Services

Do you need a bite adjustment?

Hot & Cold Sensitivity Tender Teeth Jaw Muscle Spasms

Loose Teeth Worn Front Teeth Headaches

Clenching or Grinding of Teeth Sore Jaw Cracked or Chipped Teeth

These are common symptoms of bite dysfunction. Restoring harmonious function might require reshaping bite surfaces (bite adjustment), repositioning teeth (orthodontics), or restoring/rebuilding teeth. It is important for the upper and lower teeth to contact evenly. Back teeth should not rub as you slide around. Once the balance is restored, the teeth, joints, and jaw muscles can work in harmony.

A word from Dr. Valo...How important is it? If we are discussing a complete adjustment, there are signs of damage to your mouth. Fixing broken teeth or making a bite splint alone may be treating the symptoms but not the cause. When that's the case, it is only a matter of time before there is more damage. Why not manage the problem before it is complicated?

Teeth Whitening

Your teeth will darken over time. Changes in the color of your teeth can be caused by such factors as the food and beverages consumed (like coffee, tea and soda). Other known factors for discoloration may include childhood medications or illnesses, tobacco use or improper oral hygiene. Restoring your natural white smile is a priority for our dental whitening team. We can provide a variety of options for whitening your smile.

Tooth whitening services are growing in popularity, and it’s one of the most requested services offered by our practice. Everyone sees the growing consumer market focused on whiter teeth. The reality is that over-the-counter, “too good to be true” solutions typically don’t work as well as professionally managed whitening.

We are trained professionals using industry-approved methods. Our goal is to meet the needs of every patient, and every patient’s needs are different. Call us today for a whitening evaluation.

Nothing improves your appearance more than a Bright, White SMILE!

Veneers

Veneers are thin, semi-translucent “shells” typically attached to your front teeth. Veneers are customized from porcelain material and permanently bonded to your teeth. Veneers are a great alternative to other more aggressive dental procedures to improve the appearance of your smile.

Common problems that veneers are used for:

Spaces between the teeth
Broken or chipped teeth
Unsightly, stained or discolored teeth
Permanently stained or discolored teeth
Crooked or misshapen teeth

Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and veneers. Please contact our office if you have any further questions on veneers.

Crowns

A crown is a permanent covering that fits over an original tooth that is either decayed, damaged or cracked. Crowns are made of a variety of different materials such as porcelain, ceramic, gold, or a mix of these materials. Porcelain or porcelain over metal is most widely used becuase it looks the most natural. In specific cases, gold is recommended for durability. The treatment plan for a patient receiving a crown involves:

Numbing the tooth to remove the decay in or around it.
Re-sculpturing the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown.
Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown (usually takes two to three weeks).
Making a temporary crown out of acrylic resin and fitting it onto the tooth during the interim period when the permanent custom-made crown is being created.
Applying the permanent crown (when received from the lab) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the permanent one onto the tooth.
After ensuring that the crown has the proper look and fit, the dentist cements it into place.

This process generally consists of a minimum of 2-3 visits over a three to four week period. Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and crowns.

Implants

Dental implants are artificial tooth replacements that were advanced half a century ago by a Swedish scientist named Per-Ingvar Branemark. Today they are used for single tooth replacments, to support multiple tooth replacements, and even to aid orthodontic tooth movement! Patients tell us they look and feel more like a natural tooth than any other replacement available. The typical treatment plan for a patient receiving an implant to replace a tooth involves:

Early planning by Dr. Valo and the specialist placing the implant. Dr. Valo will make records to plan the final position and design of the replacement and communicate this with the specialist before treatment is started.
Depending upon the situation, the specialist with require one or several appointments to remove the tooth, prepare the site and place the implant.
Temporary replacements, made in advance of tooth removal, are developed by Dr. Valo. These may include a removable temporary replacement duing implant healing and fixed temporary crown soon thereafter. When possible, an immediate nonremovable temporary replacement is made to avoid the removable phase during healing.
After several months, the implant is ready for its final crown. Dr. Valo makes an impression to communicate implant position and tooth shape to the dental laboratory making the final abutment and crown.
After insuring proper look and fit, Dr. Valo secures the crown to the implant by cement or screw retention depending upon design.

Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and crowns. Dental implants can last for decades when given proper care.

Composite Bonding

Bonding is a common solution for:

Fixing or repairing chipped or cracked teeth
Reducing unsightly gaps or spaces between teeth
Hiding discoloration or faded areas on the tooth’s surface

Often used to improve the appearance of your teeth and enhance your smile. As the name indicates, composite material, either a plastic or resin, is bonded to an existing tooth. Unlike veneers or crowns, composite bonding removes little, if any, of the original tooth.

Composite bonding has many advantages:

It is a quick process, which typically requires one appointment.
It does not reduce much or the tooth’s original structure and is less expensive than crowns or veneers.
Composite resins come in many different shades and provide good matching of shades to the natural color of your teeth.
Composite bonds, however, are not as durable and long-lasting as veneers and crowns and may need to be re-touched or replaced in the future.

Composite bonds stain more easily and therefore require proper care and regular cleaning. In order to ensure the longest possible duration of the bonding, composites should be brushed and flossed daily. Common staining elements include coffee, tea, tobacco, red wine, foods and candy. Alcohol-based mouth rinses may degrade the surface of composite bonding and should be avoided. Abrasive whitening and "tartar-removing" toothpastes may remove the surface polish more quickly than normal and should be avoided.

ZOOM! Whitening

If you're looking for a fast way to dramatically whiten your teeth, Zoom! In-Office Whitening System may be the answer for you. In about two hours, this safe and effective system can give you the instant results you've been wanting. A specially designed light activates the Zoom! Whitening Gel to gently break down stains on your teeth to put the sparkle back in your smile! Zoom! Whitening is safe while under the supervision of a trained dentist.

Root Canals

A root canal is a procedure that extracts decayed pulp from the central part of the tooth, reshapes the canal and replaces it with strengthening filler.

A cavity is the result of superficial decay of the enamel of the tooth. Left long enough, this decay can burrow into the deeper reaches of the tooth, causing extensive damage to tooth structure. When the damage goes beyond what can be treated with a filling, dentists can perform a root canal (or endodontics), preserving the tooth and retaining its original integrity; thereby, saving a tooth that in the past would have to have been pulled.

Procedure:

The patient undergoes local anesthetic.
A dental dam is used to isolate the tooth.
The tooth is opened to allow for removal of infected or dead dental pulp.
The tooth is comprehensively cleaned, including any cracks and canals.
With special tools, the doctor reshapes the canals.
The tooth is filled again with cutting edge biocompatible filling material.
A temporary covering is used to cover the access opening.
Patients MUST have a permanent restoration of the tooth soon thereafter.

Digital Imaging

We are proud to utilize the latest technology available to ensure our patients enjoy the best results. We use high-resolution digital photography to capture detailed images of your mouth, thus enabling us to maintain sharp, accurate records and keep you thoroughly informed of your treatment progress.

We also offer one of the latest technological advances in dentistry with digital radiography (X-rays). A sensor is placed in the mouth, and a computer generates an image in 30 seconds as opposed to the general 4-6 minute wait time for images taken on dental film. These X-rays can also be enhanced on the computer and enlarged.

Not only are they friendly to the environment, they are much safer than traditional X-rays. Digital radiographs reduce radiation exposure by over 60 percent!