- Preventative Dentistry
- Filling & Cosmetic Dentistry
- Implants
- Children's Dentistry
The Perlmutter dental team is dedicated to working with patients to prevent problems before they arise. While we will be there when you need us, our aim is to arm you with what you need to take care of your own oral health.
And it’s never too late to start. If you still have your own teeth, we can put you on a path to a happier smile.
The two main causes of tooth loss are decay and gum disease. With modern dental treatments, we can prevent or substantially reduce the risk of these problems.
We will carefully assess your oral condition on your first visit and on each subsequent checkup. Then we will design a personalized plan of care, showing you how to properly floss and brush, and advise you about fluoride products and diet.
Our hygienists will do thorough cleanings, removing any build-up of plaque and tartar. These are the main causes of gum disease, which can lead to receding gums and tooth loss.
We can also apply sealants when necessary, covering the pits and grooves on your back biting teeth, which can be hard to clean and where decay can set it. We can also tailor-make night guards for patients inflicted with bruxism – chronic teeth grinding that can destroy teeth, ruin fillings and damage your smile.
We can even help address persistent halitosis (bad breath), with methods that include removing bacteria in your gums and on your tongue with cleaning and rinses, as well as putting you on a special plan of home care.
Our aim is to help you keep your own teeth, in healthy condition, for a lifetime.
Crowns and Bridges
Replacing missing teeth is more than a matter of maintaining a good smile. Gaps left by missing teeth can cause the remaining teeth to rotate or shift into the empty spaces, which may result in problems with normal biting. The imbalance caused by missing teeth can also lead to gum disease and interfere with the ability to speak and chew.
When a tooth becomes badly damaged or decayed or has been restored multiple times, the result is a tooth composed of more filling than natural tooth. A filling is no longer adequate to keep the tooth strong. The best solution for these teeth is to fit a crown (also referred to as a cap) over it. The crown can also be used to improve the appearance of misshapen or discoloured teeth.
Crowns may be fabricated from cast gold, other metals, porcelain or a combination, depending on the position, function and appearance of the tooth needing to be fixed.
Bridges are employed to replace one or more missing teeth, spanning the gap in your mouth. Bridges are cemented to the natural teeth or implants, called abutments, surrounding the empty space. A replacement tooth, or a ‘pontic,’ is attached to the crowns that cover the abutments. Porcelain or ceramic bridges can be matched to the colour of your natural teeth. Bridges are cemented over the abutment or anchor teeth and are not removable.
As with crowns, you have a choice of materials for bridges, which is governed by considerations such as the location of the missing teeth, aesthetics, how important the missing teeth are to chewing, and cost.
Extractions
Your teeth are designed to last a lifetime. As your dentists, we will do everything in our power to preserve them. That said, sometimes tooth extraction (removal) is necessary. This may be because of crowding, decay, infection or an impacted wisdom tooth.
The extraction procedure will be explained to you ahead of time, so you know what to expect. The proper applications of anesthetic and advanced dental techniques should that the procedure be done with the least amount of discomfort to the patient.
After the extraction, we will work to ensure your smooth recovery. The process includes measures to stop infection and bleeding, and recommendations for pain relief, reducing swelling and diet. We will also schedule follow-up care appointments as needed.
Tooth Whitening
Having a white smile is not as easy as Hollywood makes it appear. Teeth can be discoloured by tobacco, beverages, such as coffee and red wine, and a variety of foods. Calculus or tartar can also affect the colour of teeth. Staining under the surface can be caused by certain antibiotics or tiny cracks that hold the stains. Aging can also a culprit.
The truth is, few of us are born with brilliant white smiles. In most cases, the natural colour of teeth falls within a range of light greyish-yellow shades. That said, steps can be taken to brighten your smile.
In our office we now offer 2 popular ways to whiten your teeth:
- IN OFFICE BLEACHING: This procedure involves a 90 minute visit where the bleach is applied to your teeth and a special light expedites the action of the bleach. The end result is immediate. This method is NOT recommended to patients with sensitive teeth.
- TAKE HOME BLEACHING: We fabricate custom trays from models of the patient’s teeth. They are given bleach to place in these trays and wear for 30 min, 2X/day for 2 weeks. Brushing with a special bleach mixed in toothpaste. The net result is the same as the In Office Bleaching, but there is less risk of tooth sensitivity, at a lower cost.
Veneers
Dental veneers are extremely thin, tailor-made shells that cover the front surface of teeth to improve your appearance by changing their colour, shape, size, or length. Veneers are usually made of porcelain or composite resin.
Porcelain veneers are stronger than composites. A thin layer of the enamel is removed from your teeth to make room for the veneers, which are created from molds of your teeth. While they are being made in the laboratory, temporary veneers may be put in place. Several days later we remove the temporary material and put a mild chemical on your teeth to roughen them a little, helping the porcelain veneers to stick. The porcelain veneers are then bonded to your teeth, using composite resin cement.
They generally last at least 5-10 years and do not stain or change colour. They also better mimic the light-reflecting properties of natural teeth.
With composite resin veneers, the resin is applied on your tooth in layers. When the last layer is hardened, we shape and polish the veneer to form your tooth, colour-matching it to your other teeth. Although there is less removal of enamel, resin veneers generally do not last as long as porcelain (usually not more than 4-5 years) and are not as strong or as colour-stable.
White Fillings
A smile should draw attention to itself and not recent dental work. Tooth-coloured fillings can be matched to your real tooth colour, so no one can tell that you have had work done. In almost all cases, routine restorations (fillings) are now done by bonding composite resin (a type of plastic) to your teeth to fill them.
If you are missing a tooth or teeth, implants are a natural-looking, comfortable way to replace them. As an effective alternative to bridges and dentures, titanium implants in the jawbone can serve in place of missing roots and act as an anchor for new, artificial replacement teeth.
To determine if you are a suitable candidate for implants, we must review your medical status, X-rays of your jaw and teeth and do a comprehensive assessment of your mouth and gums. If your jawbone has shrunk or not developed normally, you may need a bone graft to build up sufficient mass to support implants.
During the first stage of surgery, a dental implant will be put into your jawbone beneath the gum tissue. The implant will integrate into the bone over several months. A temporary appliance may be used here for chewing and cosmetic appearances in the meantime.
Once the tissue is healed, we will attach an abutment to the implant. We use this post to hold the final artificial replacement tooth, which is carefully fitted over a few appointments.
We want your child to leave our office smiling – on their first visit and every one that follows.
We realize that we are setting up an important lifelong relationship that will remain essential to your children’s oral health. We understand children and their fear of the unknown. With compassion and patience, we do what it takes to win them over, so fear is replaced by trust.
Our bond with kids often begins before their first tooth comes in, at about six months of age. Besides examinations, our most important role in the early years is to help you, the parents, understand how to look after their baby and incoming teeth, providing advice about diet and home care.
And we will work with you through each stage of your child’s development, whether it’s when their first teeth come in, or as they start to get a gap-toothed smile with the arrival of permanent teeth. We know how important it is to keep the baby teeth healthy; not only because they are space holders for adult teeth, but because they are essential for chewing, speech, appearance and healthy development of the mouth as well.
If emergency care for your children’s teeth is ever required, we will be there. We can also do orthodontic assessments and, when kids become active in sports, specially fit athletic mouth guards.
Our goal is to help your children lead a life of good oral health, providing them the tools, techniques and information they need to look after themselves as they age. We will supply advice on cleaning, rinsing and flossing and help to instil a lifelong commitment to regular dental checkups, ensuring prevention of problems before they arise.
While your child will leave happily from his/her first visit with a toy, our greatest gift to him/her will be a lifetime of happy smiles.