screen for and help identify problems with the teeth, mouth, and jaw. X-ray pictures can show cavities, hidden dental structures (such as wisdom teeth), and bone loss that cannot be seen during a visual examination. Dental X-rays may also be done as follow-up after dental treatments.

A dental crown is a cap covering all of a tooth above the gumline, and it is permanently cemented to the tooth. A crown is often necessary if a tooth is cracked or if an extensive amount of your tooth is compromised or missing, although crowns may also be done for purely cosmetic reasons.

A dental bridge is a replacement option to fill a gap created by missing teeth. A dental crown is placed on each neighboring tooth on either side of the gap, and the gap is spanned by one or more false tooth crowns connected to the neighboring teeth. A dental bridge, like a crown, is permanently cemented to your teeth.

Prolonged tartar buildup leads to the accumulation of more harmful and dangerous types of bacteria. This causes gingivitis to progress to periodontal disease – a condition where damage spreads from the gums to the bone and roots supporting your teeth. These harmful bacteria create a chronic inflammatory reaction with your immune system, and the bacteria can even spread to wreak havoc on other parts of your body such as your heart or brain. Periodontal “deep cleanings” are often recommended to remove the bacteria, and surgery or grafting may also be necessary depending on the extent of the damage.

Stiehl Belyeu Jackson Dental can help you to evaluate wisdom teeth and whether or not they should be removed. Even if the wisdom tooth isn’t causing pain, it should be evaluated. By the time pain is present, severe and irreversible damage may already exist.

What Are Wisdom Teeth?
The wisdom teeth are a third and final set of molars that erupt last and farthest back in the mouth. They usually do not erupt until a person is in their mid to late teens or even their early 20s.

Do they need to be removed?
Whether or not the removal of wisdom teeth is necessary depends on the patient. For some patients, wisdom teeth can cause serious oral problems. At Stiehl Belyeu Jackson Dental, our team is committed to ensuring our patients and their parents have all of the information they need to make informed decisions about their dental care and whether or not they are going to have their wisdom teeth removed.

Wisdom teeth can cause damage to otherwise healthy structures by putting pressure on the jaw and nearby teeth. Due to their position, you are unable to clean them with your toothbrush or floss. Chronic infections like tooth decay and periodontal disease are caused by the inability to keep these areas clean.

We recommend removing wisdom teeth if there is not enough room for them to be completely healthy. This also helps to lower the risk for other systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

At What Age Should Wisdom Teeth Be Removed?
If your wisdom teeth are going to be removed, it is best to do so before they have fully developed. When the wisdom teeth first form, their root systems are not fully developed or established in the jawbone. As a result, they are easier to remove at this time. Removing the wisdom teeth before their root systems are fully established also results in a faster, less complicated recovery and healing period.

As soon as our dentists notice signs of wisdom teeth developing in our patients or detect them in dental x-rays, we will talk with you about their development process, whether or not your mouth has enough space to accommodate them, and your options for extraction.

• A Change for the Happier
  The miracle we’ve both been waiting for is here: Solea. Now available to you, Solea is a dental laser that replaces the dental drill in the majority of procedures in our practice. In fact, nearly every patient skips anesthesia because they just don’t need it. Solea is our way of keeping you happy. Because more than anything, we love to see you smile.
• What is Solea?
  Solea is the first CO2 dental laser system cleared by the FDA for hard and soft tissue procedures. It was developed in Boston, Massachusetts by Convergent Dental, based on research conducted at the University of California School of Dentistry. Solea offers a unique wavelength guided by sophisticated computers to deliver virtually painless dental procedures for both teeth and gums from simple cavities to complex surgeries. The experience is so unique that you will find it hard to believe you were just at a dental appointment.
• Why Solea?
  The majority of hard and soft tissue procedures in our office are done with virtually no anesthesia and soft tissue procedures are done with virtually no bleeding. Blood-free and anesthesia-free procedures represent a major leap forward in dentistry, as we are able to execute multi-quadrant dentistry, fillings on the fly and soft tissue procedures in a single appointment. What does that mean for you, our patients? You are now able to receive the care you need in a fraction of the time. When patients have anesthesia they typically leave the office with that numb feeling still prevalent. With Solea, you are able to go right out to lunch or back to work without that numb sensation following your appointment. Solea is truly changing what it means to go to the dentist.
• For more information on Solea, please contact our office.