Dental Checkups: Overview

Comprehensive dental exams not only check for tooth decay and gum health but also examine your entire mouth, head, and neck area. This exam is given by both the dentist and the dental hygienist, whether you are a first-time patient to our office or if you have been seeing us for years. The comprehensive exam will likely include the following evaluations.

Head & Neck

Head and neck: We will look for any problems on your head and neck, as well as feel for any swelling or tenderness (which are signs of an infection or disease) in your lymph nodes and salivary glands in your neck area. We will also examine your temporomandibular joint (connects the jawbone to the skull) to make sure it is working properly.

Soft Tissue

The soft tissues of your mouth include the tongue, inside of the lips and cheeks and the floor and roof of the mouth. These areas are examined for any spots, lesions, cuts, swellings or growths. These could indicate an oral health problem. The back of your throat and tonsil area will also be inspected.

Gum Tissue

Your gums and supporting structures of the teeth will be looked at for signs of gum disease, which include red or puffy gum tissue and tissue that easily bleeds when gently probed (gingivitis); or bone loss, when the supporting structures of the teeth break down (periodontitis). After evaluating your gum tissue and providing the proper, initial therapy, we may recommend you see our periodontist (dental gum specialist).

Occlusion

How well your upper and lower teeth come together will be checked.

Clinical Examination of Teeth

Signs of tooth decay are looked for on the surface of every tooth. We will likely probe your teeth with a dental instrument, called an explorer, to look for cavities. (Decayed enamel feels softer when probed compared to healthy enamel.) We will also check for any problems with fillings, braces, bridges, dentures, crowns, implants, or other restorations.

X-Rays

A series of X-rays will be required to look for signs of tooth decay, as well as for gum disease and other oral health problems. Our office is equipped with the most up to date digital X-rays to reduce radiation significantly and obtain images immediately.

General Dentistry: Overview

At The Hamptons Dentist, we offer a range of comprehensive general dentistry options so that you can maintain and improve the health of your teeth and gums. A few of our general services include fillings, bridges, crowns, and complete and partial dentures.

White Fillings

A composite filling is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture used to restore decayed teeth. Composites are also used for cosmetic improvements of the smile by changing the color of the teeth or reshaping teeth.

Crowns & Bridges

Crowns are full coverage restorations that are used to cover a tooth that is likely to break, or is too broken down to be restored with a filling. They are most commonly done after root canal treatment, or when a large filling wears out. Crowns cover the entire visible surface of the affected tooth and ride over the weakened tooth, adding strength, durability, and tooth stability to protect against breakage. ​ Dental bridges literally “bridge the gap” created by one or more missing teeth. A bridge is made up of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap. The bridge replaces the missing tooth, both functionally and cosmetically. The two anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth, and a false tooth/teeth in between are called pontics. These Dental Bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants.

Full & Partial Dentures

If you have lost some or all of your natural teeth, whether from periodontal disease, tooth decay, or injury, dentures can replace your missing teeth and give you a confident smile. Additionally, dentures help strengthen muscles controlling your expressions that require the support of your teeth, rid you of pronunciation problems caused by missing teeth, and aid with chewing. Dentures are removable replacements for missing teeth typically made out of an acrylic resin, which at times incorporate porcelain or metal for additional structural support. There are several treatment options involving implants and dentures that can be discussed to address your needs.

Dental Cleanings: Overview

Proper Hygiene Will Save Your Teeth There are three main types of dental cleanings: prophylaxis cleaning, scaling and root planing, and gross debridement. ​ While they all accomplish essentially the same thing — cleaner gums and teeth — they are performed differently and for different reasons. In order to fully understand why and when each type of cleaning is performed, the following is everything you need to know.​

Prophylaxis Cleaning

A prophylaxis cleaning, otherwise known as a routine cleaning, is performed on healthy patients who just need routine maintenance in order to ensure oral health. In many instances, a prophylaxis cleaning is performed by a dental hygienist, and it entails removing all the plaque from teeth, removing deeper, hardened plaque (calculus) and any stains that exist on the surface of the teeth. While prophylaxis may not be administered on severely damaged teeth, it is a great dental cleaning procedure to maintain already-healthy teeth, along with daily oral hygiene practices. Most dentists recommend a prophylaxis cleaning once every six months to ensure plaque has not begun to build up on the surface of the teeth and to clean off hardened plaque if it already has developed.​

Scaling & Root Planing

Scaling and root planing, which is also referred to as a deep cleaning, is typically only administered to patients at high risk of developing gum disease or patients who have already developed gum disease. If an excess of plaque begins to build up over time without being properly cleaned off, it can harden and turn into tartar or calculus and has the potential of causing gum disease and other serious oral health complications. When this occurs, a scaling and root planing is needed to ensure that the hardened plaque is cleaned off. Scaling and root planing is most often performed on patients who have signs of gum disease, such as bleeding gums, swollen gums or loose teeth.​

Gross Debridement

A gross debridement is a dental cleaning procedure that is often administered by a dentist in order to determine if there are any teeth issues that were not initially noticed before the dental cleaning. A gross debridement is most often performed on patients who have not visited the dentist in more than a year or who have developed a build up of hardened plaque on the surface of the teeth. Essentially, a gross debridement is performed by thoroughly working to remove any and all plaque buildup on the teeth and gums. While a simple gross debridement does not take long, debridements that are performed on damaged teeth with a large amount of plaque buildup may take a while to complete.

Clear Aligners: Overview

Not everyone needs bracket braces to straighten their teeth. At The Hamptons Dentist, we are able to achieve predicable results in teeth straightening using a series of clear, virtually invisible custom-molded aligner trays.

Treatment

The course of treatment involves changing aligners approximately every two weeks, moving your teeth into straighter position step-by-step, until you have a healthier and more beautiful smile. Simply wear them throughout the day and night, and remove them when you eat or brush and floss your teeth.

Duration

While every case is unique to each patient, treatment typically takes approximately a year for adults. For teens, the length of treatment is comparable to that of braces.

Dental Whitening: Overview

Teeth whitening is a very popular cosmetic dental procedure. Dental Whitening procedures fit within almost any budget and the results are quick and painless. There is a difference between teeth whitening and teeth bleaching. Whitening means to brighten your teeth by polishing away stains caused by foods and beverages (berries, coffee, wine, tea, etc). This stain removal whitens teeth back to their naturally white stage. Bleaching refers to lightening a tooth from the inside-out using in-office and take home materials. Bleaching brightens the inside (dentin) of the tooth, thereby making the whole natural tooth whiter.

Instant Results

At the Hamptons Dentist, we use Glo. One advantage of Glo Pro is that you will get your teeth to your whitest white in under an hour!

Little to No Sensitivity

Specially formulated, professional-strength whitening gel available ONLY from your dentist.

Guided Light Optics

GLO = Guided Light Optics. A patented, universall-sized mouthpiece is the only one to combine warming heat to activate & accelerate H2O2.

No Messy Strips

Patented, award-winning GLO Vial design keeps formulation fresh & active. Brushes on in seconds.

No Uncomfortable Trays

We offer a take-home kit that includes the same GLO heat & light technology used in our office for fast & easy whitening & touch ups at home.

Veneers: Overview

Dental Veneers (sometimes called porcelain veneers or dental laminates) are thin, custom-made shells of tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front surface of teeth to create a cosmetic improvement. These shells are bonded to the front side of the teeth changing their color, shape, size, or length. Dental veneers are usually only done to the part of the teeth that are visible when talking or smiling.

Procedure

The procedure involves minimally preparing your teeth, taking impressions, and sending the impression to a dental laboratory for the fabrication of your custom veneers. You will leave with temporary veneers during this process. When the case is received, your veneers are then bonded to your teeth. The laboratory-fabricated veneers are usually made using porcelain or pressed ceramic, and achieve the highest level of aesthetics catered to your needs.

Veneers vs. Crowns

Crowns cover your teeth like a cap. A veneer is a thin shell that is applied to the front of your tooth with less damage to the tooth tissues.

Advantages

The preparation of veneers preserves the most amount of tooth structure because very little needs to be removed. Veneers can vastly improve the appearance of your teeth, plus, gum tissues respond well to dental veneers. Veneers are extrermely stain resistant and the color can be custom-selected to match your other teeth.

Disadvantages

Once you've prepared your teeth for veneers, the process is not reversible. In the event that a veneer cracks, it can be difficult to repair without having to replace the entire veneer. Veneers are not always the best otpion for those with poor gum health. Also, people who have habit like nail biting, or those who grind/clench their teeth, are at a higher risk of chipping of cracking their veneers. Lastly, just like your natural teeth, veneers are still susceptible to decay. So, it's important to maintain optimal oral health & continue to visit your dentist regularly.

Candidates

Veneers are a great solution for people with discolored, worn down, chipped, misaligned, uneven or irregularly shaped teeth. Porcelain veneers are also a fantastic way to close a gap that may exist between your front teeth.

Dental Implants: Overview

A dental implant is an option to replace a missing tooth or several missing teeth. In this procedure, a small titanium root replacement is surgically implanted into the bone. Through a phenomenon called osseointegration, the bone fuses with the implant. Once the implant is firmly set in the mouth, a connector and replacement tooth is attached to the implant. Implants are the state-of-the-art option to replace missing teeth, with advantages over dental bridges that can stress the surrounding teeth for support. Implants can also be used as support as part of an implant bridge if several teeth are missing. This is an alternative to partial dentures and full dentures, and has several advantages when providing support. If you are considering replacing any missing teeth, we will provide a thorough evaluation to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants.

Candidates

If you have one or more missing teeth, or have broken or decayed teeth that might be beyond repair, implants are usually the answer. If you’re uncomfortable with your dentures, partial denture, or bridge, you could benefit from implant technology. In the past, patients with insufficient bone or who had certain health conditions or habits were not considered candidates for implants. Advances in diagnostics and bone reconstruction have made it so that most patients can receive implants.

Natural Feel

One of the biggest advantages of an implant is that it restores full chewing power. Most patients can’t tell the difference between their natural teeth and the implant tooth. They can eat with it completely normally, and they can brush and floss normally as well.

Long-lasting Results

Whereas a dental bridge may only last around 10 years or so, dental implants can last a lifetime. The implant is made from titanium and integrates with the jawbone. It’s bio-compatible, meaning that it’s non-toxic and not rejected by the body. All in all it makes a powerful replacement tooth.

Preventative Advantages

Where there is no tooth, the jaw bone in the empty space deteriorates due to lack of stimulation. If no implant is placed in the first year of losing a tooth, that bone area loses 25% of its volume, and bone loss continues over the years. Dentures can even accelerate bone loss as they often become loose, and then rub against the bony ridge, gradually wearing it away. Because an implant replaces the root as well as the tooth, and chewing is restored to normal, it provides the needed stimulation for natural bone growth.

Dental Implants vs. Dentures

Implant-supported dentures provide far greater stability and chewing power than conventional dentures. Dental implants provide a superior experience compared to dentures. Even dentures that originally fit the patient well begin to slip and become uncomfortable after a while, due to increasing bone loss. It’s difficult to keep any denture continually stable due to wear on the bony ridges that dentures clasp onto. The most frustrating aspect of dentures, and the unhealthiest, is their poor chewing ability. many have to limit their diets because they are unable to chew certain foods with their dentures.

Dental Implants vs. Dental bridges

A Dental Implant is a more affordable and natural replacement than a Dental Bridge. A bridge requires the alteration of adjacent teeth to support the bridge. A bridge consists of a false tooth (or teeth) supported by adjacent teeth that have been capped. It is used to replace one or two missing teeth. A bridge requires two often healthy teeth to be altered, which is not an ideal way of replacing a missing tooth compared to a dental implant. Bridges tend to have short lives, five to ten years, compared to a dental implant, which can last a lifetime. So while a bridge can sometimes be more economical at first, in the long run a dental implant can cost you less.

3D Imaging

INTRODUCING THE VATECH GREEN CBCT ​ ADVANCED 4-IN-1 DIGITAL X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEM* Green CT 2 is an advanced 4-in-1 digital x-ray imaging system that incorporates PANO, CEPH (Optional), CBCT, and MODEL Scan.
It provides high-quality images with lower radiation by combining image processing and accumulated dental imaging experience from VATECH.
Obtain diagnostic accuracy with increased treatment planning and patient satisfaction. ​ LOW DOSE AND HIGH IMAGE QUALITY* What Vatech has developed breaks many dental radiography conventions.
It was always believed that with low radiation comes inferior image quality, which renders the image useless for a clinical diagnosis.
However, the Green CT 2 provides clinically diagnosable x-ray scans at a low x-ray dosage.
With low dose x-ray radiography, achieving clinically diagnosable image quality is the new gold standard. *Taken from the Vatech webpage

3D Dental Technology: Overview

3D Dental Imaging is one of the most significant developments in dental diagnostic technology. Essentially. 3D dentistry gives us a superior view of what we are diagnosing,. allowing us to better determine the right treatment for each of our patients.

How it Works

We use cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) machines which give us a 3D rendition of our patients' mouths. This 3D rendition is far better than the 2D view offered by traditional x-rays.

3D Imaging vs. Traditional X-rays

• More efficient: Rather than just seeing a small portion of your mouth that we'd see with a standard X-ray, with 3D Dental Imaging, we're able to see your entire mouth. • More precise: We're able to see where your teeth align with one another, as well as where they sit in relation to each other. • More in-depth: Unlike traditional methods, 3D imaging provides greater detail, allowing us to better visualize your mouth & determine the best treatment for you.

Root Canal Therapy: Overview

Root canal treatment (also referred to as root canal therapy or endodontic therapy) is necessary when a cavity violates the dental pulp, or nerve. Deep restorations or trauma to a tooth that cause the nerve to be damaged may also result in the need for root canal therapy. By the time the pulp is infected it must be treated, and cannot heal on its own.

Symptoms

Symptoms that the pulp has become infected may include sensitivity to hot/cold or sweets, pain, swelling, pain to biting or pressure, and a bad taste in the mouth. Sometimes, however, no symptoms are apparent, and the person is unaware of any problem until a checkup.

Procedure

“Root canal” is the term used to describe the natural cavity within the center of the tooth. The pulp is the soft tissue that contains nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues. It lies within the tooth and extends from the crown of the tooth to the tip of the root in the bone of the jaws. During a root canal procedure, the pulp is accessed and removed, the canal space is shaped, and it is filled with a biocompatible material called Gutta Percha. A final restoration is necessary after the completion of the root canal to help protect the tooth from further infection or trauma.

What to Expect

At The Hamptons Dentist, a root canal is a relatively simple, routine procedure, with little or no patient discomfort.

Digital Impressions: Overview

Modern technology is continually shaping the way that we approach and provide treatment. The Hamptons Dentist is proud to incorporate the latest technology into our practice to ensure that you receive the highest quality dental experience. Our new iTero scanner is one more way we ensure you have the best quality dental care. ​ Traditionally, dental impressions have required that we take a physical impression of your mouth that is then sent to a lab to create your crowns, appliances, and clear aligners. This process can be uncomfortable to some and just plain messy! With the iTero scanner, we are able to scan the teeth and email the “impression” to our lab digitally!

Benefits

Some benefits include: Scans are immediately sent to labs to begin the fabrication process- Quicker Turnaround! Fewer appointments needed Fewer “remakes” due to the incredible accuracy of the scans. More comfortable than traditional impressions Less intimidating for small children who may be scared In addition to the benefits listed above, the scanner also uses a RealColor feature that showcases your mouth in natural colors thus making it easier to evaluate for proper treatment. ​ If you have any questions about the iTero scanner or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact us or visit one of our offices. We look forward to speaking with you!

Better Quality Impressions & Restorations

Restorations made from iTero's dental intraoral scanners are not only completed faster, they are also delivered with a more accurate fit and require less adjustments. These scanners have the ability to measure the shapes of teeth for digital precision while also highlighting details with the incorporation of high-level HD pictures in the 3D model. In addition, the precision of iTero dental intraoral scanners reduces the need for remakes.

What is Botox?

Botox is an FDA approved purified protein which is injected into targeted muscles & temporarily blocks nerve signals that cause muscle movements, essentially relaxing the muscle which reduces or eliminates fine lines and wrinkles. Within 3-5 days of the Botox injection, the treated facial muscles become temporarily relaxed, causing the overlying skin to lay flat & unwrinkled. The untreated facial muscles contract in a normal fashion allowing facial expressions to be unaffected. Botox injections only take a few minutes and will remain effective for 3-6 months.Botox is an injectable serum that has a variety of applications, like reducing wrinkles and easing the pain of migraines and TMJ disorder. It temporarily blocks the nerve signals in the area of injection, effectively limiting muscle activity and alleviating tension.

Wrinkles & Anti-aging

Botox is famously known as a cosmetic treatment that reduces the appearance of wrinkles & fine lines on your face, specifically those around the corners of your eyes (crow’s feet), in between your eyebrows (frown lines), and on your forehead. By limiting the muscle activity in these particular areas, Botox prevents your skin from constantly folding in on itself, which is what causes a wrinkle in the first place.

Migraines

The FDA approved Botox for treating chronic migraines, which it defines as headaches that occur on 15+ days per month. Injecting Botox into specific areas can reduce the transmission of pain signals in your neural network & helps to prevent your migraines before they even start.

TMJ

TMJ disorder is a condition that prohibits the proper functioning of the joint connecting your jaw to your skull. It can cause a great deal of pain in your jaw, temples, head, ears, & neck, making it challenging to open & close your mouth. Injecting Botox into your jaw muscles can alleviate the pain & tension associated with TMJ disorder & mitigate your symptoms.

Botox Overview

Millions of people use Botox and dermal fillers to achieve a more relaxed & smooth facial appearance, while still having the freedom of expression. An attractive smile can significantly improve your image & self-confidence & involves your entire face. Total facial aesthetics will bring out your full beauty potential. Botox & dermal fillers can be as essential to aesthetic dentistry cases as are porcelain veneers & composite resins. The soft tissues around the mouth are as important as the color & position of the teeth in determining the patient’s smile.

Botox Benefits

The cosmetic benefits of Botox are already well established, but dental botox uses are starting to gain serious momentum. Dental botox can assist with:

• Headache pain resulting from muscle tension in the head, face, & neck.