www.MyTime2Smile.com
 
 

Cosmetic, Implant & Family Dentistry

2221 Harwood Road, Bedford, TX 76021
(817) 283-2871 | phone    (817) 283-1762 | fax
 
 

Services Offered

Below you will find the various services we offer to our patients. If you should have any questions regarding these services, please don't hesitate to contact our office. Click on a link below to find out more.
Sealants top

Dental sealants (or pit and fissure sealants) are professionally applied by the dentist or hygienist and form a protective coating on the biting surface of back teeth to help prevent cavities. Sealants provide a physical barrier so that cavity-causing bacteria cannot invade the pits and fissures (grooves) on the chewing surfaces of teeth.
Fillings top

Dental fillings are placed in the tooth after decay has been removed. Dental fillings can be white (composite) or silver (amalgam). After the cavity has been properly removed, a dental filling is placed to restore the space left in the tooth.

Bridge top

Dental fixed bridges (or cemented bridges, not removable) are used to fill a space left between two or more healthy teeth. A dental bridge has one or more false teeth (known as a "pontic") which are fused between supporting crowns to fill the area left by missing teeth. It is of great importance to keep the bridge and pontic area clean and the use of floss threaders will aid in this.
Crown top

Dental crowns (or "caps") are placed to give teeth strength. Teeth that are cracked, those with very large fillings and/or teeth that have had root canal treatment may require a crown. Additionally, crowns may be done to improve the appearance of your smile and give a better shape to your teeth. Dental crowns are restorations that are cemented in place and cover the entire tooth; they can be porcelain (tooth colored), gold, or silver.
Scaling and Root Planing top

Scaling and Root Planing (SCRP) or deep cleanings are done to remove heavy tartar and calculus that is filled with bacteria from the enamel and root surfaces of teeth. SCRP is recommended for patients with bone loss visible on x-rays and/or with multiple pocket depths of 5mm or more. Cleaning the surfaces of teeth will reduce the inflammation process and help begin gingival (gum) healing. Although bone will never grow back once it has been lost, this procedure, along with appropriate home care, can stop bone loss where it is and help us to keep periodontal disease under control.

Link to periodontal disease page: http://www.perio.org/consumer/2a.html
Cosmetic Dentistry top

With options of porcelain veneers and LavaTM Crowns, maybe now is the time to improve your smile.

Before and After photos
LavaTM Crowns top

Lava Crowns are full coverage crowns made with LavaTM zirconia porcelain instead of metal. The LavaTM zirconia makes this crown most esthetically appealing as it eliminates the "black line" noted around traditional porcelain crowns with metal.
Veneers top

Dental porcelain veneers are laboratory-fabricated thin shells of porcelain bonded to enamel surfaces of teeth to improve cosmetic appearance. Veneers can visibly change discolored, chipped and worn-down teeth. Usually at least some reshaping of the teeth is required to prepare them to receive veneers. Evaluation of the patient's bite is necessary to do prior to beginning the veneer process.
Root Canal Therapy (Endodontics) top

  • Each of your teeth have root canals within them that house the tooth's nerve. When a tooth nerve becomes diseased, it is necessary to remove the nerve from the canal and meticulously clean, shape and fill the canal so that bacteria and infection may not re-enter.
  • When nerves of teeth are diseased, constant pain and swelling may be present. Extreme or lingering sensitivity to hot, cold, or biting may also occur. At times a "pimple" may form on the gum or the patient may get a bad taste in their mouth. It is important if you are experiencing any of these symptoms to call our office for an appointment to evaluate the area.
  • During root canal treatment a rubber dam is used to isolate the tooth during the procedure and keep the area sterile.
  • After a root canal treatment, a crown (cap) may be needed to protect the tooth. The nerve of the tooth is about 90% water. When the nerve is removed, most water within the tooth is removed making the tooth very brittle and more subject to fracture. A crown will surround the brittle tooth and protect it from fracture. This is especially important on back teeth as they are essential to chewing
Implant Restorations top

Some missing teeth can be replaced by placement of one or more implants by a periodontist or oral surgeon. Proper treatment planning and execution of implant restorations require the general dentist to work very closely with the periodontist or oral surgeon to get the best result. Once the implant and bone have healed, a crown may be placed in the missing tooth site. Implants are the preferred restoration in many cases and have many advantages including: 1) ability to floss between the implant and natural teeth, 2) ability to preserve bone, 3) no cutting on adjacent teeth.
Fluoride Treatments top

Fluoride is an important factor in dental health. Fluoride is found in most of our tap water, however, with the increasing trend of drinking bottled water, many of us are not getting enough fluoride to help keep our teeth strong. Fluoride is particularly important to the oral health of growing children as it has cavity fighting ability.
Oral Cancer Screening top

Oral Cancer Facts (from http://www.ada.org/3016.aspx?currentTab=1):
  • Oral cancer most often occurs in those who use tobacco in any form.
  • Alcohol combined with smoking greatly increases the risk of oral cancer.
  • Although tobacco and alcohol do elevate the risk for oral cancer, 25% of oral cancers occur in those who do not smoke or drink alcohol.
Regular dental check ups that include oral examination are important in maintaining healthy tissues as well as detecting cancerous and precancerous conditions. If a suspicious lesion is noticed, the dentist will inform you and a possible biopsy may be done to ensure proper diagnosis.
Night Guards top

Dental night guards may be helpful to prevent tooth grinding or clenching while awake or asleep. TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders including clicking and pain on opening or closing of the mouth may be due to heavy grinding of your teeth. Some headaches may be caused from unconscious clenching and grinding (also called "bruxism"). Excessive bruxism may begin to wear down teeth and change chewing surfaces. To prevent wear due to grinding and to treat TMJ disorders, a night guard may be recommended. In some cases, a referral to a TMJ specialist may be needed.
Bleaching top

Whitening your teeth can change your smile dramatically! Our NiteWhiteTM and DayWhiteTM bleaching systems can give great results. Coffee, tea and red wine stains can cause teeth to darken and stain. Regular cleanings combined with our home whitening products can give you the white smile you have always wanted.

Bleaching Information - Impressions will be taken of your upper and lower teeth. Custom bleaching trays made just for you will be ready in about 1 week. These trays are yours to keep and can be used for years to come.

Bleaching Instructions:
  • Using the bleaching syringes provided, fill the inside of the custom bleaching trays. Each bleach-filled syringe should last you 3-4 uses.
  • For the NiteWhiteTM system
    • Place the gel filled custom trays over your teeth.
    • Wipe off the extra gel from gum line after tray placement.
    • Go to sleep. The NiteWhiteTM system works while you sleep!
    • After 30 minutes, rinse trays off well and brush remaining gel off your teeth.
  • For the DayWhiteTM system
    • Place the gel filled custom trays over your teeth.
    • Wipe off the extra gel from gum line after tray placement.
    • Leave in place for 30 min.
    • After use, rinse trays off well.
  • For both systems - Bleaching dehydrates teeth temporarily. To ensure proper bleaching technique after removing bleaching trays and brushing, do not drink coffee, tea, or any other colored substance for about an hour as your teeth will absorb it. Absorbing a colored liquid such as coffee or tea may cause your teeth to stain darker instead of lighter. Waiting one hour before drinking coffee or tea will allow your teeth to hydrate. Sensitivity is the most common side effect of bleaching. The sensitivity is temporary and will subside after bleaching is stopped. If needed, adjust the frequency of bleaching to help decrease sensitivity. For example - 
    NiteWhiteTM - bleach every other night or every 3rd night to help decrease sensitivity, 
    DayWhiteTM - bleach once a day or once every other day to help decrease sensitivity.
Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) top

Nitrous Oxide is available at our office and can be used to help decrease patient anxiety. It is administered while the patient is in the chair and is cleared from the patient's system prior to leaving the office.
What is Clear Correct? top

Click here to find out!" 

Dr. Oldham can straighten your teeth using a series of clear, custom, removable aligners. Each aligner moves your teeth just a little bit at a time until you eventually get straight teeth. There is no need for metal brackets directly attached to your teeth. Aligners are comfortable, removable, an virtually invisible.

The ClearCorrect product was on the Discovery Channel in a segment called "Health Heros." You can see what was aired by using the following link:

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=PcpvMTFe4XM

Please visit the ClearCorrect website at www.clearcorrect.com for more information or come in for a consultation to see if ClearCorrect is right for you.

All-on-4 Dental Implant Procedure top


Traditional approaches to restoring a full upper or lower set of teeth with dental implants often required up to eighteen months of treatment and usually involved bone grafts and six or more implants. That meant that a patient could be without any teeth, or with ill-fitting temporary dentures for more than a year.

In the mid to late 1990’s, the dental implant procedure called All-on-4 began to be developed as a way to more efficiently use implants in both jaws. The world’s leading implant manufacturer, Nobel Biocare, collaborated with noted implant dentist Paulo Malo in the early 2000’s and began to use computer simulation and clinical research to fully develop the All-on-4 method.

With the All-on-4 procedure (also sometimes called “teeth-in-a-day”) the patient has one or two visits to allow the Implant Surgeon and Restorative Dentist to gather information for a treatment plan. In addition to regular x-rays and impressions, nowadays this will also include a very modern 3-Dimensional CAT Scan designed especially for dental situations.

Following this thorough advance planning, the patient is scheduled for placement of the implants, and new teeth are fitted and adjusted all in one appointment. Through the team effort of the implant surgeon, our laboratory technicians, and Dr. Brown and Dr. Oldham, the patient comes to the office in the morning with unhealthy (or no) teeth, and leaves in the afternoon with a new set of fitted, functional teeth.                     

The patient will return for occasional check-ups over the next several weeks. After about six months, when the gums are fully healed and the implants have become strongly fused to the natural bone, a new final set of teeth will be made for no additional cost. These will be reinforced by titanium for strength; in making these the laboratory uses the latest CAD-Cam milling technology to ensure the most accurate fit possible.

For more information go to: http://www.nobelsmile.us/en_us/upgrading-dentures/fixed-solution/procedure.aspx