Our office provides a full range of general, cosmetic, restorative, and endodontic services that we tailor to suit you. We pledge to meet your needs and treatment goals in an efficient and caring environment. Regular dental visits combined with routine oral hygiene practices should help our patients maintain healthy teeth and gums for the rest of their life!
Family Dentistry
Our office accepts patients aged 3 years and older and our staff has over 20 years of experience in the Lawrenceville area caring for patients of all ages. The general dental services we provide include routine cleanings and prevention education, dental x-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants, composite fillings, and complete dental exams. In order to enhance your care, our new office has been equipped with, and our staff has been trained on, the latest advances in dental technology:
Digital X-Rays
Digital radiography (digital x-ray) is the latest technology used to take dental x-rays. This technique uses an electronic sensor instead of x-ray film to capture and store digital images on a computer. This image can then be instantly viewed and manipulated in order to help Dr. Winterfield-Dodds and your dental hygienist detect problems easier. Digital x-rays reduce radiation up to 90% compared to traditional dentaI x-rays.
A full mouth series of dental x-rays is recommended for all new patients. A full series is usually good for three to five years. Bite-wing x-rays (x-rays of top and bottom teeth biting together) are taken at recall (check-up) visits and are recommended once a year to detect new dental problems.
Velscope
Enhanced oral cancer assessment system. A fluorescent based, hand held device used to detect trauma, dysplasia, and oral cancer. Velscope examination is recommended yearly.
Itero Scanner
Intraoral digital scanner used instead of impressions. Amazing technology which simplifies crowns and lnvisalign for both comfort and accuracy.
Intra Oral CameraTM
The intra oral camera is a very small device that is used to take pictures inside your mouth. Working in conjunction with the computer monitor on your treatment chair, you and Dr Winterfield-Dodds are able to immediately view areas in need of treatment. Intra oral digital cameras allow us to visualize more, helping in the diagnosis of fractures that may be asymptomatic to the patient or that the naked eye would never have seen. Because they can detect problems at an early stage, the images taken by an intra oral camera may also save you a significant amount of money in the long term.
Cosmetic - GloScience Whitening
Teeth whitening procedures reverse the staining effects of years of coffee, tea, tobacco, and other substances, and will result in your having a noticeably brighter smile. Our office uses the latest GloScience whitening system that involves application of a specifically designed hydrogen peroxide gel in conjunction with an advanced power light. The overall treatment takes less than 1 hour and you finish with a whiter, brighter smile!
Bonding
Bonding is an excellent cosmetic technique used to correct small defects in teeth—chips, spots, discolorations, gaps between the teeth. Tooth bonding is a technique that it is done by the dentist directly on the tooth or teeth in need. Tooth bonding composite is applied directly to the tooth. Dental composite is made of particles such as silicon dioxide or quartz, bound with a tough synthetic resin. It is blended in different shades, toughness, and translucencies and so that, with the vast experience of Dr Winterfield-Dodds, the repaired tooth will exactly match your other teeth.
Porcelain Veneers
Veneers are very thin shells of tooth-shaped porcelain that are individually crafted to cover the fronts of teeth. They are very durable and will not stain, making them a popular solution for patients seeking to restore or enhance the beauty of their smile. Veneers are typically used to restore or correct discolored or stained teeth, unwanted or uneven spaces between teeth, worn or chipped teeth, slight tooth crowding, misshapen teeth, or teeth that are too small or large.
Invisalign®
The lnvisalign® system uses a series of clear aligners that are custom molded to fit your teeth and gums. The virtually invisible aligners gradually and gently reposition your teeth over time into a smile that you will want to show off!
Endodontic Therapy (Root Canal Therapy)
Root canal therapy is a process by which the dentist treats the inner aspects of a tooth, specifically the pulp, or the living tissue inside the tooth. A root canal is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection. In order to save the tooth, the pulp, nerves, bacteria, and any decay are removed and the resulting space is filled with special, medicated, dental materials that restore the tooth to its full function.
A root canal is the treatment of choice to save a tooth that otherwise would die and require extraction. While extraction may seem more straightforward, pulling a tooth can ultimately be more costly and may cause significant problems for adjacent teeth.
Root canal treatment is highly successful and usually lasts a lifetime, although on occasion, a tooth will have to be retreated due to new infection. All teeth that have root canal treatment require a crown in order to protect the tooth and prevent fracture.
Restorative Procedures
Restorative procedures are necessary when a tooth or gums are diseased beyond the ability of fillings or standard procedures to solve the problem.
Dental Implants
Dental implants provide a viable option for replacing missing teeth and represent a fixed solution to having removable partial or complete dentures. In our office we perform single-tooth and multiple unit implants that involve surgical placement of artificial titanium roots into the upper or lower jaw bone. Porcelain teeth, made to match your other teeth, are then attached to the implants to provide a natural look. Dental implants are strong, stable, and durable, but on occasion, they may have to be re-tightened or replaced due to normal wear.
Dentures
A denture is a removable dental appliance replacement for missing teeth and surrounding tissue. They are made to closely resemble your natural teeth and may even enhance your smile. There are two types of removable dentures - complete and partial dentures. Complete dentures are necessary when all of the teeth are missing, while partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain. A partial denture not only fills in the spaces created by missing teeth, it prevents any remaining teeth from shifting. Dentures are durable appliances and will last many years, but may have to be remade, repaired, or readjusted due to normal wear.
Inlays and Onlays
Much like fillings, inlays and onlays fill areas of dental decay. Inlays fill cavities or depressions while onlays lie on the surface of the tooth, building up damaged cusps. These restorations differ from fillings in that they are made from solid, custom-shaped porcelain that is bonded to the tooth rather than from soft resin that is molded into place during a dental visit.
Crowns and Bridges
Crowns, or a "cap" to a tooth, are customarily used for teeth that have sustained significant loss of structure due to decay or cracking or to replace missing teeth. Crowns are used to restore a tooth when there isn't enough remaining tooth to provide support for a large filling and to protect weak teeth from fracturing, restore fractured teeth, or to cover badly shaped or discolored teeth. Crowns are made to function and to look like your natural tooth.
Crowns can be made from several materials, all metal, porcelain fused to metal (PFM), or all ceramic. We employ metal crowns that use gold alloy. The all-metal or PFM crowns are strong and often a better choice for back teeth. All-ceramic crowns are made of very hard porcelain, and are the newest and best material to use for tooth colored crowns. All-ceramic crowns tend to produce excellent aesthetic results and are often the choice for more anterior teeth.
Questions About Dental Services in our Office
We encourage you to contact us whenever you have an interest or concern about dentistry procedures such as porcelain veneers, dental implants and tooth whitening.
