Common Procedures

Regular Exams and Cleanings

Regular dental exams help maintain your oral health and catch potential issues early. During your comprehensive exam, we check for cavities, signs of tooth decay, and evaluate your gums for gingivitis or periodontal disease. Each visit includes a thorough professional cleaning to remove tartar and plaque buildup that regular brushing cannot eliminate.

During your regular exam, we will:

• Check for any problems that you may not see or feel
• Look for cavities or any other signs of tooth decay
• Inspect your teeth and gums for gingivitis and signs of periodontal disease
• Perform a thorough teeth cleaning

Your exam typically takes about 45 minutes and provides an opportunity to discuss any concerns about your oral health with Dr. Aaron. We recommend scheduling exams and cleanings every six months to maintain optimal dental health. Contact us to schedule your next preventive care appointment at Rose Dental.

Bridges

Dental bridges replace missing teeth while maintaining your facial structure and bite alignment. A bridge uses artificial teeth to literally bridge the gap left by one or more missing teeth, preventing other teeth from shifting out of position.

Your bridge can be crafted from porcelain, gold, metal alloys, or a combination of materials, depending on the location and your preferences. The restoration bonds to surrounding teeth for support and stability. Since the success of any bridge depends on the health of structures, including the jaw bone, maintaining strong natural teeth, gums, and bone through preventive care remains essential for long-term results and preventing further tooth loss.

Dentures

Dentures provide natural-looking tooth replacement for patients with missing teeth. Full dentures replace an entire arch of teeth, while partial dentures fill specific gaps and attach to a metal framework connected to your remaining natural teeth. These false teeth restore both function and appearance to your smile.

Like natural teeth, dentures require proper daily care. Clean your dentures with a gentle cleanser, keep them moist when not in use, and maintain good oral hygiene for your gums and tongue. For patients seeking more stability than traditional dentures provide, dental implants can serve as secure anchors for your artificial teeth, particularly for lower dentures that tend to shift during eating and speaking.

Fillings

At Rose Dental, we do not use traditional silver amalgam fillings due to health concerns about elemental mercury release into the body. Instead, we provide biocompatible composite resin fillings that match your natural teeth and provide durable restoration for cavities and tooth decay.

For patients with existing silver amalgam fillings, we offer safe removal using the IAOMT S.M.A.R.T. protocol, which protects you, our team, and the environment from mercury contamination during the removal process. Modern composite fillings can be used throughout your mouth and are particularly valued for front teeth where appearance matters. Depending on the extent of damage, we may recommend direct fillings (placed in one visit) or indirect restorations like inlays or onlays (requiring two visits). Many dentists now prefer these biocompatible materials over traditional amalgam.

Mouthguards

Protecting your teeth during sports activities is essential, whether you wear braces or not. Mouthguards cushion impacts and help prevent dental injuries to teeth and gums during full-contact sports or activities with risk of facial impact that could cause broken teeth.

The American Dental Association recommends mouthguards for any contact sports. You can choose from pre-made options, “boil-and-bite” styles, or custom made mouthguards from our office. An effective mouthguard should be tear-resistant, comfortable, well-fitted, easy to clean, and allow proper breathing. We can help you select the right mouthguard and demonstrate proper wear and care techniques to protect your smile and natural teeth.

Sealants

Even thorough regular brushing cannot always reach the tiny cracks and grooves on tooth surfaces, particularly on back molars. These hard-to-clean areas can harbor bacteria and develop cavities over time. Dental sealants provide an extra layer of protection by filling these grooves with a smooth, thin layer of protective coating.

Sealants consist of plastic resin that bonds to your tooth enamel, creating a barrier against plaque and tooth decay. While commonly applied to children’s permanent teeth as a preventive measure during a dental exam, adults can also benefit from sealants on healthy teeth. Sealants typically last three to five years, though many patients still have intact sealants from their late teens. If your sealants wear down or come off, we can easily reapply them during a regular visit.

Wisdom Teeth

A wisdom tooth typically emerges in the late teens or early twenties but often becomes impacted due to insufficient jaw space or improper angle of entry. Impacted teeth can cause gum tenderness, swelling, jaw pain, and increased risk of cavities and infection due to difficulty cleaning partially erupted teeth.

Wisdom tooth removal in late adolescence or early twenties is often easier because tooth roots haven’t fully formed and the surrounding bone is less dense, which can shorten recovery time. During extraction, we numb the area thoroughly and may need to remove a portion of the covering bone to access impacted teeth. We often section wisdom teeth into smaller pieces to minimize bone removal. Recovery time varies based on extraction complexity, and we provide detailed aftercare instructions to ensure comfortable healing. This common dental procedure helps prevent future problems with your oral health.