1. INTRODUCTION 2. EXAMINATION 3. COSMETIC DENTISTRY 4. IMPLANTS 5. ORTHOPEDICS 6. ORTHODONTICS 7. GUM DISEASE 8. ROOT CANALS 9. TMJ 10. SEDATION
Our office provides family care including cosmetic treatments, orthodontic and orthopedic care, surgical care, interceptive periodontal therapy, crowns, esthetic fillings, root canal treatments, dentures, partial dentures, bridgework, implant restorative, and bleaching. We see children starting at age 3 for cleanings and check ups(should this young child need treatment we will refer to the appropriate specialist), children age 5 and older can usually be treated in our office setting in our child treatment room where they can watch movies or play Nintendo. We keep up with current technology without jumping on the bandwagon before a new product or technique has proven itself. Once something has been available long enough for independant non biased evaluations, we consider it to provide to our patients. We subscribe to several independant non profit news letters that evaluate new things on the market so that we can make informed decisions that affect your care MANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE REGARDING DENTAL TREATMENTS CAN BE ANSWERED IN OUR PATIENT EDUCATION SECTION!
Our exam entails determining your chief concern, a health history, visual evaluation of the teeth and soft tissues,and x-ray interpretation. We are checking for decay, gum disease, early cancer signs, and other concerns that can affect your overall health. To aid in this process we utilize magnification loops and an intra-oral camera so that you can see what we see.
COSMETIC DENTISTRY IS ABOUT GETTING YOU THE SMILE YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED OPTIONS INCLUDE: "ZOOOOOOM BLEACHING" AS SEEN ON EXTREME MAKEOVERS ON TV( A laser like light is used to activate special tooth whitening gel) "STATE OF THE ART COMPUTER MILLED CERAMICS" The latest most advanced tooth restorations available---CERCON, WOLCERAM The latest in pressed ceramics---EMPRESS. "VENEERS" --VERY NATURAL PORCELAIN RESURFACING OF YOUR TEETH 'IMPLANT TOOTH REPLACEMENT OF MISSING TEETH"---a new "tooth" where one was missing. "TOOTH COLORED FILLINGS, INLAYS, AND ONLAYS" "GUM SCULPTING" to achieve more desireable contours "TOOTH RESHAPING"----selective smoothing of tooth edges to achieve a more pleasing appearance (we often do this complimentary with a full cleaning exam and xrays)
Veneers with natural smile
Veneers to alter the color of the teeth.
Natural looking cemented bridge
Cosmetic inlays, onlays, and fillings
Implants are basically metal roots that are placed into the jaw bone. This allows for replacement of teeth without the needless cutting down of otherwise healthy teeth. Implants also allow for the stabilization of dentures and other appliances. This case shown is of individual implants and veneers placed to restore a great smile.
Dental Orthopedics is the use of appliances to guide growth and developement of the jaws. It is not unusual today to see the effects of abnormal function. This includes thumb sucking, lip chewing, tongue thrusting, and especially airway breathing problems. Allergies, tonsils, and adnoids are but a few of the causes of MOUTH BREATHING! Your teeth and bone are where they are due to the effects of surrounding muscles, tongue pushing out, cheeks/lips pushing in. When you mouth breathe the upper teeth get pushed in by the cheeks/lips, but because the tongue is BELOW them, they have no outward force to counteract the face muscles. NET RESULT; Crowded teeth, Flattened midface, Small constricted sinuses(upper jaw makes up the floor of the nose and sinuses), and even TMJ. Small or malpositioned jaws can be due to lack of developement of these bones for no apparant reason other than inheritance. These situations can also be addressed by orthopoedics. We evaluate the maturation of the neck vertebra to determine when the best time to intervene is. RESEARCH SHOWS THE BEST TIME TO EXPAND THE JAWS, AND PROMOTE FORWARD GROWTH OF THE UPPER JAW IS AROUND AGE 5 TO 8, AND THE BEST TIME TO BRING THE LOWER JAW FORWARD IS IN THAT 8 TO 10 RANGE. The following pictures show a retainer type of appliance, and then the type of space that can be created (note the position of the arrow in both pictures and the space that was created for a whole tooth).
Modern orthodontic treatment objectives should involve more than just straight teeth. Concern should be given to facial appearance and the health of the TMJ (jaw joint).Children and adults can both be treated with current appliances using either faster metal brackets or the somewhat slower tooth colored brackets. In order to provide you with appropriate treatment we take thorough records and utilize computer assisted analysis.
This treatment can now be performed without discomfort. Treatment time is less due to the advance of materials and electric rotory instrumentation. And more often than not, this can be done in one appointment, making this a more tolerable experience. For more information please go to our patient education section.
For surgery and other procedures, Dr. Tritton is certified by the State of Texas to provide oral conscious sedation. We use some of the latest equipment to continually monitor your vital signs.
Should you require IV sedation, for example, during the removal of wisdom teeth, we can arrange for treatment in our office provided through the services of another Doctor and his critical care Nurse.
Joint problems can elicit many symptoms. These include headaches, migraines, ringing in the ears, abcess like pain in the teeth, muscle pain, joint clicking, joint pain, diminished hearing, and others. Initial treatment entails relief of your immediate symptoms. THE NEWEST APPLIANCE THAT IS HAVING A VERY HIGH SUCCESS RATE IS THE NTI APPLIANCE. PATIENTS HAVE REPORTED ALMOST IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR DISCOMFORT LEVEL.. ( additional info can be obtained at their website) Once symptoms have been alieved, a decision is made to restore your bite to a position more favored by your muscles and nerves, or to remain dependant on wearing an appliance. If you elect to reposition your bite this can be done through crown work, orthodontics, or removeable overlay partials.
You can see the area to the right (the dark area is the hole for the ear) highlighted in pink, is more narrow than the area in green. This causes compression of blood vessels and nerves responsible for many of the symptoms
This xray shows more space in this area representing a more healthy jaw position (this film is reversed from the other)