Services

Dr. Comfort offers a variety of services. Click among the list to the left to see the various services avaliable.

Trauma Care

Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry incorporates various dental procedures and techniques with a focus on restoring teeth and enhancing a smile's esthetic appearance, while also maintaining the health and function of the teeth. Cosmetic dentistry often improves the patient's self-image. This is important since enhancing a patient's smile, often has a positive emotional and psychological impact on the person's life. Cosmetic dentistry covers a wide-range of procedures and can address a multitude of dental situations. They include:

• The use of tooth colored fillings to replace unsightly silver amalgam fillings.
• The use of non-metal crowns to replace old crowns that have visible black lines.
• Porcelain veneers and inlays to fix broken/cracked, mismatched teeth, or correct gaps between teeth.
• The use of dental implants to replace missing teeth instead of dentures.
• Chair-side teeth bleaching and whitening to correct stained and discolored teeth.
• Laser dentistry to fix "gummy" smiles.

After a thorough dental exam, Dr. Comfort will discuss customized cosmetic treatments that will create the beautiful smile that you have always wanted. Make an appointment for a consultation today!

Porcelain Veneers

A porcelain veneer is a thin casing of ceramic material that is cemented over the natural tooth surface. Porcelain veneers are resistant to food, coffee, tea, and cigarettes stains. Dr. Comfort first prepares the tooth by grinding off half a millimeter of the natural tooth, to allow for the thickness of the veneer. Dr. Comfort then takes an impression of the tooth, and the impression is sent to the lab for fabrication. Once the veneer is complete, Dr. Comfort will permanently the cement the veneer to the natural tooth.

Veneers are ideal for fixing discolorations, irregularities and imperfections. Porcelain veneers are also great substitutions for crowns for the front teeth. The procedure for fitting and cementing the veneer requires little to no anesthesia. With proper care, your veneer can last for years.

Complete / Partial Dentures

A denture is an artificial set of removable teeth made out of acrylic resin that replace missing teeth and adjacent tissues. Dentures are sometimes fabricated with metal. Dentures may be either partial or complete. A partial denture fills in the spaces made by missing teeth and prevents the remaining teeth from shifting their position in the jaw. Complete dentures serve to replace the top set of teeth, bottom set of teeth or both sets.

There are two types of complete dentures:

• Immediate dentures are fitted onto the gums as soon as the teeth are surgically removed. Adjustments may be necessary after the gums have completely healed.
• Conventional dentures are fitted onto the gums after the gums have completely healed from surgery.
• Fabrication and proper fitting of dentures can take several dental visits. First, Dr. Comfort takes an impression of the gums along with a wax bite, in order to determine the vertical dimensions and proper jaw position for the denture. The dentist may make a trial denture or "try-in" to make sure of the shape, color and proper fit. Follow up visits for minor adjustments may be required to insure a perfect, comfortable fit.

Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is a procedure where tooth-colored resin is applied to a tooth to restore or improve a patient's smile. Dental bonding has many uses, such as:

• Restoration of chipped, broken or decayed teeth
• Reshaping a malformed tooth
• Whitening discolored teeth
• To fill in gaps between the teeth
• Attach bridges, and orthodontic appliances and fillings onto the teeth.

First, a soft, malleable composite resin filling is first scooped onto the teeth. Dr. Comfort will sculpt, and shape the composite filling. Next, a high intensity light is applied to the resin, hardening the material. Finally, Dr. Comfort will polish the surface to obtain natural looking appearance that artfully blends with the tooth.

Dental Crowns

A dental crown is a natural looking cap that is permanently cemented over a damaged tooth, in order to restore the tooth's strength, shape and size, and improve its appearance. The dental crown covers the visible portion of the tooth at the gum line and above. Dental crowns have many uses - they are used to: hold weak, broken or cracked teeth together to avoid further fracturing, support large fillings, attach a bridge, or cover discolored or deformed teeth.

Crowns may also be placed over dental implants. Two dental visits are typically required to fit and install a crown. First, Dr. Comfort will need to prepare the tooth or implant for the crown by grinding and shaping the tooth so that the crown can be fitted over it. Next, Dr. Comfort makes an impression of tooth and surrounding gums, and sends the impression to a dental laboratory so that the crown can be fabricated. Dr. Comfort will fit a temporary crown over the tooth, until the permanent crown is ready. During the second visit, Dr. Comfort will remove the temporary crown and the finished permanent crown will be cemented onto the prepared tooth.

Bridges

A dental bridge is a dental fixture that contains a false tooth known as a "pontic". It is used to replace one or more missing teeth. The pontic is centered between two attached porcelain crowns, to create a fixed bridge. The fixed bridge is permanently cemented to the two teeth on either side of the tooth gap.

There are three different types of dental bridges:

• Traditional bridge - a false tooth ("pontic") centered between two attached porcelain crowns
• Cantilever a bridge that attaches to only one tooth on either side of a tooth gap.
• Resin bonded ("Maryland" bridge) - false teeth are fused together to metal bands and bonded to the back of the teeth on either side of the gap. This type of bridge is ideal for missing teeth in the front of the mouth.

General Dentistry

Our dental practice is dedicated to general and family dentistry. As your primary dental care provider, Dr. Comfort and his staff are responsible for the general diagnosis, treatment, and management of dental care for your entire family. Dr. Comfort is highly trained on the most current dental procedures and techniques, and will determine the best course of treatment for your dental needs.

As a general and family dental practice, our services include, but are not limited to:

• Composite Fillings
• Oral surgery
• Cosmetic dentistry
• Orthodontics
• Crowns and Bridges
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Teeth Cleanings
• Dental Implants

Implant Dentistry

A dental implant is a synthetic tooth root, typically in the form of a titanium screw. This device is surgically anchored into the jawbone, usually performed in the dental office under local anesthesia. After the implant is inserted, it is allowed to heal for a few months. Once the incision site has fully healed, the implant is uncovered and a crown or bridge is fitted and permanently attached.

Implants are stable, permanent and are not reliant on neighboring teeth for support. They are ideal for tooth replacement procedures because they function like natural tooth roots. Implants are perfect for patients who are unable to wear dentures. Implants can be made from several different types of metallic and bone-like ceramic materials that are compatible with body tissue, and resemble real teeth.

Come in for a consult to find out if you are a candidate for a dental implant.

Implant Bone Grafting

Implants are a vital manner in replacing the whole tooth. Bridges use to connect two teeth together and a fake tooth would hang in the middle. But now, with implants, other teeth are not sacrificed. Affordable, and predictable, this form of treatment is the closets treatment to replacing missing teeth. Implants can also be used to hold in dentures or replace them altogether.

Tooth Colored Fillings

Composite resin is an acrylic-based, tooth colored material made from glass and resin. Because of its natural look, composite resin is a favored by most dentists in tooth fillings and to repair defects in the teeth. Composites are often used on the front teeth where a natural appearance is important, but can be used on back teeth as well.

Advantages of using composite tooth colored fillings:

• Composite bonded fillings look natural and are more aesthetically pleasing.
• Composite bonding will not expand and contract with temperature changes, like amalgam (silver) fillings will. This reduces risk of tooth fractures.
• Composite bonded fillings can be prepared with fluoride, so that the fluoride releases in the tooth to help prevent recurrent decay.

Orthodontics

Orthodontics is a dental speciality focused on the prevention and treatment of jaw and tooth irregularities (malocclusions) and cosmetic teeth alignment.

Orthodontic treatment includes:

• Correcting crowded or unevenly spaced teeth
• Straightening rotated, tilted, or improperly aligned teeth
• Correcting bite problems
• Aligning the upper and lower jaws

There are 3 types of orthodontics:

• Standard orthodontics - use of metal brackets bonded to the front of the teeth. Wires held by elastics work in conjunction to straighten your teeth. Ceramic or "clear" brackets can be used in place of the metal brackets for a more natural look.
• Invisalign orthodontics - uses advanced 3-D computer imaging technology to project tooth movement. A series of clear, custom-made aligners are fabricated to gradually move the teeth. Each aligner is worn for approximately 2 weeks, until the series has been completed and the teeth are straight. Invisalign aligners are removable.
• Removable orthodontics uses a removable retainer-like appliance creates the pressure necessary to move the teeth into proper alignment.

Come in for an evaluation to find out which orthodontics is right for you!

Invisalign

Invisalign uses 3-D computer imaging technology to project tooth movement. A 3-D image is taken of the patient's teeth and jaw to create a series of clear, custom-made "aligner" trays. The patient wears each aligner for about two weeks, and then moves on to the next set. The teeth are gradually straightened.

Advantages of Invisalign over traditional orthodontics:

• Almost invisible
• Comfortable to wear
• Are removable
• Permit normal brushing and flossing

Periodontics - Gum Disease

Gum disease is the chronic swelling and infection of the gums and dental tissues. It is usually caused by bacterial plaque buildup on the teeth, and it is the major cause of adult tooth loss. If left untreated the bacterial plaque will harden into calculus (tartar), which is a rough, porous mineral buildup that is yellowish - brown in color.

Tartar forms above and below the gum line, and because it is rough and porous it will absorb food and nicotine stains. The tartar excretes toxins causing gum inflammation, which develop into periodontal pockets. These pockets harbor more bacteria, resulting in the breakdown of the fibers that hold the gums securely to the teeth. Without treatment, this leads to the loosening of the teeth, or even tooth loss. And as the condition worsens, the infection moves deeper into the jaw to destroy the bone holding the tooth in place.

Signs of gum disease include:

• Red, tender gums
• Bleeding while brushing or flossing
• Shift in bite pattern
• Presence of pus between the gum and tooth
• Chronic bad breath
• Receding gums
• Loose or separating teeth

Periodontics is the treatment and prevention of gum disease. Gum disease is reversible if caught while in the early stages (gingivitis). Dr. Comfort will scale the tooth to remove plaque and calculus, and plane the tooth roots to smooth them. Dr. Comfort may also prescribe antibiotics to clear up any infection. If the patient has an advanced case, the dentist may need to surgically trim the gums, remove the hardened plaque build-up, and re-contour the damaged bone.

TMJ Treatment

The temporomandibular joint, known as "TMJ", is what makes it possible for a person to chew. This joint allows your jaw to open and shut, and allows jaw movement forward, back, and sideways. However, temporomandibular joint can only work properly if the lower jaw and its movements are synchronized.

Temporomandibular Disorder, known as "TMD", can result from strenuous physical activities, stressful situations, grinding of the teeth and overuse of the muscles. TMD affects jaw muscles, the temporomandibular joint, and nerves causing movements to become out of synch. This can wear out the jaw muscles and lead to head and neck pain. Other resulting symptoms include sensitive teeth, muscle soreness, tender soft tissues, jaw discomfort, difficulty opening and closing the mouth, lockjaw.

TMD is treatable. A night time mouth guard will help stop the patient's teeth grinding. More severe cases can treated with physical therapy, ice and hot packs, and posture training. Come in for an examination and let Dr. Comfort recommend the right therapy to help your TMD symptoms.