General Family Dentistry

Fillings are placed directly in your teeth after cavities are gently and comfortably removed. Fillings repair the damage caused by the cavity. They quickly and comfortably restore your ability to chew and protect your tooth from further damage. Most fillings placed today are made of composite, a strong tooth colored material that matches the shade of your teeth and is bonded to your tooth creating a strong sealed restoration.

Dental crowns are restorations that cover your teeth. We work meticulously with our lab to make sure your crown is beautifully shaped and colored to match your natural teeth. Crowns, also known as ‘caps,’ restore functionality to severely damaged teeth. Each dental crown is made of a durable porcelain material and sometimes metal, that offers chewing support and protection from further tooth fracture when placed over an existing damaged tooth. Be sure to ask which crown would be the best solution for your situation.

Dental bridges literally bridge the space created by one or more missing teeth. A bridge consists of two or more dental crowns for the teeth that sit on either side of the space and are bridged with a replica of the missing tooth that fits into the space between. They remain cemented to your teeth and do not need to be removed.

Dental bridges can help improve your smile by filling in unsightly gaps, restore your ability to speak and eat properly, distribute the force of your bite over more teeth, and prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position, and allow you to chew similarly to the way you did before you lost your teeth.

We strongly believe that regular dental checkups and cleaning your teeth are an essential part of maintaining your oral health. Visiting our office every six months gives you a chance to communicate with your Dr. Spatzner and his team and receive answers to any questions you may have about your oral health. Examinations also give us the opportunity to tell you about new treatments that may benefit your smile. During your regular checkup, we will:

• Screen for signs of oral cancer
• Look for cavities and signs of trauma to your teeth
• Provide a thorough cleaning, removing bacteria that causes cavities and gum disease, and polishing your teeth to remove unsightly stains.
• Inspect and quantitatively examine your gums and jaw for gingivitis (inflammation of your gums) and periodontal disease ( loss of gum and bone support to your teeth from chronic infection)
• Exam the growth and development of your children’s teeth to recognize and intercept problems that may need to be treated with orthodontics.
• Using the latest in dental diagnostic technology, including low radiation digital x-rays and intraoral photos, the doctor and you can visualize dental disease and determine the best treatment for you.
• Provide new research & education to you which increasingly show a connection between the health of your mouth and your general health and quality of life.
• Discuss your dental goals and ambitions to provide unique treatment to your dental needs and concerns.

Urgent care includes any dental or oral health issue that requires immediate or prompt attention to relieve symptoms and to prevent further damage from occurring. Dr. Spatzner offers same day emergency care to help patients deal with these situations. Some of the most common urgent or emergency dental care issues include:

• toothache
• jaw pain
• abscesses, swollen, or tender gums
• foreign object lodged between teeth
• lacerations in the lips, gums, or other soft tissue
• lost or broken denture, filling, crown, veneer or bridge
• loose or lost implant
• broken, cracked, or chipped teeth
• loose adult teeth
• an adult tooth that is knocked out
• any issue that causes pain or interferes with chewing, swallowing, talking, or other functions involving the mouth or teeth

Usually, it’s better to try to save a tooth whenever possible and to avoid extraction. But sometimes, extraction is the best solution for a tooth that’s badly damaged, impacted (stuck under a neighboring tooth) or threatening the health and integrity of other teeth. When a tooth cannot be repaired or restored using a filling, inlay, overlay, root canal or crown, or when the tooth is having a negative impact on overall oral health, extraction can provide the best possible solution. Before any extraction is performed, the tooth will be carefully evaluated to determine if an extraction is the best option or if an alternate treatment might provide a good solution.

How are tooth extractions performed?

That depends on the location of the tooth, the integrity of the tooth and other factors. Some extractions can be performed using grasping instruments without the need for surgery or incisions into the gums. Other more complex extractions require surgical intervention to remove the entire tooth, including the portion of a tooth that may be located below the gum surface. At our practice, we use state-of-the-art pain management techniques to ensure patients remain comfortable during and after their extractions.

Do wisdom teeth always need to be pulled?

Wisdom teeth don’t always have to be pulled, but in most cases, they should be. Because wisdom teeth are the last to erupt, there is often little room for them to “fit” in. As a result, they often come in crooked or become impacted beneath neighboring teeth, resulting in pain and other problems. These teeth must be pulled in order to avoid damaging neighboring teeth and to relieve pain. Even when a wisdom tooth comes in straight, pulling it is still a very good option. That’s because, located way in the back of the mouth, wisdom teeth are notoriously difficult to keep clean, and they can provide excellent harbors for decay-causing bacteria and other germs that cause deep infections in the gum and even the underlying bone. By pulling wisdom teeth, these issues can be prevented.

Digital dental x-rays help dentists detect oral health problems that may not be seen by the naked eye. This is a critical tool to conservative dentistry particularly in ng tooth decay in its early stage and recognizing gum disease before teeth become loose and at increased risk for tooth loss.

Dr. Spatzner uses digital X-rays that are safer and more accurate than traditional film based x-rays. This latest form of diagnostic imaging does not use photographic film to record images. Instead, it uses a sensor that is directly connected to a computer. The sensor is much more sensitive to radiation than traditional film, allowing us to use much lower levels to record images of your teeth and jaws. The sensor instantly transfers the image to a monitor allowing the patient and doctor to quickly view the radiograph, without having to process the film with dangerous and messy chemicals. Obtaining these images will help Dr. Spatzner conservatively help you achieve and maintain a healthy, beautiful smile.

Benefits of Digital X-rays compared to traditional dental film based x-rays:

• Less radiation exposure, making digital x- rays even safer for patients.
• Faster and more accurate diagnosis with digital x-rays
• No film processing also means no need to use chemicals (developer and fixer).
• Images from digital X-rays are clearer and the details are sharper. The image can also be enhanced or enlarged as needed. Suspicious areas can be enlarged on the monitor and images can be compared side by side with previous X-rays for more accurate diagnosis.