Bonding in Parker, CO

As a general dental practice, we at Ardas Family Dental in Parker provide restorations to people of all ages with a wide range of needs. If a patient is missing a tooth or needs one extracted, we can provide replacements that are not only durable, but which preserve the mouth’s aesthetic by matching the other teeth’s color. But most restorations don’t require as much intervention as replacing an entire crown or tooth root. Among the most common kinds of restorations is bonding, which can be done in a single visit for patients suffering from minor chips and imperfections.

Dental bonding is done when a small amount of the tooth’s enamel has been chipped, or when a tooth has a small crack or stain or its surface area needs to be increased. It may be provided as an alternative to veneers if a patient wants their teeth to look longer or close small gaps between them. After the teeth have been cleaned, we will apply an etching acid to the ones undergoing bonding to increase their surface area. The bonding material is applied as a soft resin and shaped with tools called burnishers. It is then hardened with a blue light and polished.

The process of applying bonding to a single tooth usually takes an hour or less. It may not even require anesthetic, if the patient doesn’t have an exposed nerve or decay. Bonding is also sometimes done in conjunction with periodontal treatment if a patient’s gums have receded to expose their sensitive tooth roots. However, once the bonding is solidified, a patient may take care of it through regular brushing and flossing and expect it to last for as long as ten years.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420.

Tray Whitening at Ardas Family Dental

Your smile should be a source of pride. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, patients’ health is our top priority, and we’ve helped many patients to combat dental and gum infections and restore the structure of their teeth. But cosmetic problems also deserve attention, and feeling confident in the appearance of your teeth is also a major factor in your wellbeing. If your teeth don’t shine the way you would like, you may benefit from the use of tray whitening.

Although there are numerous reasons why teeth can be discolored, most stains are on the outside of teeth and result from the consumption of dark-colored fluids. Coffee, tea, and cola are frequent culprits, although some darkening is inevitable with the passage of time, and smokers also experience high rates of discoloration. Dental bleaching paste breaks down the dark-colored molecules in the outer layers of teeth, but it’s important to use it only as directed. An impression will be made of the patient’s teeth and used to manufacture a series of trays. At home, the patient will fill the trays with whitening paste and wear the tray for the amount of time prescribed.

How long patients will have to wear the trays will depend on their goal. People frequently use at-home whitening for touch-ups before special events, but if a person’s teeth are dark-colored to start with, the process may take a few weeks. Nevertheless, they can expect their teeth to turn four to eight shades lighter, and remain so for about a year. Whitening can make the teeth more sensitive, but the custom-fitted trays should prevent the bleach from coming into contact with the patient’s gums, and patients will be able to brush their teeth as normal once their whitening process is finished.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420.

Veneers at Ardas Family Dental

Everybody should be proud of their teeth. If yours are stained, chipped, or don’t show as much enamel as you would like, the good news is that the process of restoring them may be simpler and easier than you think. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, our experienced practitioners provide veneers to healthy patients who are looking for a cosmetic improvement. 

A veneer is a shell, usually made of porcelain, that fits over a natural tooth and provides it with a new surface. If a patient expresses an interest in them, we’ll conduct an examination to ensure they’re not suffering from gum disease and discuss their goals for treatment. At their second appointment, we’ll numb the patient and shave down their enamel to make room for the veneer, and make an impression of their reshaped teeth. A dental laboratory will then use the impression to manufacture the veneers according to the patient’s specified color. Once we receive the veneers, the patient can return to our office, where we’ll cement the veneers into place. In between treatments the patient will have been wearing artificial temporary tooth-covers, but the real veneers are designed to last.

As with natural tooth surfaces, veneers need to be brushed twice a day and flossed. They also shouldn’t be subjected to anything too hard or sticky, and patients will need to continue to wear mouth guards when playing sports. But well-cared for veneers can last for over a decade and allow a patient to chew and speak just as they would normally. Veneers are also a more moderate treatment option than whole-crown restorations or orthodontics, and can be used when a tooth is mildly cracked or impacted. 

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Differences Between Mouthwash in Parker, CO

Store shelves are filled with all sorts of mouthwash, and it’s easy for a consumer to become confused about which they should pick. You may even be wondering whether you should buy any at all. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, we provide for the needs of patients of all ages and with all sorts of conditions. We’re happy to help patients determine what’s best for their own oral care, which is why we wanted to talk about what mouthwash can and can’t do.

Mouthwash may supplement twice-daily brushing and flossing, but it can never replace them. Therapeutic mouthwash kills oral bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease, but cosmetic mouthwash simply masks bad breath. Often, a patient would be prescribed therapeutic mouthwash if they had a tooth injury or were recovering from oral surgery and needed something that could dull their pain as well as provide additional defense against bacteria. Some mouthwashes come with other features, such as providing fluoride to make a patient’s enamel slightly stronger.

There is no evidence that the alcohol in mouthwash increases the risk of oral cancer, but non-alcoholic versions are available. Children under the age of six should not even use non-alcoholic mouthwash, and they should demonstrate that they are able to spit instead of swallowing it so they don’t risk over-exposure to fluoride. However, many people find that keeping some cosmetic mouthwash onhand is helpful for social situations, especially if they wear braces or dentures and can’t rely on sugar-free gum to combat halitosis. Just remember that the tongue needs to be scraped later to remove the source of the odor.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Treating Intrinsic Stains at Ardas Family Dental

If your teeth are discolored, we at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado can restore them to a dazzling white. But if the stains are internal, then you may have more than just a cosmetic problem. We want everyone to be able to recognize the signs that they need urgent dental care, which is why this week’s blog post is dedicated to possible causes of internal, or intrinsic stains.

Usually, stains are external, meaning that the outer layer of enamel has become discolored by something the patient regularly consumes. Intrinsic stains are caused by discoloration deeper in the tooth. Sometimes, they develop because a person was exposed to tetracycline antibiotics or excessive amounts of fluoride as a child, in which cases the stains are harmless. We may simply cover them with veneers or bonding. But it is much more common for intrinsic stains to result from infections in the pulp chamber. Infections will turn dental pulp black, red, or purple, and may be painful and produce a bad smell. They can spread if not treated in time and will not go away on their own.

We can treat pulp infections by doing a root canal. Once the infection has been removed, we may pack whitening cream into the pulp chamber and remove it about a week later. If the tooth is still discolored, we can mask it with a veneer or bonding, but the priority is to remove the infection.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.