General Services
STb™ Light Lingual System
Patient demand for aesthetic solutions is driving lingual orthodontics to unprecedented popularity as people seek beautiful smiles without the obvious appearance of metal or ceramic brackets.
The STb Light Lingual System delivers superior outcomes – efficient, simplified and faster treatment as well as greater patient comfort – for all levels of cases. A first in lingual orthodontics, STb utilizes a new passive self-ligation design for dramatically reduced friction and lighter forces.
Developed by two of the leading lingual practitioners in the world, Drs. Giuseppe Scuzzo and Kyoto Takemoto, the STb system comprises the most advanced lingual technology, making it incredibly comfortable for the patient and very easy to use – even for clinicians new to lingual.
With STb, patient compliance issues disappear as you no longer need to worry about misplaced aligners or interruptions in treatment time.
Unique to lingual brackets, STb has minimal impact on tongue position and speech; clinical studies have demonstrated that the negligible speech difficulty disappears within a few days of bonding. STb brackets have the lowest bracket profile at just 1.5 mm.
STb is the ideal solution for those cases that are not suitable for aligner treatment, because they require the high level of control that only fixed appliances can provide.
The STb Light Lingual System is applicable to all levels of cases, and our recently introduced STb Social 6 is ideal for minor to moderate cases involving anterior teeth.
STb cases can be prepared with a standard indirect setup by AOA Lab or in your own practice. In most cases STb does not require a full T.A.R.G. or C.L.A.S.S. setup, making it far simpler and nearly half the cost of other lingual setups
Invisalign
Invisalign is a patented system that uses a series of clear, removable aligners to gradually reposition teeth without the use of brackets or wires. Dr. Caldwell has chosen to offer the Invisalign system because the aligners are more visually appealing than metal braces. They are also removable, which makes it easier to clean your teeth after eating. After a thorough exam and review of your health history and lifestyle, we’ll be able to determine if Invisalign is right for you.
Porcelain Inlays
The size and shape of a porcelain inlay is similar to that of a filling. Both fit snugly inside the cusps of a tooth to replace the decayed part we removed. The process of making an inlay, however, is more similar to a crown because both are crafted by CEREC in office CAD/CAM to precisely fit your tooth.
Porcelain Onlays
A porcelain onlay is fabricated to fit your tooth precisely and is bonded tightly in place to strengthen and protect the damaged tooth. Like a crown, an onlay covers and protects the tooth’s biting surface. Where a crown covers the entire tooth, an onlay fits inside the tooth cusps and covers only the biting surfaces. Onlays are also fabricated and delivered in one appointment using our in-office CEREC CAD/CAM.
Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues that support your teeth. 75 percent of Americans over the age of 35 have some form of periodontal disease, but the majority does not realize it. If you have periodontal disease, you may be experiencing persistent bad breath, bleeding of the gums when brushing or flossing, soft, swollen, or tender gums, gums pulling away from the teeth or loose teeth. You may also notice inflammation of the gums between the teeth. This is where periodontal disease usually starts.
The main cause of periodontal disease is the accumulation of plaque, the sticky film of food and bacteria that forms constantly on your teeth. If the plaque is not removed everyday, the bacteria in plaque invade the spaces between the teeth and gums and begin producing toxins. These toxins, combined with your body’s reaction to them, destroy the bone around your teeth. And once bone has been lost, it never grows back on its own. When too much bone is lost, there’s so little support for the teeth, they get loose and have to be removed.
Early detection is the key to successful treatment. Kimberly Smiles will routinely perform a gum-disease-screening exam. This is recommended at least once per year by the American Dental Association. The results of this exam will determine your periodontal status. If you have periodontal disease your treatment will be personalized for you and yourlevel of infection.
With on-going monitoring and treatment, a recurrence of periodontal disease can be avoided. Daily care and professional maintenance visits are a commitment to better health.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy is the removal of the infected pulp of the tooth and is performed to protect and keep a sick or dying tooth. Often, teeth that require root canal therapy are infected or sick due to decay or injury, have chronic pain from contact with hot and cold liquids, pain from pressure or biting down and/or danger of the infection spreading.
Once the infected pulp is removed, the remaining chamber is filled with a rubber-based material to seal it off. All teeth that have had root canal therapy are more susceptible to fracture and must be protected with a tooth-like artificial covering known as a crown. See Crowns under General Services for more information.
Crowns
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped restoration, also referred to as a “cap”, which is placed over a tooth to restore its shape, size and strength. Crowns can also be used to improve the appearance of one’s teeth. A crown may be needed for many reasons including:
- Protecting a weak tooth from breaking,
- To hold together parts of a cracked tooth,
- Restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that is severely worn down,
- To cover and support a tooth with a large filling and a small amount of remaining tooth structure,
- To cover misshaped or severely discolored teeth.
At Kimberly Smiles, crowns are a one-appointment procedure. While you wait we use CEREC, an in-office CAD/CAM to create your restoration on-site in about 15 minutes. It is then fitted, polished and bonded for performance. Your tooth is restored back to its natural form, function and beauty all in one appointment.
Tooth Replacement
A tooth should be replaced as soon as it is lost. Replacement will retain your oral health by preventing bone loss, reducing movement of surrounding teeth and avoiding excess decay. It is also much more difficult to clean teeth that have shifted, so harmful plaque and tartar can accumulate, causing cavities and periodontal disease.
Having gaps where teeth are missing affects the way the jaw closes. The remaining teeth begin to tilt and drift into the gaps. The tilting and drifting can also cause opposing teeth to hyper-erupt and begin to drift into the open space of the missing tooth, causing the opposing jaw-line to have bite-relationship problems; beginning TMJ problems.
As soon as a tooth is lost, either from gum disease or extraction, the supporting bone in the jaw begins to dissolve. Over time the amount of bone loss increases and can have a considerable effect on your quality of life and on the possibility of replacing the missing teeth.
When you are missing one or more of your teeth you have several treatment options. These include implants, partial dentures, bridges and full dentures. For more information on each of these services see the Implants, Dentures and Bridges sections in the general services section.
Dental Implants
Implants offer a natural looking, permanent solution for tooth replacement. A single tooth or a full arch of teeth which have been lost to injury or disease can be replaced with dental implants.
A dental implant is a small, sturdy titanium post that acts as the root structure would for a natural tooth and is placed in your upper or lower jaw bone. Once the bone has grown around the implant, it can support a crown, bridge or over-denture depending on your individual needs.
Strong, durable and natural in appearance, implants are among the most successful dental procedures performed and can last a lifetime.
Dentures and Partials
If many of your teeth are loose or painful, it may be too late to save them. In most cases, loose or painful teeth are caused by advanced periodontal disease. Periodontal disease also causes bone loss, and if it’s not caught in time, your teeth may have to be removed because there is not enough support for them. Removing your teeth and replacing them with a denture or partial may be the best way to eliminate the infection caused by periodontal disease and restore the health of your mouth.
Bridges
A dental bridge is an excellent way to replace one or more missing teeth and restore stability to your mouth. Like all bridges, a dental bridge needs abutments to hold it in place and to provide support. A dental bridge is attached to the teeth next to the space, and those teeth act as supportive abutments for your replacement tooth. We prepare your teeth and, from impressions your bridge is carefully crafted to fit your teeth precisely.
NTI Appliance
The NTI Tension Suppression System is a simple device that can significantly reduce the intensity of jaw clenching and the painful problems it causes. The NTI is a small acrylic appliance that’s customized to fit your bite precisely. It’s about the size of the top third of your thumb, and it’s worn securely over your upper or lower front teeth while you sleep or at other times when you find yourself clenching. It works by preventing contact between the molars and canine teeth. Without this contact, your jaw cannot clench intensely, and your muscles will not become fatigued. The NTI is the only device approved by the FDA for the prevention of migraine pain. It’s twice as effective as any preventive medication. And, conveniently the NTI can be created in just one appointment.
VELscope Oral Cancer Screening
Every hour of every day in America someone dies of Oral Cancer. Oral Cancer is the sixth most common diagnosed form of cancer in the United States. Presently 30,000 patients are diagnosed annually with oral cancer. The 5-year survival rate is only 50%, accounting for 8,000 deaths each year. Oral Cancer risk factors include tobacco use, frequent and/or excessive alcohol consumption, a compromised immune system, past history of cancer, and the presence of the HPV virus. Recently however 25% of all newly diagnosed cases have been in patients under the age of forty with none of the known risk factors. Oral Cancer is one of the few cancers whose survival rate has not improved in the past 50 years.
The reason these statistics are so grim is that oral cancer is often detected in its later stages. However, when detected early, before the disease spreads destroying healthy tissue, the chances of survival are greatly improved. Dr. Caldwell uses VELscope advanced detection technology that is designed to provide an answer to the question of whether malignancy exists or not, through a quick, minimally invasive, and inexpensive procedure.