Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers downtown Calgary have become increasingly popular in cosmetic dentistry over the past decade to improve the esthetics and function of your smile. Veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto the front side and biting edge of teeth and are very strong once bonded correctly. They can quickly and easily make changes to correct discoloration, wear, chipped enamel, and misaligned teeth as well as lengthen worn teeth to restore brilliance to any smile.
Porcelain Crowns (Caps)
Crowns are recommended for teeth that are cracked, broken, or heavily restored with large or multiple fillings. Placing a crown is also the recommended treatment for a tooth that has had a root canal. There are several different types of crowns including all-porcelain, which has the best life-like appearance, porcelain fused to metal, and full gold. Patient preferences, dentist recommendation and location of the tooth to be crowned are all factors to be considered when choosing the type of crown to use. A crown completely encircles the tooth and restores its strength and function while adding the benefit of increased comfort and esthetics.
Porcelain Bridges
In some cases, when there is a lack of sufficient bone quality or quantity at the site of a missing tooth for an implant to be placed, a bridge can be the best option for replacing a missing tooth. A bridge may also be recommended when the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth also need to be crowned because of large fillings, fractures, or cracks.
Porcelain Inlays/Onlays
Sometimes teeth are better restored with an all-porcelain filling made in a laboratory, instead of the routine filling in the dentists’ chair. Porcelain inlays and onlays are extremely strong and have the most similar physical properties to natural enamel as compared to other dental materials. They are bonded to the teeth to prevent microleakage of bacteria and restore superior strength and can do so while being very conservative in keeping as much natural tooth structure as possible as compared to full coverage restorations such as crowns. Inlays and onlays have ideal contours and perfect contacts with adjacent teeth and can be colour matched with remaining tooth structure so they are extremely natural looking in their appearance.
Cleanings and Prevention
Regular dental check-ups and hygiene maintenance are extremely important for the overall well being of each patient. At Pinnacle Dental, our dental hygienists are committed to providing gentle and thorough professional teeth cleaning treatments.
Sterilization Techniques
At Pinnacle Dental, we take great pride in offering and utilizing only the most state-of-the-art sterilization equipment for all of our dental instruments. Additionally, we routinely test our equipment to ensure everything is in proper, working order. Our sterilization standards exceed those put forth by the Alberta Dental Association and you can be sure, your health and safety is our number one priority.
Cosmetic Dentistry
The term “cosmetic” generally refers to any treatment that is elective in nature geared towards an esthetic improvement of the existing smile but it can also simply refer to utilizing materials and techniques that enhance one’s smile.
Wisdom Tooth Extractions
One of the most common dental procedures people experience or hear about is having “their wisdom teeth removed”. Not all wisdom teeth need removing but for most people they simply do not have enough room for the teeth to adequately fit into the mouth or they are so far to the back of the mouth, that the patient has a difficult time keeping them clean. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause other issues such as resorption of the tooth in front of them, bone loss on the back side of the tooth in front of them, swollen gums around a partially erupted wisdom tooth, pain that seems to come and go from the area and even some suggestion that they can lead to crowding of the small teeth at the front of the mouth. In rare cases, unerupted wisdom teeth can develop cysts around them and in even fewer cases these cysts can become cancerous!
Bone Grafting/Sinus Lifts
In certain circumstances, a bone graft may be required to increase the quantity or amount of bone available to place a dental implant or it may be placed into an extraction site to preserve what bone remains after a tooth is pulled. There are different ways to harvest the bone that is used in the grafting process. Bone taken from another site in the patient is called an autogenous graft. It is usually taken from different sites in the lower jawbone or mandible. Bone taken from another donor is called an allograft. It can be sterilized bovine (cow) bone or other human sources (cadaver) and is again sterilized and extremely safe to use. Once placed, the bone graft usually needs 9 to 12 months to heal before an implant can be placed.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal treatments, more than any other dental procedure, get a bad rap. Root canal therapy is required when the nerve inside a tooth becomes inflamed, infected or dies. Causes of nerve inflammation or death can be due to several things. Trauma to the tooth via accidents or sports injuries can cause nerve damage or death. Additionally, it can be due to a deep cavity in the tooth, large, old fillings, or chronic grinding of the teeth. Sometimes, an infected tooth will exhibit such signs and symptoms as pain on biting, swelling, temperature sensitivity, especially to hot, dull aching pain, sharp, shooting pain, throbbing pain and pain referred to other areas of the mouth or head and neck region. However sometimes there are no symptoms at all. X-rays can be useful if bone around the tooth root has been resorbed due to the infection but this does not always occur. Either way, when a tooth becomes infected or dies, your recommended options are either root canal treatment to try and keep the tooth and eliminate the infection or extraction to remove the affected tooth and associated infection. Doing nothing can be very painful and downright dangerous as dental infections can spread to the brain, heart and lungs and cause death!
Implants
Dental Implants downtown Calgary have become the standard of care for replacing missing teeth or to stabilize poor-fitting dentures.
Implant-supported Bridges and Dentures
In the case of multiple missing teeth in a row, one option can be to place two or more implants and link them together with a bridge.
Digital Photography
One of the most useful tools modern dentistry has to offer is digital photography. At Pinnacle Dental, we routinely use our cameras to record information about you, your smile and your teeth. From this information, we have an enhanced understanding of your needs and can better inform you of possible solutions for your dental health. Through review of your photographs and x-rays with us at your visit, you will be able to see exactly what we see and have a better understanding of your unique situation.
Digital X-rays, TMJ scans
At Pinnacle Dental, we have invested in the most state-of-the-art x-ray technology to improve our service to you. Digital x-rays are quick to take, deliver high quality images in less than 5 seconds, and produce up to 90% less radiation than conventional x-rays. By using this technology, we can detect changes in tooth structure or bone earlier and with more accuracy, which leads to better overall dental care.
Laser Therapy for Cold Sores, Canker Sores
Laser Therapy for Gum (Gingival) Surgery
Modern dentistry has benefitted from many different technological advances in other fields. One of the most important scientific discoveries was the use of lasers in dentistry. At Pinnacle Dental, our Odyssey laser can be used for many different applications such as treating cold sores and canker sores to decrease healing time and limit their potential for recurrence. In addition to ulcer treatments, the laser can be used in soft tissue surgeries for biopsies, removing gum tissue around teeth for crown lengthening or to alter gum postions in smile enhancements. New uses for the laser are in treating periodontal disease and gingivitis and in sterilizing the inside of tooth roots during root canal procedures.
Teeth Whitening
At Pinnacle Dental Calgary we offer two teeth whitening techniques to brighten your smile:
- Zoom in-office teeth whitening treatments
- Take-home teeth whitening kits
Invisalign Clear Orthodontics
The dentists at Pinnacle Dental are all trained and experienced in the newest way to orthodontically correct crooked and misaligned teeth with Invisalign invisible braces.
Composite (White) Fillings
At Pinnacle Dental in Calgary, we only use “white” composite resin for fillings and porcelain is used for the majority of crowns, bridges and implants. We use the Invisalign system of orthodontic braces as well which are free of metal and are removable for better oral hygiene.
Bite Splints/TMJ Pain
There is a significant proportion of the population that at some time in their lifetime, will develop a grinding or clenching habit although most will never know they are doing it until their dentist suggests it.
Clenching is a disorder where the teeth are held together for prolonged periods of time, causing muscle fatigue, headaches, especially in the temple region of the forehead, and sometimes minimal wear of the enamel of the back teeth. It can occur at any time of the day or night and is often a result of increased stress in the patients’ life. Bruxism or “grinding” of the teeth often occurs at night when the patient is asleep and therefore may go unnoticed, however, it is also often accompanied by fairly loud noises that can be heard by others. Grinding tends to result in moderate to severe wear, cracking or chipping of the teeth. Both can cause recession of the gums (and subsequent bone loss), which then exposes the sensitive root surface of the tooth, which then may need further treatment. Repetitive grinding or clenching can cause pain in the temporomandibular joint, limited joint movements, joint sounds such as clicking or popping, especially upon wide opening, erosion of the bony surfaces within the joint space, which can lead to osteoarthritis if left untreated, and muscle spasms.
The most common method of treating TMDs is to construct a bite splint that is custom-fitted for your teeth to wear either solely at night or during the day as well. Their purpose is to evenly distribute the forces of bruxism over all of the teeth preventing recession of the gums, prevent damage from occurring to the teeth and joint spaces, and to hopefully alleviate painful or annoying symptoms such as muscle spasms, headaches, tooth pain, and joint noises.
Conscious Sedation
Anxiety about dentistry and dental procedures can be very debilitating for some patients. Fear over needles, pain or even fear of the unknown can prevent some patients from receiving the care they desperately need.
The solution is sedation dentistry, where conscious sedation at our Calgary clinic gives you an anxiety-free and relaxing dental appointment.
We would like to hear from you! Contact Pinnacle Dental’s Calgary office today to discuss your dental needs, whether it is veneers or any of our other procedures.