How We Make You Smile

Preventive

Dental Cleaning
Poor oral hygiene can lead to a variety of dental and medical problems including gum disease, infection, bone lose, heart disease, strokes and more.  Regular check ups and dental cleanings can prevent these problems as well as provide you with good oral hygiene.

We encourage our patients to schedule their regular dental check-ups and cleaning every six months, unless more attention is required.  Examinations monitor periodontal and dental health while also screening our patients for oral cancers.  Early detection is essential to the successful treatment of any dental condition.

Periodontal Therapy
Periodontal diseases (gum diseases) are serious infections that, left untreated, can lead to tooth loss.  It is our goal to minimize or eliminate the need for periodontal surgery by catching the problem in early stages and treating with the latest non-surgical methods.

Fluoride Treatments
Fluoride can help prevent cavities by actually hardening the outer enamel layer of teeth, and can even stop or slow down the growth of pre-existing cavities.

Sealants
Sealants are clear or white plastic that is placed in the grooves of the biting surfaces of the back teeth.  The deep grooves and pits of back teeth are very difficult to keep clean.  Plaque collects in the grooves and eating causes the bacteria in the plaque to form acid.  Without sealants, the acid can cause the enamel to break down, resulting in a cavity.

Restorative

Porcelain Inlays
When decay or fracture of a tooth is so extensive that direct restoration would compromise the structural integrity of the restored tooth, inlays are used.  Porcelain inlays are similar to that of filling, but the process of making a porcelain inlay is more similar to that of a crown.  Because porcelain inlays are crafted in a dental laboratory it takes two or more appointments to restore a tooth.

Porcelain Onlays
Similar to an inlay, a porcelain onlay is an indirect restoration which incorporates a cusp or cusps by covering or onlaying the missing cusps.  The onlay allows for conservation of tooth structure when the alternative is to totally eliminate cusps and perimeter walls for restoration with a crown.

Porcelain Crowns
A tooth-colored crown may be made of both porcelain and metal or entirely of porcelain. All-porcelain crowns maintain a translucency that makes them hard to tell from natural teeth.

Porcelain Bridges
Placing a bridge after teeth have been lost can prevent a chain reaction of problems that could affect your entire mouth.  When one or more teeth are lost, the biting forces the teeth in the next sot to change, causing the teeth to shift.  Because the teeth on the opposite arch no longer have anything to chew against, they may begin to extrude out of socket.  You can eventually end up losing them, also.  Chances of serious jaw damage and gum disease also increase.  A porcelain bridge is a natural-looking way of bridging the gap between your teeth to restore stability to your mouth.

Implants
Dental implants are artificial tooth root replacement consisting of small titanium cylinders that are surgically inserted into the bone of the jaw.  Implants help stabilize the bone in the jaw.  They allow you to eat, talk, laugh and smile with confidence again.

Filings
Minimal ares of tooth decay may be successfully restored using dental fillings.  You now have your choice of material used for fillings other than the traditional amalgam (silver).  If aesthetics is a concern, a tooth colored material may be used that is virtually undetectable in the mouth.

Partials
A partial denture may be used to replace missing teeth on a particular arch.  A typical partial denture is held in place by metal clasps that fit around the anchor teeth.  When you save your remaining teeth and have a partial denture, you will chew better, look better and have a healthier smile.

Dentures
If many of your teeth are loose or painful, it may be too late to save them.  Dentures can help give you better masticatory (chewing) abilities, as well as enhance your aesthetic appeal by providing the illusion of having natural teeth, providing support for your lips and cheeks, and correcting the collapsed appearance commonly seen between the nose and the chin.

Root Canal Therapy
Root canals are the long passages full of soft tissue deep within the dentin of a tooth.  Root canal therapy is used to cure the infection of the root canal and save your tooth.

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Cosmetic

Teeth Whitening
Teeth staining or discoloration is caused by many day to day activities such as drinking coffee, tea, cola and red wine or smoking.  A whiter, brighter smile can help you feel better about yourself and leave a memorable impression. Read more...

Veneers
If you are looking ot enhance your smile or mask stained dentition, veneers might be right for you.  Southard Dentistry uses daVinci Studio labs to construct your porcelain veneers.  daVinci veneers has been seen on Extreme Makeover and The Swan.  Read more...

Bonding/Recontouring
With bonding, we can close spaces between teeth, lengthen small or misshaped teeth, or whiten stained or dark teeth.  We can shape and color a single tooth or improve your entire smile.  When teeth are chipped or beginning to wear, bonding can protect them from damage and restore their original looks.

Lumineers
Lumineers porcelain veneers can transform your smile with minimal or no removal of sensitive tooth structure.  Read more...

Crown Lengthening
If you have short and wide teeth in the front of your mouth, crown lengthening can help.  By simply removing excess gum tissue and bone, teeth appear longer and more esthetically pleasing.

Surgical Procedures

Bone Grafts
Bone grafting is the surgical procedure to replace missing bones from the jaw with other natural bone or artificial bone.  Bone graft also stimulates your body to grow new bone tissue.

Tooth Extractions
Certain situations such as when a tooth is badly decayed and cannot be saved or the gums surrounding the tooth have advanced periodontal disease, we may need to extract your tooth.

Gum Reduction
Sometimes the gums grow and extend onto the front surface of the teeth, disrupting the natural balance between the length of your teeth and the height of your gums.  To restore the balance to your smile, we can perform a procedure called gingivectomy or gum reduction.

Oral Brush Biopsy
If we cannot easily diagnose a growth or lesion by examining it visually, we will often recommend a biopsy.  When we perform a biopsy, we surgically remove tissue and send it to a laboratory for microscopic analysis.

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