Patient Care
Preventive Care – Your teeth should last a lifetime. Regular preventive care can help you enjoy a lifetime of good dental health – one that is free of toothache pain or other dental discomforts. Routine dental care is the best way to make sure that small problems do not become larger, more expensive ones. At SIU Dental Associates, regular preventive care is integral to our treatment philosophy. Regular dental visits combined with daily home care help maintain proper oral health. A healthy mouth, with well cared for teeth, enables you to chew properly, speak clearly, and smile confidently. Additionally, a healthy mouth protects your overall health. Poor dental health is linked to heart disease and stroke, respiratory disease, arthritis, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, and pre-term, low birth-weight babies. By caring for your natural teeth, you are contributing to your general well-being and enjoyment of life.
Bridges – Sometimes called a fixed partial denture, a bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth, looks great, and literally bridges the gap where one or more teeth have been lost. The restoration can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials and is bonded onto the surrounding teeth for support.
Cavities/Tooth Decay/Fillings – Tooth decay is the destruction of tooth enamel that occurs when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches), such as milk, soda, raisins, cakes or candy, are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result. Over time, these acids destroy tooth enamel resulting in tooth decay and creating a cavity. Once a cavity has formed, a filling is necessary to replace the damaged and decayed tooth. A small amount of affected tooth is removed and replaced with a durable filling material to restore the tooth’s strength.
Crowns – You may need a crown (commonly called a cap), to cover a tooth and restore it to its normal shape and size. A crown can make your tooth stronger and improve its appearance. It can cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there is not enough natural tooth structure left to support the filling. It can also be used to attach a bridge, protect a weak tooth from breaking, or restore one that is already broken. A crown is a good way to cover teeth that are discolored or badly shaped. It is also used to cover a dental implant.
Dentures – If you’ve lost all your natural teeth, whether from periodontal disease, tooth decay or injury, complete dentures can replace your missing teeth and your smile. There are various types of complete dentures. A conventional full denture is made and placed in the patient’s mouth after the remaining teeth are removed and tissues have healed, which may take several months. An immediate complete denture is inserted as soon as the remaining teeth are removed. With immediate dentures, the denture wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period. Immediate dentures may require additional treatment to maintain their fit as healing occurs.
Digital X-Rays – Our digital X-ray system allows us to take crystal clear images of your teeth and oral structures using much lower radiation levels than traditional camera and film X-rays. Networked with our computer system, your X-ray images are available as soon as they are taken. X-rays are a diagnostic tool used to detect tooth decay and abnormalities or developmental problems that are not visible in the mouth. Many conditions, such as tooth decay and bone loss, can become very serious before they are visible in the mouth.
Extractions – A tooth may be removed or extracted for many reasons. Today’s modern methods allow the patient to remain comfortable during the procedure. Our expertly trained practitioner will numb the area to lessen any discomfort. The administration of nitrous oxide or laughing gas is also available and can contribute to an analgesic effect. When having an extraction, today’s modern procedures and follow-up care are there to provide you, the patient, with great benefit and comfort.
Partial Dentures – Removable partial dentures usually consist of replacement teeth attached to gum-colored plastic bases, which are connected by a metal framework. Removable partial dentures attach to your natural teeth with metal clasps or devices called precision attachments. Crowns on your natural teeth may improve the fit of a removable partial denture.
Root Canals – A root canal saves a tooth that would otherwise have to be extracted. During a root canal, the diseased or injured nerve of the tooth, which is causing the problem, is removed. In many cases, removing the nerve and restoring the tooth, allows the restored tooth to last a lifetime. Our modern anesthetic techniques allow us to create a comfortable experience for our patients.
Sealants – Sealants are an acrylic-like material that helps shield decay-causing bacteria from the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. It is recommended that sealants be placed on the six-year molars (the first permanent back teeth) in a child as soon as the teeth appear. While sealants are by no means a cure-all in preventing all forms of decay, they are helpful to patients – particularly children – in controlling decay on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth.
Dental Veneers – Also known as porcelain veneers, these restorations are thin, custom-made shells crafted of tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front side of teeth. This shell is bonded to the front side of the tooth to improve the color, shape, size, or length of the tooth.
Specialties
Periodontal (Gum) Disease – Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues that support your teeth. Periodontal diseases are classified according to the severity of the disease. The two major states are gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is a milder and reversible form of gum disease that only affects the soft tissues. Gingivitis may lead to more serious, destructive forms of periodontal disease called periodontitis, in which the supporting bone is eroded around the teeth. Several warning signs of periodontal disease are gums that bleed easily, red/swollen/tender gums, gums that have pulled away from the teeth, persistent bad breath or bad taste, permanent teeth that are loose or separating, any change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite, any change in the fit of partial dentures. It is possible to have periodontal disease and have no warning signs. That is one reason why regular dental checkups and periodontal examinations are very important. You do not have to lose teeth due to periodontal disease.
Implants – For some people, dental implants offer a smile that looks and feels very natural when you have areas where you have missing teeth. Surgically placed below the gums over a series of appointments, implants fuse to the jawbone and serve as a base for individual replacement teeth, bridges or a denture. Implants offer stability because they fuse to your bone. Integration of the implants into our jaw also helps your replacement teeth feel more natural and some people also find the secure fit more comfortable than conventional substitutes. Candidates for dental implants need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant.
