General

Dentistry

At Burns Dental Care, it is our primary goal to provide you with the best possible dental care to help you achieve maximum oral hygiene. Our experienced team is here to serve your every need and ensure each and every visit is comfortable and efficient. No matter what you are seeing the dentist for, we assure you will be treated with extra care and exceptional service.

Another one of our goals is to help our patients when they are in need of immediate dental assistance. We strive to see our patients the same day if they are in any pain. Emergencies are worked into our daily schedule.

 

A dental cleaning is a professional cleaning you receive from a dentist or dental hygienist. At Burns Dental Care, we clean your teeth on your first visit and recommend that they be cleaned every six months after that. Most dental cleanings take approximately 50 minutes. Cleanings are important because they allow the dentist or dental hygienist to remove excessive tartar buildup and staining. If you don’t get your teeth cleaned often enough, the tartar buildup can lead to unhealthy gums, tooth decay, and bad breath.

During a normal dental checkup, your dental professional will polish your teeth, floss them, apply fluoride (children), and take necessary dental x-rays. Sometimes routine cleanings may require deeper scaling and root planing or use of an ultrasonic (Cavitron) cleaner and a prophy jet.

Your examination will include a check for dental caries (cavities), an assessment of your periodontal health (gums), a TMJ screening, an oral cancer exam, a medical history review and recommendations for needed dental and/or orthodontic treatments.

Sealants are thin plastic coatings used to fill narrow grooves in teeth that cannot be adequately cleaned by brushing. In some cases, the tooth structure has fine grooves or pits which accumulate plaque, not because the person doesn’t brush, but because they’re too narrow to allow even one bristle into them. To avoid cavities developing over time, the dentist will brush on a coating that seals the grooves and pits, making it possible to brush off all the plaque and keep your teeth healthy. We routinely place sealants on your child’s six year molars when they are fully erupted.

A bridge is one or more artificial teeth cemented into place using the teeth on either side for support. A bridge is an ideal method to fill the space created by missing teeth. Bridge work is as much an art as it is an exact science since it replaces a missing tooth both functionally and cosmetically. The materials used may be gold alloys, porcelain bonded to a metal alloy or Zirconia, or an all-ceramic material made to match your natural tooth color. The choice of material depends on requirements for strength, wear, and aesthetics. It is important that a missing tooth be replaced as soon as possible. If not treated, the teeth surrounding the gap begin to shift inward, which can worsen the bite and may eventually result in problems with the jaw.

 

Like crowns, bridges are traditionally made by first taking an impression of your mouth. The impression is sent to a dental lab where your bridge will be custom made to fit your mouth and match your natural tooth color. A temporary bridge will be placed into your mouth until your permanent bridge is ready and cemented into place.

A crown (also referred to as a cap) is used to entirely cover a damaged tooth. A crown not only strengthens a tooth, but it can dramatically improve a tooth’s appearance, shape, and alignment. Crowns may be used to:

  • Replace a large filling when there is little tooth structure remaining
  • Protect a weak tooth from fracturing
  • Restore a fractured tooth
  • Attach a bridge
  • Cover a dental implant
  • Cover a discolored or poorly shaped tooth
  • Cover a tooth that has had root canal treatment

Like bridges, crowns are traditionally made by first taking an impression of your mouth. The impression is sent to a dental lab where your crown will be custom made to fit your mouth and match your natural tooth color. A temporary crown will be placed into your mouth until your permanent crown is ready and cemented into place.

 

Dentures are removable prosthetic devices that are designed to replace missing teeth. They are custom created to resemble natural teeth and are supported by the surrounding tissues of the oral cavity, so there should be no noticeable change to your appearance. In fact, dentures may even improve your smile!

 

There are two types of dentures:

Complete dentures are designed for patients whose upper or lower teeth are all missing or need removal. Complete dentures are removable and may require adjustments in order to create a proper fit with the gums and mouth. If your denture was placed at the time of your extractions (immediate dentures), then your denture may loosen over time as the tissue underneath heals. We recommend an evaluation for a possible reline after 6 months.

Removable partial dentures are used when one or more natural teeth still remain in the upper or lower jaw. They usually consist of:

  1. Replacement teeth attached to a gum-colored acrylic
  2. A metal base that is held in place in the mouth using clasps on the remaining teeth

We also offer partial dentures that are metal-free, using Flexite or other materials instead. These are light weight, natural looking, thin, and practically unbreakable. Both types have their pros and cons, so ask us which one is right for you.

A veneer is a thin covering that is placed over the front of a tooth, changing the color and shape to help create a beautiful smile.

There are two main types of veneers:

Porcelain veneers are created in dental labs and usually require two appointments. On the first appointment, we prepare your teeth for the veneers, take an impression of your teeth, and send it to the dental lab. The lab will then fabricate natural-looking veneers, which we will permanently cement onto your teeth on the second appointment, helping you achieve the smile you want.

Composite veneers can be created and placed directly on your teeth in a single procedure, often referred to as bonding. Composite veneers are made out of composite resin, a synthetic polymer that has a consistency similar to putty. After preparing the teeth, we will add the composite resin using a bonding agent, shape it, and cure it with a bright light to solidify it. The resin is then polished to a beautiful luster.

A filling is a way to restore a tooth damaged by decay back to its normal function and shape. If you have a tooth that requires a filling, we will first remove the decayed tooth material, clean the affected area, and then fill the cleaned out cavity with a filling material. A filling helps prevent further decay by closing off any cracks or spaces where bacteria can enter.

 

Our office primarily uses composite (plastic) resin for fillings. Composite fillings are custom-made to match the color of your natural teeth, creating a more aesthetic appearance. They are specially designed for both anterior and posterior teeth and can restore teeth almost invisibly. Modern composite resins and bonding agents are very strong and can last as long as amalgam (silver) fillings, 8-10 years on average. Composite restorations are completed in just one appointment.

Although amalgam (silver) fillings have been used extensively in the past, our office does not use them because they tend to eventually fail by cracking the tooth, and they have largely been replaced by other superior materials. Due to their dark color, they are more noticeable than composite restorations and are not recommended for fillings in very visible areas such as front teeth. If your silver fillings are causing problems for you, we can remove them and replace them with composite fillings.

If you prefer, we can also use gold as a restoration. Gold fillings last a very long time (typically 25-30 years), but they are also more expensive than other types of fillings. Gold restorations also require two appointments in our office because they involve lab work.

We will work with you to determine which material is best for you, depending on the extent of repair, where the filling is needed, and your budget.

A brighter smile can help your self-confidence.

Over time, our teeth tend to darken from age and are stained by everything from wine to coffee, tea, tobacco, and other food and beverages. Burns Dental Care can enhance your smile and whiten your teeth by several shades using our advanced teeth whitening treatments.

We believe the best option for our patients is our custom, take-home teeth whitening system. Our system starts with a 20 minute appointment to take an impression of your teeth and make your custom trays. These trays will be made to fit your teeth perfectly. After we have made the trays, you will come back again for a 10 minute appointment to get your whitening gel and take-home instructions.

At home, the whitening gel is then placed into the trays and applied to your teeth. The trays are worn between 30-120 minutes at a time, depending on your sensitivity and the strength of the whitening gel. We do not recommend wearing your trays more than 30-60 minutes if you are prone to sensitivity. It has been our experience that one hour is the most productive length of time.

Glo

Professional Whitening Treatments

The highest level GLO whitening products and services, available exclusively through GLO partner dental practices who are committed to providing their patients with the latest innovation in teeth whitening technology for an effective, enjoyable, and pain-free whitening experience.

 

Nitrous

Oxide Sedation (Laughing Gas)

Many people cringe at the thought of going to the dentist. We understand and are not offended. Instead we want to do everything in our power to make your visit more comfortable. One of the ways we do this is by offering our patients nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.

Nitrous oxide is a sedative gas that is mixed with oxygen. It is perfectly safe and is often used in both medical and dental procedures. This inhaled gas will put you at ease and help you forget about what is going on around you, allowing you to get through your dental procedure comfortably.

You breathe it through your nose during the appointment. Then, at the end of the appointment the dentist gives you oxygen to breathe, which will completely clear your head and remove any lingering effects from the gas. You will even be able to drive yourself home or go back to work after the procedure.

Advantages of Nitrous Oxide:

  • You’ll be relaxed and comfortable throughout the entire procedure.
  • There are no lingering after-effects as with oral sedatives.
  • You can get more dental work done in an appointment than you can without the sedation.

Spectra

Spectra is a handheld device that uses fluorescence technology to emit safe high-energy LED light onto the tooth surface. The tooth is then shown on a monitor, which clearly displays both a color and numerical reading to precisely indicate the existence and extent of any decay, calculus or plaque. Spectra is the only handheld caries detection device on the market with these capabilities.

 

Air

Abrasion

Air abrasion is a drill-less technique that we use to remove tooth decay in relatively shallow cavities. During air abrasion, we aim a stream of fine particles at the decayed portion of a tooth and spray the decay away at a high velocity. The process is often compared to using a miniature sand blaster, and it is completely safe. Most patients prefer air abrasion because it is simpler than the traditional drilling method, and it usually leaves much more of the healthy tooth tissue intact. The majority of air abrasion fillings can be completed in 10 to 15 minutes or less, and patients often say it just feels like air is being blown across the tooth. We can’t use this technique on deeper cavities, but if you stay on top of your regular checkups, we are much more likely to discover a cavity while it is still small enough to use air abrasion. This is another great reason to see your dentist every 6 month

Snore

Guard

If you have trouble breathing while you’re asleep, our office offers a possible solution with snore guards. Snore guards, such as the Elastic Mandibular Advancement (EMA), are customized removable appliances that you wear in your mouth while you’re sleeping. These devices are designed to open the bite and advance the jaw forward, thereby increasing airflow in your upper respiratory system. These custom-made oral appliances are only available through dental professionals.

Over 80 million Americans snore (a sign of restricted airflow), and over 40 million Americans experience obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by a lack of breathing for more than 10 seconds at a time during sleep. If you are one of these people, then a snore guard may be a good option for you. Treatment can alleviate your daytime sleepiness and improve your overall quality of life!