SERVICES DESIGNED TO HELP YOU

• Cleanings & Oral Exams, to keep your teeth and gums healthy, and catch early signs of dental disease
• Cosmetic Bonding, to repair small chips or cracks
• Crowns & Bridgework, to replace large amounts of lost tooth structure and/or missing teeth
• Dental Implants, for the longest-lasting tooth replacement available today
• Extractions, to remove unhealthy teeth that cannot be saved
• Fillings, to restore decayed teeth
• Inlays & Onlays, to fill teeth with larger cavities
• Invisalign Clear Aligners, for highly discreet orthodontic treatment
• Oral Cancer Screenings, to detect a dangerous disease that can be cured if caught early
• Orthodontic Treatment, to move teeth into the right position
• Porcelain Veneers, for repairing larger chips and cracks, and reshaping teeth
• Removable Dentures, to help you smile again
• Root Canal Treatment, to rescue diseased teeth
• Sealants, to help prevent cavities
• Teeth Whitening, to brighten a faded or discolored smile
• Tooth-Colored Fillings, for a completely natural, healthy look
• Tooth Decay Prevention, so you keep your natural teeth as long as possible

By now you're probably wondering: What does my dentist have to do with all this? Here's the connection: Snoring or sleep apnea can sometimes be treated with an oral appliance available at the dental office that's designed to hold the lower jaw forward during sleep. This repositioning of the jaw moves the tongue away from the back of the throat, reducing the potential for obstruction. This treatment is backed by a great deal of scientific evidence; it's a good remedy to try before moving on to more complicated breathing devices or surgery to remove excess tissues in the throat.

Only a dentist can fabricate, fit, adjust, monitor, and treat complications associated with Oral Appliance Therapy used in managing SRBD. So if you or a loved one is experiencing any combination of the signs and symptoms mentioned above, a consultation with a dental professional is a good idea.

Clicking Sounds — Some people with TMD hear a clicking, popping or grating sound coming from the TMJ when opening or closing the mouth. This is usually caused by a shifting of the disk inside the joint. Someone standing next to you might even be able to hear it. Clicking by itself is actually not a significant symptom because one third of all people have jaw joints that click, studies show. However, if the clicking is accompanied by pain or limited jaw function — the jaw getting “stuck” in an open or closed position, for example — this would indicate TMD.

Muscle Pain — This can be felt in the cheeks (masseter muscles) and temples (temporalis muscles), where the two big pairs of jaw-closing muscles are located. If you feel soreness and stiffness upon waking up in the morning, it's often related to habits such as clenching and/or grinding the teeth at night. If you have this type of nocturnal habit, a custom-made nightguard should be very helpful in decreasing the force applied to your teeth, which will in turn allow your muscles to relax and relieve pressure on your jaw joints. Other self-care remedies are discussed below (please see Relieving the Pain).

Joint Pain — Pain that's actually coming from one or both jaw joints technically would be described as arthritis (“arth” – joint; “itis” – inflammation) of the TMJ. Radiographs (x-ray pictures) show that some people have arthritic-looking TMJs but no symptoms of pain or dysfunction; others have significant symptoms of pain and dysfunction but their joints look normal on radiographs. There is no cure for arthritis anywhere in the body, but medication can sometimes help relieve arthritic symptoms.

Relieving the Pain

Once you have been examined, a strategy for treating your condition and managing your pain can be developed. Sometimes a temporary change to a softer diet can reduce stress on the muscles and joints. Ice and/or moist heat can help relieve soreness and inflammation. Muscles in spasm can also be helped with gentle stretching exercises. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and muscle relaxants can also provide relief. Some more severe TMD cases may require more complex forms of treatment, which might include orthodontics, dental restorations like bridgework, or minor procedures inside the joint such as cortisone injections or lavage (flushing) of the joint. It's rare for major surgery ever to be necessary in a case of TMD. Again, it's important to try the wide range of conservative, reversible treatments available, and give them enough time to work as they almost always prove effective. The first step is an examination at the dental office.

We also provide solutions for:

• Acid Reflux
• Aging & Dental Health
• Medication and Heart Disease
• Diabetes & Oral Health
• Periodontal (Gum) Disease
• Oral Cancer
• Tooth Wear
• Tooth Sensitivity
• Nutrition
• Laser Dentistry