Frequently Asked Questions

Teeth whitening by bleaching is safe and effective. It’s always best to utilize a skilled oral healthcare provider to give you a whiter, brighter smile. Dobson Ranch Dental Care offers several options for whitening your teeth.

When you come in for your office visit, a bleaching solution will be applied to your teeth and become activated by both heat and light. The in-office treatment is fast and easy, typically lasting an hour. Even after one treatment, you will see results. Typical treatments can give you a whiter smile for years to come and can be maintained by regular office visits to Dobson Ranch Dental Care.

After your in-office treatment, you will be provided with a whitening gel and a custom-made whitening tray. When you return home, apply the gel into the tray and wear it for three hours per day for two to three weeks. Results will vary from patient to patient. It’s best to work with our team to ensure the best results.

The short answer is yes, sedation dentistry is a very safe and easy procedure. It’s a great alternative for those who have a fear of needles, dental phobias, or general anxiety. Patients often have no memory of the experience with sedation dentistry.

Complex dental treatments can oftentimes require multiple office visits. However, with sedation dentistry, you will be able to complete your complex procedure in one easy, safe visit. Sedation dentistry is a safe way to reduce the fatigue of extended dental treatments.

What causes periodontal disease, or more commonly known as gum disease, is an infection in the gums due to bacteria. The most common symptom is bleeding gums that are red and puffy during flossing or brushing. If left unchecked, periodontal disease can destroy the bones that support the teeth, leading to loss of teeth and multiple gum infections. Unfortunately, periodontal disease can go left unchecked for years without pain and without detection. Regular office visits to Dobson Ranch Dental Care is the best way to prevent this disease.

Many seniors in today’s healthcare environment have retained their teeth, avoiding the trauma of removable dentures. However, many seniors experience dry mouth as a side effect of consistent medication. Without the benefit of saliva to decrease bacteria, an increase of cavities can occur. Anyone on medication that causes dry mouth is encouraged to see Dobson Ranch Dental Care for regular dental cleanings and topical fluoride rinses.

Best practice for dealing with a loose tooth is to leave it in place and not remove it. If a tooth is knocked out, it’s best to hold the tooth within its socket until a dentist can re-implant it. It’s important to not let the tooth dry out and to handle the tooth as little as possible. Do not try to scrub it, disinfect it, or remove any tissue that may be attached to it.

If the tooth is completely removed from someone’s mouth and is found in the ground or any other soiled area, the best option is to place the tooth in milk to preserve it. If milk is not available at the time, use lukewarm water to preserve the tooth. The best opportunity for long-term success of re-implantation is to seek a dentist’s help immediately.

Bad breath can be a very frustrating situation. While there may be a multitude of issues causing bad breath, it often stems from tooth decay and periodontitis, also known as periodontal disease. For persistent bad breath issues, contact the professionals at Dobson Ranch Dental Care right away. By treating the underlying issues of periodontitis, bad breath will ultimately fade away.

Losing a single tooth can cause a lot of problems in someone’s overall oral health. Often, the adjacent teeth will move into the space of the missing tooth, causing misalignment. To prevent this from happening, a dental implant is needed. Dental implants are anchors that support replacement teeth. This easy procedure requires the use of a titanium root that is planted into your jaw to replace the root of the lost tooth. Typically, the anchor requires six weeks to six months of healing. Once healing occurs, a replacement tooth is anchored onto the implant.

A porcelain veneer is used to lighten stained teeth, close unwanted gaps, and even alter crooked teeth. Veneers allow you to change every aspect of your teeth, including color, shape, and size. They are small, strong shells that cover the front of the tooth and are traditionally made from porcelain. Veneers are strong, stain-resistant, and natural-looking. Treatment for veneers requires a custom fit, which is done by removing a small amount of enamel and then bonding the new veneer. This type of cosmetic dentistry is a positive long-term solution for improving your smile.

The most effective and affordable way to fix a chipped tooth is through cosmetic bonding. Cosmetic bonding can repair:

• Gaps in teeth
• Spots or stains
• Chipped teeth

Cosmetic bonding sculpts individual teeth without the removal of the tooth structure. This safe and effective technique bonds a composite material to your tooth without showing any signs of tooth repair. Cosmetic bonding is an easy procedure and much less expensive than veneers.

Dental crowns are often used to restore a tooth that cannot support a large-size filling. Restoring teeth with dental crowns can assist with:

• Attaching dental bridges
• Restoring a fractured tooth
• Concealing poorly discolored teeth
• Protecting dental implants

Prior to our modern advances in oral healthcare, dentists used inexpensive silver and mercury fillings to seal cavities and unwanted craters. The problem with this method is that silver fillings do not bond well to teeth. This process of adding silver fillings included what is known as an “undercut,” which allowed the silver to bond to the tooth. While initially this solved the issue of the cavity, the undercut typically caused the tooth to become weaker over time.

Modern oral healthcare has deemed that composite or porcelain fillings are much stronger, safer, and also more natural-looking. Composite fillings are your best bet for creating a long-lasting and healthy smile. With no discoloration and no weakened teeth, composite fillings are an optimal material to replacing your silver-mercury fillings.