Services

Mouth checkupCleanings and Preventative Check-Ups

Teeth Cleaning by a dental hygienist removes tartar  that often develops in spite of regular brushing and flossing.  Professional cleaning includes tooth scaling, polishing, and debridement if too much tartar has accumulated.  This, combined with good oral hygiene, helps to prevent cavities, tartar build-up, and gum disease.

We recommend a professional cleaning at least twice a year in addition to a routine examination that may include select dental x-rays.

urlCrowns, Bridges, Dentures, Partial Dentures, and Dental Implant Restorations

Crown is a covering made of either cast metal, porcelain, or porcelain fused over metal. It is placed on a tooth to replace a missing structure and reinforce or strengthen it.  Gold crowns are the most durable of these restorations and ideal for non-aesthetic areas where as porcelain crowns are used in aesthetic areas.

Crowns typically require two visits and are used on (1) cracked or broken teeth; (2) teeth where prior fillings occupied more than half of the width of the tooth; (3) to solve cosmetic problems where veneers and bonding are not apt.

bridgeA Bridge, also known as a fixed partial denture, is a dental restoration used to replace a missing tooth by joining permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants.

denturesDentures are a complete set of removable, artificial teeth fitted for both jaws.


Dental Implant Restorations
are typically Titanium cylinders that are surgically placed into the jawbone where original teeth once existed; the titanium cylinders are then used to hold a crown in a spot where a tooth is missing.  Dental Implants may also be used to hold complete dentures in place for added stability and retention.

digitalxrayDigital X-Rays

X-ray images, also called dental radiographs, are among the most valuable tools a dentist has for keeping your mouth and teeth healthy.  At our office we only use Digital X-Rays, a more efficient, modern type of radiograph, which also uses up to 80% less radiation than conventional radiographs.

For adults, radiographs can:

  • Show areas of decay that your dentist may not be able to see with just a visual examination, such as tiny pits of decay that might occur between teeth
  • Find decay that is developing underneath an existing filling
  • Find cracks or other damage in an existing filling
  • Alert the dentist to possible bone loss associated with periodontal (gum) disease
  • Reveal  infection or death of the nerve
  • Help your dentist plan, prepare and place tooth implants, orthodontic treatments, dentures or other dental work
  • Reveal other abnormalities such as cysts, cancer and changes associated with metabolic and systemic diseases (such as Paget’s disease and lymphoma)
  • For children, radiographs are used to watch for decay and to monitor tooth growth and development. Dentists will use periodic X-rays to see whether a space in the mouth exists to fit all the new teeth, whether primary teeth are being lost quickly enough to allow permanent teeth to erupt properly, whether extra (supernumerary) teeth are developing or whether any teeth are impacted (unable to emerge through the gums). Often, major problems can be prevented by catching small developmental problems early and then making accommodations.

We would like to reassure you about the necessity of the x-rays taken. A full mouth series of 18 to 21 x-rays or a set of bitewings and a panorex x-ray is standard of care for a new patient verses annual bitewing cavity detecting x-rays. A full set of x-rays is important for new patients, just like taking a medical history is important. If you meet a new dentist with just four bitewing x-rays it is like meeting a new friend and not sharing your full name. We want to know your “full name” or your complete dental story when we first meet you and then we can look forward to updates, both personal and just four x-rays in the visits to come along the way (typically we take four bitewing x-rays once a year). We look forward to seeing you soon at your next visit, Team Saville.

perioPeriodontal Therapy Including Scaling and Root Planing

Plaque is a mixture of bacteria, minerals and some food leftovers: the bacteria provides a substrate and the minerals harden it with time, turning into to tartar.  Plaque is removable with routine brushing; tartar is not.  Tartar causes inflammation of the gums.  Chronic inflammation of the gums isGingivitis.

Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing is a specialized skill that removes plaque and tartar from the root of the tooth, which is made up of cementum, a substance that is softer than enamel and consequently more vulnerable.  By scaling substrate from the cementum, bacteria have nothing to cling to and, therefore, tartar does not form.  This is an important part of stopping and preventing periodontal disease.

Root Canal Therapy and Extractions

Root CanalA Root Canal, or Endodontic Therapy, is the process of removing the nerve tissue and blood vessels from the infected pulp chamber of a tooth; cleaning and shaping this chamber; irrigating it; and filling with a cement.  The result: the infected tooth is decontaminated and protected from future microbial invasion.

dental_extractionA Dental Extraction is, simply put, the removal of a tooth from the mouth.  Reasons for extraction can range from damage, decay, infection,  fractures,  severe gum disease, preparation for braces, or to make more space available in the mouth for incoming teeth.

Sealants, Tooth Colored Fillings, Inlays, and Onlays

dental_sealantsA Sealant is a protective coating painted into the grooves on the biting surface of the back teeth with deep pits and consequently more susceptible to decay than others.  Sealants last around seven years, are placed without discomfort, and prevent cavities.

Tooth-Colored Fillings are made from durable plastics called composite resins. Similar in color and texture to natural teeth, the fillings are less noticeable and, hence, more aesthetically pleasing.

A Dental Inlay is a gold or porcelain filling  fitted to a tooth and cemented into place at a location where decay (a Cavity) is removed in a tooth and cemented into place.   An Onlay is the same as an Inlay, except that it extends to replace the cusp of a tooth.

bleachtrayTeeth Whitening, Bondings, and Porcelain Veneers

White teeth are essential to a beautiful smile, and nothing does the job like our Custom Whitening Trays.  Whitening treatment is not permanent and will probably have to be repeated every 3 to 5 years.

Custom Fitted Whitening Trays save you money in the long-run as opposed to other whitening solutions: (1)  Our trays are durable and can be reused.  All you need is a new package of bleaching gel, which can typically be found for less than a pack of Crest whitening strips.  (2) Because they are a perfect fit for your teeth, you use less bleaching gel.  Also, less gel is leaked from the trays.

A Veneer is a thin layer of porcelain bonded to the tooth surface to either protect a damaged area or improve aesthetics.  A composite, or Bondings, can also be used for this.