Restorative Care
Gallagher Dentistry & Facial Pain Center offers restorative dentistry services to restore teeth back to health. Some of these restorations include crowns, bridges, onlays, and implants. Read more about these below.
Dental Bridges
Gallagher Dentistry & Facial Pain Center offers procedures for dental bridges. Missing teeth can affect a person’s appearance and self-confidence, causing a person with missing teeth not to smile as often because the teeth play an important role in giving shape to the face. Missing teeth cause the face to appear less full and symmetrical. Eating and talking are sometimes difficult for those who have lost teeth due to injury, tooth decay, or other oral health issues. Bridges can last up to 15 years, giving patients a long-term solution to their missing teeth.
What happens during the procedure for bridges at Gallagher Dentistry & Facial Pain Center?
Bridges are a combination of crowns, also known as caps, and a replacement tooth. The first step of the procedure is to place crowns on both sides of the gap where the tooth is missing. The natural teeth are contoured by removing some of the enamel from the surface of the teeth in order to make room for the new bridge. Next, the dentist makes an impression of the teeth for the dental lab to fabricate the bridge. While the bridge is being created at a lab, the dentist may provide the patient with a temporary bridge. For the final step in the procedure, the bridge is inserted into the mouth, and the dentist checks the fit of the new bridge. The dentist uses a special cement to permanently adhere the bridge in the mouth.
When can normal activities resume after the procedure for bridges?
In general, patients in Eden Prairie, Minneapolis and surrounding areas of Minnesota are able to return to their normal activities immediately after their procedure for bridges. Some patients may need to adjust to eating and speaking with their new bridges.
Is there any pain associated with the procedure for bridges?
The most common symptom reported by patients is mild discomfort. Over-the-counter pain medications may help the patient remain comfortable. The fit of the bridge should be comfortable and not cause mouth irritation. Patients who experience soreness or other symptoms should contact Gallagher Dentistry & Facial Pain Center for a follow-up appointment.
Dental Lab Crowns & CEREC
Dental Lab Crowns
Gallagher Dentistry & Facial Pain Center offer lab crowns. Lab crowns, also known as caps fit over the natural teeth, and help protect teeth that have been weakened by tooth decay or cracks, have been worn down, poorly shaped or discolored.
What happens during the first procedure for crowns at Gallagher Dentistry & Facial Pain Center?
The dentist reshapes the sides and top of the tooth to make room for the new crown. In cases when the patient has lost part of the tooth due to decay or injury, the dentist will use a special material to build-up the understructure. After the tooth has been prepared for the crown, the dentist takes an impression to send to the lab to fabricate the crown. The dentist will place a temporary crown until the permanent crown is complete. This process typically takes 2 to 3 weeks before the dentist will place a temporary crown until the permanent crown is complete.
During the final appointment, the dentist checks the fit of the permanent crown and administers local anesthetic. Using special cement, the dentist adheres the permanent crown to the natural tooth.
What Precautions should be taken with a temp crown?
Patients who receive temporary crowns should avoid sticky and hard foods. Chewing should be done on the opposite side of the mouth if possible. When flossing the temporary crown, slide the floss from between the teeth rather than lifting it out of the teeth.
Is there any pain associated with the procedure for crowns?
Some patients may experience mild discomfort after the procedure. The tooth may be sensitive to hot/cold. If this happens the dentist may need to adjust the bite of the new crown.
CEREC
Gallagher Dentistry & Facial Pain Center is proud to offer the CEREC procedure to our patients. CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics also known as CEramic REConstruction or some refer it as a “same day crown”. This system allows us to design and make our own crowns, inlays or onlays here in our office. This means the dentist will prepare the tooth and cement the permanent crown all in the same appointment. Without a CEREC machine a crown is done in two appointments with impressions/molds taken and sent to a lab to be made. This means the patient has to wear a temporary crown for about two weeks and return to have the permanent restoration cemented.
An exam will determine if a tooth is in need of a crown and the dentist will decide if it is eligible for a CEREC or “same day crown”.
What to expect during this procedure
To make the procedure comfortable the dentist will administer local anesthesia to the area. The tooth/teeth are then prepared by removing any old filling material or crown that may be present, and all decay is removed. If excessive decay was removed, it may be necessary to rebuild the foundation of the tooth, or what is known as a “build-up”, to strengthen the base for the crown. After the tooth is completely prepared the dentist will take 3D images of your teeth and design the crown. A milling unit sculpts the restoration from a block of porcelain. The dentist will check it for proper fit and then permanently cement the restoration.
Post-op Care
There is little to no down time needed for CEREC or “same day crowns” since you will receive the permanent crown that day and use it right away. However, if you are still numb from the local anesthesia wait until you have full feeling back before eating, so as to chew/bite your lip accidently. It is normal to have temporary tenderness in gums after the numbness wears off due to the preparation of the tooth. If any discomfort becomes painful and persistent, please call the office.
Composite Fillings
Small holes form in the surface of the tooth, causing a cavity. If untreated, the cavity may lead to further damage. Fillings help repair a tooth that has been damaged by tooth decay. Composite fillings are made from materials, plastic or glass, which closely match the color of the patient’s natural teeth. Patients should note that some insurance companies cover composite fillings only for front teeth, while other insurance companies may not cover composite fillings at all.
What happens during the procedure for composite fillings at Gallagher Dentistry & Facial Pain Center?
Our dentist administers local or topical anesthesia to the teeth, gums, and area around the affected tooth. Using a special drill, the dentist removes the decay from the tooth. The hole is filled with composite material.
When can normal activities resume after the procedure for composite fillings?
The gums and teeth are typically numb after the procedure for composite fillings. Patients should exercise caution when eating and drinking until the numbness resolves.
Is there any pain associated with the procedure for composite fillings?
The dentist may administer anesthesia to make sure the patient is comfortable during the procedure. After the procedure the composite fillings, some patients experience mild discomfort. The discomfort should resolve within one day, and over the counter pain medications may help the patient remain comfortable.
Endodontics
Endodontics is a specialty for the diagnosis and treatment of oral health concerns involving the nerve canals of the teeth. Root canal therapy is used to treat damaged or infected area in the pulp of the tooth.
What causes cracks in the teeth?
While teeth are designed to withstand enormous amounts of pressure, teeth may crack under certain conditions; for example, chewing on hard objects, such as ice, raw popcorn kernels, and pens may cause the teeth to crack. Clenching and grinding the teeth may also cause cracks.
What are the signs of cracked teeth?
Often times cracked teeth are not visible in the mouth or on an x-ray. Certain activities may cause the fracture to move and rub together. Patients who report sharp pains while chewing or sensitivity to hot and cold, may have cracked teeth. The discomfort may subside and return.
How does endodontics repair a cracked tooth?
Treatment for a cracked tooth depends on the type of fracture in the tooth. Craze lines are tiny fractures in the enamel, or surface, of the tooth. These tiny lines can be seen on the surface of the tooth but do not cause pain. Craze lines typically do not require treatment. The cusp is the pointed part of the chewing surface of the tooth. When the cusp is fractured, a piece of the tooth may fall off, or a dentist may need to remove the broken cusp. In most cases, a fracture to the cusp of the tooth does not damage the pulp inside the tooth, and endodontics procedures are not required. In these cases, the dentist may use a crown to repair the tooth.
Endodontics is required for cracked and split teeth. Teeth are considered cracked when the crack extends from the chewing surface toward the root of the tooth. If the crack extends into the root, the tooth is considered untreatable and must be extracted. If the crack does not extend into the root below the gums, root canal treatment is used to repair the crack. A crown is placed over the tooth to keep the crack from splitting the tooth. If a tooth splits, the tooth may need to be extracted. In some cases, endodontics can be used to save a portion of the split tooth.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy is used to treat damaged or infected area in the pulp of the tooth. Significant tooth decay, cracked teeth, trauma or having several dental procedures done to a tooth may result in a root canal. Once the pulp or nerve of the tooth is damaged, patients may experience symptoms such as tenderness, swelling, temperature sensitivity or an abscess that drains. Most often these teeth can be treated in the office; however we may consult with a group of experienced Endodontists (root canal specialists) in some cases.