Dental Treatments
We offer a full range of general dental services for the whole familyDental Treatments
At Kimbrough Dental Care, we take dentistry very seriously. We take pride in providing services relating to the general maintenance of oral hygiene and tooth health. To ensure the health of your teeth and a beautiful smile, we recommend you visit a dentist regularly (at least every six months). If you develop any dental problems that cause you pain and require treatment, Drs. Randal S. Kimbrough and D. Scott Kimbrough and their team of professionals are ready and well-equipped to help you.
You can explore our general dentistry services below, or learn how we can help to give you a more beautiful smile in our Cosmetic Treatments section.
Dental Sealants
The most likely location for a cavity to develop in your child’s mouth is on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. Dental sealants are invisible plastic resin coatings that smooth out the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, making them resistant to decay. They are a quick and easy solution for preventing cavities.
Fillings / Restorations
Dental fillings are most commonly used to treat cavities, but they’re also used to repair cracked or broken teeth, or teeth that have been worn down over time.
We are a mercury-free practice, and place Composite Resins, or tooth-colored fillings. These fillings are made with a resin material that blends into the tooth, so the filling is virtually invisible. They can be used on either front or back teeth.
Same Day Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are a secure way to fill gaps and help restore your smile if you have missing or damaged teeth. A crown is a cover, or “cap”, customized to cover your tooth, and restores the tooth to its normal shape, size, and function. The purpose of a crown is to make the tooth stronger or improve the way it looks, and may also be recommended after root canal therapy has been completed, as the tooth tends to become brittle and is more likely to fracture.
Traditionally a crown required at least two visits to the office, and you would have to wear a “temporary” crown while the real crown was made by an outside laboratory. Now, with the introduction of computer-assisted design and computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM), we can provide SAME DAY crowns, done completely in-house!
CEREC SAME-DAY CROWNS
CEREC is the short term for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CEramic REConstruction. CEREC uses CAD/CAM (computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing) technology to take “impressions” quickly with a 3D camera scanner, and generate a digital 3D image of your tooth and crown with precise measurements. In other words, no more messy and uncomfortable impressions: the crown is created digitally instead!
A crown restores a broken tooth or a severely worn down tooth, and looks completely natural
How long does it take to fit a dental crown?
Fitting a crown used to require at least two visits to our office. With our new CEREC CAD/CAM Crowns, we now use state of the art technology to image your tooth in 3D, which feeds into the computer to aid in redesigning the restoration. This technology enables us to complete your crown in a SINGLE visit. We will initially remove any decay, shape the tooth, and then the prepared tooth is scanned and creation of the crown begins. It is then milled in our office while you wait. Once it is ready, the doctor will make final adjustments and cement it into place. And just like that, your new crown is finished!
What are the capabilities of crowns?
Dental crowns, sometimes referred to as “caps”, are a versatile treatment that can correct a wide range of smile issues. If you have experienced accidents, gum disease, tooth decay, or regular wear and tear, you may be able to correct the problem with a crown.
We use long-lasting materials to increase the long term prognosis of the tooth. The materials are also true-to-life and custom-matched to your smile, so no one has to know about your dental crown.
Dental crowns can help patients with:
- Broken or chipped teeth
- Worn down teeth
- Misshapen teeth
- Discolored teeth
DENTAL IMPLANTS
Dental implants are cutting edge technology, and are a popular and effective way to replace missing teeth.
A Dental Implant is a replacement for the root of a tooth, and provides the foundation for a replacement tooth, such as a crown, bridge, or denture. The titanium implant is surgically placed into the jawbone, and then allowed to fuse with the bone over the span of a few months. This makes the replacement tooth as strong as a natural tooth, because it has great stability, and stands on its own without affecting the nearby teeth.
There are some important advantages to choosing a dental implant over other tooth replacement options, such as bridges or dentures. Dental implants don’t affect or alter the adjacent teeth, so it is considered a more conservative treatment option. And since dental implants integrate into the existing bone structure, they are very stable, and can look and feel like one’s own natural teeth.
Computer Guided Implants
At Kimbrough Dental Care we place Computer Guided Dental Implants, an innovative dental procedure utilizing new digital technology which provides a precise and efficient method to place dental implants quickly, comfortably, and accurately. We are able to get cross-sectional images immediately with our on-site Cone Beam Computerized Tomography (CBCT) scanner, in order to carefully plan every implant placed in advance. With this cutting edge technology, we can see all aspects of the dental implant procedure before it ever actually happens.
Dental Implant Procedure
One of the dentists will surgically place the implant into the jawbone. Small posts will then be attached to the implant, in order to provide stable anchors for your replacement tooth.
After the implant has bonded to the jawbone, the second phase begins. We will uncover the implants and attach a small healing collar, then start making your new teeth. An impression will be taken, and we will design the final crown or bridgework. Next posts or attachments can be connected to the implants. The replacement teeth are then placed over the posts or attachments. The entire procedure usually takes six to eight months. Most patients do not experience any disruption in their daily life.
Dental Bridges
If tooth loss happens, the teeth surrounding it can loosen, and even lead to further tooth loss. When a tooth is missing, the bone itself can begin to shrink, and eventually change the way the jawbone supports the lips and cheeks. A dental bridge will hold your other teeth in place, and make everyday activities such as eating and talking easier.
Dental Bridge Options
Dental bridges are used to bridge the gap between one or more missing teeth. The bridge is supported by the natural teeth or implants on either side. It is made up of two or more crowns for the teeth on each part of the gap. The crowned teeth act as anchors for the tooth bridge and are known as abutments. The replacement tooth, sitting between the abutments of the dental bridge, is called the pontic. The bridge restores your bite and helps keep the natural shape of your face.
A traditional fixed bridge is made up of two or more crowns that are cemented to the teeth on either side of the gap (the anchor teeth), with false teeth in between. A removable bridge consists of replacement teeth attached to a gum-colored plastic support base that is connected with a metal framework. The bridge is then attached with metal clasps to existing teeth or implants.
Why do I need a bridge?
If your teeth do drift or tip towards each other, they are also harder to clean, putting them at a higher risk for tooth decay and gum disease. The space may also cause the bone to shrink. If that happens, it can change jawbone support, and eventually make your face look older.
The Dental Bridge Procedure
Root Canal
A root canal is a common dental procedure that is performed on a tooth that has been damaged by trauma, severe decay, or repeated dental procedures.
What is a Root Canal?
The innermost layer of a tooth is called the pulp. As adult teeth are formed, the blood vessels and nerves that later become the pulp form the tooth, connect it to the rest of the body, and form the center of a healthy tooth. When trauma or infection reaches this inner layer of the tooth, the result is a severe toothache. Advanced decay, facial trauma, untreated cracks and chips, or broken dental restorations can all lead to a need for root canal therapy. Symptoms of an infected tooth are severe pain when biting or chewing, swelling of the area around the tooth, temperature sensitivity, or discoloration of the tooth.
How is a root canal performed?
TOOTH EXTRACTIONS
While we try to avoid extractions, tooth extractions can become necessary for any number of reasons.
The removal of a single tooth can cause the teeth surrounding it to loosen or move, which can cause issues with further tooth loss, or jaw/bite problems.
We will discuss treatment options for saving a tooth if possible, and replacement of the extracted tooth if restoration is not possible.
DENTURES
Dentures are dental appliances designed to replace missing teeth and help restore your smile. Replacing missing teeth can benefit your appearance and your health, whether you’ve lost your teeth from decay, gum disease, or injury. Dentures restore your ability to eat and speak clearly, and help fill out the appearance of your face and profile.
There are two types of dentures:
- A conventional denture is a full removable denture that is placed after all teeth have been extracted, and your mouth has fully healed.
- An immediate denture is a removable denture that is inserted on the same day the teeth are extracted, so that the tissues have time to heal following extractions. We will take measurements and make models of your jaw before extractions, so that you don’t have to be without teeth during the healing process.
The teeth in your dentures are made of plastic and porcelain, and rest directly on the gums over the bone. They can be made to fit over teeth that have had root canals, and a complete denture can be attached to dental implants for a more secure hold.
Dentures can feel a bit awkward as your mouth adjusts to them, and may cause some minor irritation at first. Over time, they will also need to be adjusted due to normal wear and changes in the shape of your jaw, so regular dental examinations are crucial for denture wearers.