Composite Fillings (White Fillings)
Composite fillings (white/tooth colored) fillings are used to repair teeth damaged by cavities, cracks, and fractures. Because of the many colors available Dr. Nugent will be able to closely match the composite fillings color to your teeth. Composite fillings have the advantage of being able to chemically bond to your teeth allowing Dr. Nugent to be more conservative and leave more of your natural tooth.
Beautiful Results / No Pain
Amalgam Fillings
Amalgam Fillings (silver/metal fillings) have an extremely long history in dentistry. Dr Nugent rarely uses amalgams anymore because of the tremendous advancements of composite fillings and the fact that amalgams are not cosmetic. However, in certain situations amalgams fillings will work better.
Dr. Nugent has two amalgam fillings in his own teeth and will not have them replaced until they start to fail. The American Dental Association Code of Ethics states “the removal of amalgam restorations from the non-allergic patient for the alleged purpose of removing toxic substances from the body, when such treatment is performed solely at the recommendation or suggestion of the dentist, is improper and unethical”.
Crowns
Crowns (caps) completely cover your tooth giving it 360 degrees of protections and strength. There are several types of crowns that are available: gold, porcelain fused to a metal substructure and metal free crowns. If you need a crown Dr. Nugent will discuss the different types and will give his recommendation on what type of crown will work best for you.
Reasons for crowns:
- Severely decayed teeth
- Previous large fillings that have failed
- Broken and fractured teeth
- Cracked teeth
- Cosmetics
- Tooth has had a root canal
Bridges
Dental bridges are non-removable appliances that use your existing teeth as anchors and have fake teeth between those anchors. A bridge can fill in missing spaces, retain facial shape, prevent teeth from shifting, restore chewing surfaces, and rebuild your smile.
Dentures and Removable Partial Dentures
For patients missing all or numerous teeth then dentures are an option. Complete dentures are for patients who are missing all their teeth or what few teeth that are left are not able to be saved. Removable partial dentures are used when the patient has some good teeth and some missing spaces. The removable partial denture fills in the missing spaces. The most frequent complaints Dr. Nugent hears about dentures are that 1) the denture is to bulky 2) denture not stable 3) patients dislike taking the dentures in and out and 4) denture alters the taste of food. Therefore, Dr. Nugent will discuss with you the options of dentures and the numerous ways to upgrade your treatment from the old ways of plain dentures and removable partial dentures to current state of the art dental options. This can be done by incorporating implants in to the treatment plan to help stabilize and reduce the bulk of the appliance. By using several implants, a dental implant denture can be made that does not come out.
Root Canals
Root canals are necessary when the dental pulp (nerve) is injured, diseased and ultimately dies. The most common causes of pulp death are extensive decay, deep fillings, trauma, cracks in the tooth and periodontal (gum) disease. The necrotic pulp tissue must be removed and the inside of the tooth sterilized. Then the inside of the tooth is sealed and then a final restoration can be performed.
Extractions
Sometimes teeth cannot be saved and must be taken out. Dr. Nugent does simple and surgical extractions.
