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Services Offered
Here at Magic Smiles we provide a comprehensive range of services for children, teen, and adults.
- Dental Exams
- Routine Cleanings
- Sealants
- Tooth colored fillings/ composites
- Extractions
- Orthodontics
- Oral sedation/ Non IV sedation
- Nitrous
- Endodontics/ Pulpotomy/Space maintainers
- Crowns
- Mouth Guards
Since we strive to provide all our patients with the best possible dental care, recommendations for routine cleanings may vary. Some children/teens/adults will require their cleanings to be scheduled every 6 months, where other children/teen/adults will benefit from seeing us at Magic Smiles with greater frequency(every 3-4 months) depending on the individual needs. Our routine cleaning consist of :
- Dental Examination
- Scaling
- Polishing
- Flossing
- X-rays Digital
- Fluoride Varnish
Tooth decay is one of the most common preventable diseases seen in children and teens. Children as young as 6-18 months can get cavities. Cavities in baby teeth can cause pain and even prevent children from being able to eat, speak, sleep and learn properly. Children do not lose all of their baby teeth until they are about 12-13
We understand your concerns with exposing you and your family to x-rays. Therefore, we will only take x-rays that are necessary to provide you and your family the BEST clinical care. Our state of the art digital x-ray equipment allows us to obtain the highest quality diagnostic images while using the least amount of radiation. The digital technology has decreased the amount of exposure by 90% compared to the traditional x-ray film.
Fluoride varnish is a protective coating that is painted on teeth to help prevent new cavities and to help stop cavities that have already started. Fluoride varnish can be used on babies from the time they have their first tooth. Risk Factors include( but not limited to):
- Continued bottle use past 1 yr of age or sleeps with a bottle containing liquids other than water( i.e., juice, milk, etc)
- Breasting feeding on demand at night without cleansing the infants mouth after feeding
- Chronic use of high sugar oral medications
- Continuously drinking beverages or snacking on foods containing sugars or starches ( this includes the use of Sippy cups)
- Previous history of cavities or decalcification/white spots
- Stained grooves
- Developmental disabilities
Sealants are applied to the teeth to help keep them cavity-free.
Sealants are placed on the chewing surface of the back teeth to protect the grooved and pitted surfaces where most cavities in children are found. Sealants are made of clear or shaded plastic.
Teeth that have been affected by tooth decay (caries or cavities) require a filling. There are many different types of fillings, including:
- dental amalgams:
Also known as “silver fillings” because of the silver appearance is a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin and copper - composite resins
Also known as “tooth colored” fillings or “white fillings”
Composite resin fillings are made of a type of plastic (acrylic resin). Advantages of restoring decayed teeth with composite resin fillings requires minimal removal of healthy tooth structure. The composite resin chemically bonds to the tooth structure for strength.
Tooth Extraction: the removal of a tooth. A tooth extraction might be required if repairing a damaged tooth is not practical. Broken, cracked, or extensively decayed teeth can require extraction. Some teeth will have extensive decay (dental caries) or else will have damaged or cracked in such a way that an extraction may be recommended.
- Orthodontics is the dental specialty that focuses on the development, prevention, and correction of irregularities of the teeth, bite, and jaws. Orthodontists also have specialized training in facial abnormalities and disorders of the jaw. A patient may consult an orthodontist after receiving a referral from his/her general dentist -- recommending orthodontic treatment to improve the patient's physical "orofacial" appearance. However, the American Dental Association recommends that every child receive an orthodontic evaluation by the age of seven.
Oral health care and braces
- The following recommendations will help to eliminate, or reduce, any oral health problems while your teeth are in braces:
- Brush your teeth carefully after every meal with fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush, as food becomes easily lodged in the braces.
- Floss daily between the teeth and the braces.
- Maintain every 6 month cleanings by an oral health professional.
- Limit your sugar and starch intake, as debris left behind from these types of foods may turn into damaging acids, which, in addition to promoting plaque formation, may also be harmful to teeth and gums.
- Avoid hard and/or sticky snacks that may be difficult to remove from the orthodontic equipment in your mouth. This includes foods such as popcorn, hard or chew candy, caramel, and/or nuts.
- Sedation is a technique to guide a child’s behavior during dental treatment. Medications are used to help increase cooperation and to reduce anxiety or discomfort associated with dental procedures. Sedative medications cause most children to become relaxed and drowsy. Unlike general anesthesia, sedation is not intended to make a patient unconscious or unresponsive.
- Sedation may be indicated for children who have a level of anxiety that prevents good coping skills, those who are very young and do not understand how to cope in a cooperative fashion, or those requiring extensive dental treatment. Sedation can also be helpful for some patients who have special needs.
- Sedation is used for a child’s safety and comfort during dental procedures. It allows the child to cope better with dental treatment and helps prevent injury to the child from uncontrolled or undesirable movements. Sedation promotes a better environment for providing dental care.
- A child may feel anxious before or during treatment. Your child may need more support than a gentle, caring manner to feel comfortable. Nitrous oxide/oxygen is a safe, effective sedative agent used to calm a child’s fear of the dental visit and enhance effective communication. Additionally, it works well for children whose gag reflex interferes with dental treatment.
- Nitrous oxide/oxygen (N2O-O2) is a blend of two gases -- oxygen and nitrous oxide. A fitted mask is placed over the nose and, as the patient breathes normally, uptake occurs through the lungs. At the end of treatment, it is eliminated after a short period of breathing oxygen and has no lingering effects.
- Root canal therapy is designed to correct disorders of the dental pulp -- the soft tissue inside the tooth that contains nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. Teeth with abscessed, or infected, nerves were once removed with corrective therapy. But now, in 95 percent of these cases of pulpal infection, the natural tooth can be saved through modern endodontic procedures.
- The most common causes of pulpal nerve damage are:
- physical irritation - generally brought on by aggressive tooth decay (cavity) reaching down to the nerve or through deep fillings, which allows harmful bacteria to reach the nerve resulting in infection and decay
- trauma - a blow to a tooth or the jaw can cause damage to sensitive nerve tissue within the tooth.
Pulpotomy
Dental caries (cavities) and traumatic injury are the main reasons for a tooth to require pulp therapy. Pulp therapy is often referred to as a “nerve treatment” or “children's tooth canal”
A pulpotomy removes the diseased pulp tissue within the crown portion of the tooth.
When a child begins to participate in recreational activities and organized sports, injuries can occur. A properly fitted mouth guard, or mouth protector is an important piece of athletic gear that can help protect your child's smile, and should be used during any activity that could result in a blow to the face or mouth. Mouth guards help prevent broken teeth, and injuries to the lips, tongue, face or jaw. A properly fitted mouth guard will stay in place while your child is wearing it, making it easy for them to talk and breathe.
Space Maintainers
- Space maintainers are appliances made of metal or plastic that are custom fit to your child’s mouth. They are small and unobtrusive in appearance. Most children easily adjust to them after the first few days.
- Space maintainers hold open the empty space left by a lost tooth. They steady the remaining teeth, preventing movement until the permanent tooth takes its natural position in the jaw. It is more affordable -- and easier on your child -- to keep teeth in normal positions with a space maintainer than to move them back in place with orthodontic treatment.
For teeth that are badly damaged, dental crowns can be an effective treatment option. The dental crown procedure utilizes tooth-shaped coverings made of metal, ceramic, or porcelain to restore strength and eliminate discomfort.