Uxbridge Family Dental is a full-service general dentistry practice in Uxbridge MA.

Bonding is a popular method to fill in or cover up defects in teeth with a white composite resin. An adhesive gel is placed on the tooth and the resin is molded and sculpted over it, then hardened with UV light and polished.

Bonding can be used to fill teeth after the removal of cavities, or to cover stains, cracks, discolorations, chips, or gaps in teeth. It is a technological improvement over highly-visible silver amalgam fillings and applications usually lasts more than 10 years.

Dental bridges are a way to replace missing teeth by creating a segment that anchors to two existing teeth to “bridge” the gap between them.

Made from porcelain, gold, allows, or metal, bridges require the two teeth on either side of the missing tooth to be filed down into “abutments” that will hold the bridge in place, much like a pair of crowns with a third tooth joining them from the middle.

The bridge itself will be created in a specialized lab while a temporary bridge is put in its place. Once the final bridge is put in place, you will need to eat soft foods for a few days while the bridge settles, but after that it will function and feel normal.

If you are missing a tooth, please strongly consider having it replaced. Not only are there aesthetic disadvantage from the missing tooth, but that gap could also harm your mouth and jaw and make it difficult to eat or speak properly.

Sometimes teeth began to weaken, crack or visibly decay, but remain well-anchored and firmly in place. Bonding or filling may not be sufficient and in these cases a crown is often recommended.

With a crown, the original tooth will be filed down to the enamel and left in place and capped with a crown of porcelain, gold or porcelain fused with metal. The color is matched to the other teeth and the crown will appear to be a regular tooth in your smile.

Besides our prolific attention to the your teeth and keeping them clean and polished, we also take time to help our patients develop better oral hygiene habits at home. If we detect telltale signs of hygienic shortcomings we will recommend changes to your routine to improve your oral health. We can also suggest preventative measures like dental sealants or nightguards if you’re at risk of TMJ or bruxism.

Some gum diseases like gingivitis may need a root scaling or planing procedure to prevent long-term damage like bone loss or tooth loss.

Oral Cancer Screenings

During a dental exam your doctor will check your neck and oral tissues for lumps, colored patches, and sore spots to help detect oral cancer while it is easiest to treat. People who smoke and drink regularly are at the highest risk of developing oral cancel.

Scaling and Root Planing

Scaling and root planing is a non-surgical procedure where plaque and tartar are removed from below the gum line. Special slim tools clean the root surfaces of plaque and tartar and smooth down the surface. This prevents bacteria from getting a foothold in the gums.

Modern life offers a number of ways to stain our teeth, including coffee, wine, food and smoking. This can even happen to people who brush regularly. Teeth whitening restores the natural color to the teeth and can even be made whiter than normal.

We accomplish this by creating impressions of your teeth and using them to make a set of whitening trays. You can wear these trays for less than an hour a day for a few days and receive a dramatic increase in whiteness to your smile.

Please contact us to see if whitening is right for you.

Modern life offers a number of ways to stain our teeth, including coffee, wine, food and smoking. This can even happen to people who brush regularly. Teeth whitening restores the natural color to the teeth, and ZOOM! is one of the fastest ways to whiten teeth

ZOOM! is over and done with in about an hour. ZOOM! is a chairside whitening procedure that combines a whitening gel with low-intensity lights and can get your teeth 6 to 10 shades whiter in one sitting.

See www.Zoomnow.com for more information.

Veneers are thin ceramic shells that hug the existing tooth to correct the appearance of teeth that are stained, cracked, chipped, improperly spaced or misaligned.

First, the client comes in and has their teeth evaluated for the veneers. The traditional process takes up to two weeks to fabricate the veneers and they are placed in a follow up visit. Temporary veneers can be placed during that gap.

Ask your dentist for more information about veneers and to learn how they work.

Dentures are a removable replacement for missing teeth and can replace both full and partial sets of teeth.

For full sets, any remaining teeth are removed. There are two common approaches for full sets.

With Conventional Full Dentures, all the teeth are removed and the tissue is given time to heal. This typically takes several months and the patient is without teeth during that time. Once the healing is complete, the dentures are created.

With Immediate Full Dentures measurements are performed before the teeth are removed, and dentures are ready immediately afterwards. The gum tissue will change shape as it heals and the dentures will need to be tightened later.

The extraction of wisdom teeth is a fairly common procedure. In ancient times, humans would typically lose a few teeth and the remaining teeth would shift to fill in the gap. The wisdom teeth were located in the back of the jaw intended to be deployed in an opening.

Modern dentistry has prevented that tooth loss, so a new problem has come out: Mature wisdom teeth with no place to go start trying to breach the surface at an angle or under existing teeth. Wisdom teeth are also vulnerable to infection and may cause pain and swelling.

For extraction, an incision is made in the gum and the tooth is pulled out. In some cases the tooth may need to be cut into segments and removed in pieces.

Wisdom teeth can be removed individually or all four may be taken out at once. The patient can be placed completely out or have a local anesthetic. Either way, the patient will receive painkillers for after the procedure and will need a ride home.

Root canal has a notorious reputation as a long, scary procedure. The Alfred Hitchcock of dentistry. Fortunately for the patient, medical technology has made this important procedure much quicker and less painful than it was in the past when it earned its dark reputation.

Endodontics are dental procedures that deal with the nerve endings in the root of teeth. Sometimes teeth become infected and those nerves need to be removed to prevent forming an abscess that could lead to loss of parts of the jaw bone.

In a root canal, a local anesthetic is applied and the dentist drills into the tooth, creating an opening that leads to the nerve. The dentist will use this opening to remove infected tissue and will typically replace the tooth with a crown. After the procedure some pain is normal, but can typically be treated with over the counter medicine.

Inlays and onlays are best thought of as partial crowns. Instead of reducing the tooth to a small foundation for an artificial tooth like a crown, decayed areas of the tooth are removed and a mold of the tooth is created and the piece is created in 2 to 3 weeks. Inlays and onlays look natural and work like natural teeth.

Dental procedures have specific recovery rules to ensure your oral surgery heals properly and avoids needless complications. In all cases, you should wait at least two hours after any dental surgery before eating to let the anesthesia wear off. Otherwise, you may bite down on a soft tissue that you are unable to feel. The following are specific instructions for particular procedures. Your doctor or dental assistant will tell you the full details, but here are some of the key points

Root Canal Therapy

Expect a few days of soreness and avoid chewing on the side of the mouth where the procedure was performed to prevent irritating the area. Chewing also can displace the materials placed over the incision before they set properly. You will be given an antibiotic to fight any potential infections. If you notice escalating pain or tenderness, problems with the medication or damage to the restoration material call your dentist immediately.

Crowns and Bridges

While you have your temporary bridge or crown in place, take great care not to dislodge it when eating, brushing or flossing. Sticky or chewy foods or tugging on it could break it off

You may feel sensitivity or irritation immediately after the temporary or permanent piece is placed. This is a normal part of the healing process and you can try some over the counter ache relief or rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Expect the permanent crown or bridge to feel off for a few days while your mouth adjusts for it, but let your dentist knows if it persists.

Bonding

Avoid hot or cold food and drinks for the next few days while the new bonding is sensitive. It will should feel normal after that.

Scaling and Root Planing

To help your gums heal rinse your mouth with warm salt water 2 or 3 times daily to relieve the pain and cleanse the area. Brush and floss as normal, but be gentle to avoid irritation. Swelling and stiffness can be relieved with a cold pack or pain medicine. Avoid hard, sticky and chewy foods for several days and contact your dentist if you experience pain or swelling after that.

Veneers

While you have your temporary veneer in place, take great care not to dislodge it when eating, brushing or flossing. Sticky or chewy foods or tugging on it could break it off

You may feel sensitivity or irritation immediately after the temporary or permanent veneer is placed. This is a normal part of the healing process and you can try some over the counter ache relief or rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Expect the permanent veneer to feel off for a few days while your mouth adjusts for it, but let your dentist knows if it persists.

Extractions

You will need a ride home after the procedure because of the anesthesia. Rest at home, but do not lie flat. Keep your head elevated higher than your heart. Expect the procedure site to bleed a little and use and replace gauze as needed. You will receive pain medication and can also use an ice pack for relief. The procedure site will need to be cleaned regularly while your body fills in the gap.

If bleeding continues for more than 24 hours or the site doesn’t appear to heal properly, call your dentist for help.

Your diet will be limited to soft foods for a few days. Common choices iclude ice cream, soup, pudding, yogurt, hummus, mashed potatoes, and gelatin.