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Voted Harford County’s Best Dentist for the 4th year in a row by Harford Magazine |
Procedures available at Lifetime Dental Care
Six Month Smiles™
Most adults are unhappy with the appearance of their smiles. Crooked teeth make many people feel self-conscious, reserved, or even ashamed of their appearance... Now, adults all over the country can smile bigger and brighter than ever after wearing braces for only six months!
Six Month Smiles™ utilizes clear braces to gently straighten teeth in an average time of only six months! By focusing on the teeth that show when you smile and not making significant bite changes, your dentist can comfortably straighten your teeth and give you the attractive, pleasant smile you've always wanted.
Six Month Smiles™ is conservative, inexpensive, and highly effective. It may sound "too good to be true," but thousands of people around the country are living proof that this is real!
Visit Six Month Smiles™ for more information.
BRIDGE
Teeth need each other for support. When you loose a tooth, the biting forces change causing the teeth to shift. In addition, the opposing teeth may begin to extrude out of their sockets. These changes create places around the teeth that are hard to keep clean. So plaque and bacteria accumulate quickly. This accumulation can cause tooth decay and periodontal disease.
When teeth are missing a fixed dental bridge is a good choice for replacing them. A bridge maintains a stable bite and restores your beautiful smile.
There are several kinds of bridges, so we’ll talk with you about the best type for your situation. We can then begin the steps necessary to create and place your new bridge.
CROWNS
When a tooth needs a restoration, sometimes the best choice is a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown (PFM). A PFM crown consists of a tooth colored porcelain layer baked onto a metal core.
We might choose a PFM crown to restore a tooth when a large filling has failed, or when the tooth is cracked, broken, or subject to grinding and clenching. A PFM crown is precision – crafted in a dental laboratory, so it may take two or more appointments to restore your tooth with a PFM crown.
VENEER
A veneer is a thin shell of porcelain that is bonded to a tooth to improve its color and shape. A veneer generally covers only the front and top of a tooth. Veneers can be used to close spaces between teeth, lengthen small or misshapen teeth, or whiten stained or dark teeth. When teeth are chipped or beginning to wear, veneers can protect them from damage and restore their original appearance.
It takes two or more appointments to restore teeth with veneers. During the first appointment, we shape and roughen the teeth. We take impressions of your teeth, which we use to make precise working models of your mouth. It’s on these models that we artistically craft veneers to fit the prepared teeth. During the second appointment we clean and polish the prepared teeth. Then we use an adhesive to bond the veneers to the teeth. A harmless, high-intensity light hardens the adhesive. Once in place, veneers virtually become part of the teeth. You can use them like you would your own teeth because the bond is extremely strong. The final result is beautiful and natural looking teeth.
DENTURES
Whether from disease, malnutrition or genetic disorder, sometimes it is necessary for us to extract all of a patient’s lower or upper teeth. While this can be devastating, dentures can provide a second chance at a beautiful smile. Having complete dentures will help with chewing as well as support one’s facial structure and improve speech.
An Immediate Denture is a complete denture or partial denture inserted on the same day, immediately following the removal of natural teeth. The most important factor is that you will never need to appear in public without teeth. An immediate denture does not always fit as accurately as a conventional denture, which is made after the tissues have healed for six to eight weeks following extractions, and without wearing a denture. However, a soft temporary reline material will be utilized for re-fitting your denture when it becomes loose during the healing process.
After the soft tissues have healed and shrinkage of the underlying bone has occurred (about six months following extractions), the immediate denture must be finalized by a permanent reline or new denture. At this time, you will be charged for either a reline or a new denture, depending on your choice. With immediate dentures you can have a full set of teeth while you are waiting for your gums to heal and your bone to realign after having teeth removed. This can take up to six months, so immediate dentures are great alternative during that time.
Sometimes complete dentures are not necessary. Partial Dentures can replace some of the missing teeth and they are secured to the remaining teeth with clasps.
Implant Supported Overdentures: An implant-supported denture is a type of overdenture that is supported by and attached to implants. An implant-supported overdenture is attached to implants, while a regular denture rests on the gums, is not supported by implants, and tends to fit less firmly in the mouth.
An implant-supported denture is used when a person doesn't have any teeth in the jaw, but has enough bone in the jaw to support implants. There are two types of implant supported overdentures:
Mini Dental Implant — Undoubtedly the lower denture presents the most difficulty for patients adjusting to dentures for the first time ... or even for experienced denture wearers. It can be frustrating as you attempt to eat certain foods, or even to speak with confidence without fear that your lower denture will begin to float in your mouth.
The MDI system consists of a miniature titanium implant that acts like the root of your tooth and a retaining fixture that is incorporated into the base of your denture. Placement of the implants is accomplished quickly and easily in a process performed in the dentist's office. The procedure generally takes just over 1 hour. It is a one step procedure that involves minimally invasive surgery with no sutures nor the typical months of healing.
Mini Dental Implant Benefits
- Eating and speaking with confidence
- Nutritional health benefits of eating foods you haven’t eaten for years
- Convenience of not needing adhesives or pastes
- Improved bone retention and related oral health benefits
If you would like to find out if you are a suitable candidate for Mini Dental Implants, please call Lifetime Dental Care at 410 879 4363.
Bar-retained dentures — A thin metal bar that follows the curve of your jaw is attached to three to five implants that have been placed in your jawbone. Clips or other types of attachments are fitted to the bar and the denture. The denture fits over the bar and is securely clipped into place by the attachments.
Ball-retained dentures — (stud-attachment dentures) — Each implant that has been placed in the jawbone holds a metal attachment that fits into another attachment on the denture. In most cases, the attachments on the implants are ball-shaped ("male" attachments), and they fit into sockets ("female" attachments) on the denture.
INVISALIGN
Your Invisalign treatment will consist of a series of clear aligners that you switch out about every two weeks. Each aligner is individually manufactured with exact calculations to gradually shift your teeth into place. And since your Invisalign system is custom-made for your teeth and your teeth only, with a plan devised by us, you know you'll end up with a smile that truly fits.
If you're ready for a smile that transforms your appearance, Invisalign is your answer. Although there are many choices out there, no other works as effortlessly as the Invisalign system.
Invisalign is the best way to transform your smile without interfering with your day-to-day life. Unlike, traditional braces, you can remove the Invisalign aligners to eat, drink, brush and floss. These aligners have smooth edges and will not irritate your gums and cheeks like traditional braces.
Visit Invisalign for more information.
CEREC
The Cerec is a powerful computer-aided design and manufacturing technology used to custom fabricate tooth-colored restorations, crowns, onlay and veneers right here in our office, and all in a single appointment.
As a first step, we prepare and shape the tooth for the restoration. The second step involves applying a reflective powder onto the prepared tooth. We then take a digital image using a special optical infrared camera that records the tooth’s exact dimensions into the computer.
After we design the restoration, we place an appropriate ceramic material into the milling machine which shapes it into a custom-fitted restoration.
We then try-in the new restoration, add any necessary coloring, bond and cement it in place. Last, we’ll check your bite and make any final adjustments.
Cerec restorations need only a minimal amount of tooth structure to be removed leaving more of the healthy tooth structure intact. With this technology, you can have a strong and beautiful restoration in just one appointment.
Visit Cerec for more information.
ZOOM! WHITENING
Whitening can get your smile looking its best. Non-professional procedures and clinically unproven teeth whitening tips can often lead to unsatisfactory results. Extensive research and clinical studies indicate that whitening teeth under the supervision of a dentist is safe.
Zoom! is an in-office procedure recently featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover. After having your teeth cleaned, this safe and effective bleaching treatment is broken into three 15-minute segments, performed all in one session:
- It begins with a short preparation to cover your lips and gums exposing only your teeth.
- Zoom! whitening gel is applied to your teeth and this proprietary gel is designed to specifically work with the Zoom! light. The light and gel work together to gently remove the stains and discoloration from your teeth.
- The gel is applied for 3 fifteen minute sessions for a total of 45 minutes, during which time you can relax and watch television or listen to music.
- Finally, you go home with a brighter, whiter smile.
That's all there is to it. Zoom! takes much less time than at-home kits and toothpastes, and makes your teeth an average of 2-6 shades lighter. You'll see immediate results that last longer.
Visit Zoom! for more information.
Book an appointment to have Zoom! whitening today!
IMPLANTS
Restoring your mouth with a dental implant is accomplished in two phases. The first phase of the procedure is the surgical placement of the implant. A healing cap or temporary crown is placed over the implant. A few months after that, once the implant is securely attached to the bone, the healing cap or temporary crown is removed. A new attachment called an implant abutment is placed to support the final crown. We then take some impressions of your mouth and we make precise working models of your teeth. It’s on these models that your restoration is fabricated. The last step is the placement of your new crown.
Visit Nobel Biocare for more information.
ORAL CANCER, Some facts for you:
- Every hour of every day, one American dies of Oral Cancer.
- The mortality rate in the United States for oral cancer is higher than that of cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, cancer of the brain, liver, testes, kidney or ovary
- Oral cancer is often discovered in the late stage, which is the primary reason for the high death rate; a death rate that has remained virtually unchanged for more than 40 years
The ViziLite Plus is an oral lesion identification and marking system and is used as an adjunct to the conventional visual head and neck examination. Using the Vizilite Plus is the only proven method of identification of oral abnormalities in patients and has been cleared by the FDA to do so.
An annual ViziLite Plus exam, in combination with a regular visual examination, provides a comprehensive oral screening procedure for patients at increased risk for oral cancer. The ViziLite Plus exam is painless and fast, and could help save your life. Call us if you want to have a ViziLite Plus examination.
Visit ViziLite Plus for more information.
Sleep Apnea, DO YOU SNORE?
Snoring could be a bigger problem than you think. Snoring could be a symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Some of the symptoms of OSA include:
Headache, poor concentration, loss of libido, tiredness on waking, daytime sleepiness.
The Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD) treats snoring and mild to moderate OSA by moving the lower jaw forward slightly. This forward movement tightens the soft tissue and muscles of the upper airway, which prevents obstruction of the airway while you sleep. The tightening created by the device also prevents the tissues of the upper airway from vibrating as air passes over them – the most common cause of loud snoring.
The oral appliance is a custom-made device and is adjustable which improves the efficacy and comfort level of treatment, as the jaw is moved only as far as is required to alleviate the condition. This makes the device both comfortable and effective.
If you have Sleep Apnea and cannot tolerate the CPAP, an oral appliance is recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as an alternative to the CPAP.
The nice thing about oral appliances is that they have no masks, hoses or noisy compressors.
ASK US HOW WE CAN TREAT YOUR SLEEP APNEA WITH THE DENTAL ALTERNATIVE TO THE CPAP.
Visit SleepApneaSleep.com for more information.