General Dentistry
Helping our patients maintain a healthy mouth and smile is the main goal of general dentistry. We prefer to provide more minor, preventive care than to see patients suffer with more intensive treatments from a problem that was not managed in time. We want to ensure that your oral health is in its optimal state and positively contributing to the health of your entire body. We are here to brighten your smile and pave the way for a brighter life.
Preventative Dentistry
It is important to brush your teeth at least twice daily to help remove plaque and food particles that get stuck to your teeth. It is recommended that you brush your teeth for two minutes (or longer), though most people rush through this time. You need to make sure that you reach every side of each tooth, including the inside and outside. To help keep your breath fresh, you should also brush your tongue. Then, you can begin flossing.
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Cleanings And Exams
Having a dental practice perform a checkup and regular cleaning gives a preventive approach to dental care. These general dentistry treatments help prevent problems with your teeth, gums and jaw bones, or they catch and manage problems before they worsen. During your visit, our doctors will take a picture of the current standing of your dental health and what would be needed to keep your oral hygiene in its best state.
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Teeth Whitening
A common request we receive is how to make a smile whiter and brighter. This is a relatively simple and quick treatment option that can be performed periodically. Certain foods and beverages, such as wine and coffee, stain the teeth and contribute to discoloration. The teeth whitening process provides a solution that lightens the shade of the teeth. Additionally, the process actually rids the teeth of plaque and tartar that tend to lead to dental problems.
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Fillings
Composite fillings act as a dentistry solution for problems such as tooth decay or cracks. A composite filling is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture used to restore decayed teeth. This procedure is also utilized for cosmetic improvements of the smile by fixing any discoloration or reshaping any disfigured teeth.
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Root Canals
Root canals are needed when decay and bacteria spread for too long without treatment. At a certain point, this decay makes it to the pulp inside the tooth. This pulp includes nerves, therefore infection generally causes a lot of pain. Since this is happening on the inside of the tooth, you won’t necessarily see the damage. Instead, you could feel it through pain and notice other signs that include bleeding, swelling and bad breath.
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Extractions
An extraction is performed to remove a tooth, whether because of disease, crowding, or damage. When extractions are required, the area around the tooth will be numbed and your dentist will remove the tooth. A small amount of bleeding is normal, as your mouth will replace the removed tooth root by forming a blood clot in the area.
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Emergency Care
Our highly trained doctors and staff are ready to manage all of your concerns. We have methods to alleviate the pain and help you feel calm during your emergency dental visit.
If you are facing a dental emergency, please don’t hesitate to contact us immediately at (614) 694-0320!
Oral Cancer Screenings
Nobody wants to hear that they may have oral cancer. Although it can be fatal, it is easier to treat the earlier it is caught. For this reason, we are proud to assist our patients with an oral cancer screening. We want to help our patients survive this often fatal disease.
Oral cancer will typically show up as white or red patches or lesions inside of your mouth. You may even notice the lesions on your tongue or on the floor of your mouth. Many people experience a hard time swallowing, bleeding in the mouth, or even swelling in your face or neck.
Sealants
When we apply a dental sealant, we paint a plastic coating on top of your teeth. This makes your teeth smooth getting rid of the rough edges, depressions, and grooves that are commonly found on teeth. It is essentially a protective coating against tooth decay and cavities.
The most common place to paint sealants is on back teeth since they are often irregular. They can also be very hard to reach, even if you brush your teeth regularly. We use it more on children though we do perform sealants on adults too!
Night Guards
It can be beneficial to use a guard, or covering, to protect your teeth from grinding while sleeping. Similar to how a mouthguard protects teeth during sports, this layer prevents damage to the teeth that can occur naturally.
There are a wide variety of different types of mouthguards, ranging from pre-formed pieces to ones that are custom fitted to your teeth and jaws. Some of these can even be formed at home through a boil-and-bite process.
Sports Mouth Guards
As dentists, we are determined to make sure your mouth and teeth are well protected during sports activities, no matter what your passion is. To do this, we offer many different types of mouth guards, depending on the types of activities in which you are involved. There are some mouth guards for low-impact sports and others for high-impact sports.
Mouth guards not only protect your mouth and teeth, but also have other purposes. Mouth guards will help decrease the impact if you get hit in the jaw. They have also been shown to increase an athlete’s performance.
Many people clench their teeth while playing, which can give them temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ). Clenching your jaw the whole time can be quite exhausting. Mouth guards help to relax your jaw, allowing you to completely focus on the game!
TMJ Treatment
At Ohio Family Dentistry, we are proud to offer temporomandibular joint dysfunction, otherwise known as TMJ, treatments to provide relief for our patients. TMJ is caused by an inflammation in the temporomandibular joint, which acts as a sliding hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull.
What are the symptoms of TMJ?
TMJ causes pain and discomfort along the jawbone and can make it painful to even move your jaw. While jaw pain and discomfort don’t always equate to TMJ, if you are also experiencing headaches, trouble chewing, or pain in the face, jaw, and ear, you’re more than likely experiencing TMJ.
Silver Diamine Fluoride
Silver Diamine Fluoride is an FDA-approved antibiotic topical solution that is clinically applied to control active dental caries and prevent further progression of disease. While the traditional way to treat tooth decay is by removing the decay and placing a restoration, this alternative fluoride treatment allows us to stop decay in it’s tracks by noninvasive methods.
Silver Diamine Fluoride is composed of two primary components: silver and fluoride. The Silver acts as an anti-microbial agent that kills the bacteria that break down tooth surfaces while also working to strengthen the underlying protective layer of your teeth called dentin. Fluoride is the active ingredient that halts the tooth decay, helps prevent additional decay from appearing, as well as keeps the bacteria from spreading to the other teeth.
Treatment with Silver Diamine Fluoride will not eliminate the need for restorative dentistry to repair function or aesthetics, but has been highly effective at prevention of further decay and damage. SDF is a safe, painless alternative to traditional cavity drilling procedures.
Cosmetic Dentistry
A beautiful smile is one of the most sought after cosmetic features in the world. People from all backgrounds and professions want a bright, straight smile, and we are here to help turn that desire into reality. Whether through minor adjustments or major treatment plans, our cosmetic dentistry practice aims to improve your smile and help you build confidence in the way your teeth look.
Crowns
Getting crowns is the best way to have a very natural looking smile. They are used when simply filling in a tooth is not an option. There are times when they decay is so bad that we just have to use a porcelain crown. We also use them with severely damaged teeth or teeth that have already had multiple fillings. Porcelain crowns are attached right to your teeth so that they can function, even when you bite something really hard! There are several types of porcelain crowns so it is important to discuss which type is best for you with your dentist.
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Veneers
Porcelain Veneers are wafer-thin, custom-made shells of tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front surface of teeth to improve appearance. These shells are bonded to the front of the teeth changing their color, shape, size, or length. We recommend this treatment to anyone experiencing discoloration that cannot be fixed with whitening or if your teeth are damaged. Porcelain veneers are also an option if you’re unhappy with the shape or look of your natural teeth.
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Bonding
Dental bonding is the procedure where we apply a tooth colored plastic material to a patient’s tooth. Using a special light, the material hardens and bonds the material to the tooth.
Dental bonding is used to improve a patient’s smile. It can be used on cracked and decaying teeth. It also can be used for cavities. It can be used to change the shape and size of your teeth so you have a more uniform smile! It is also commonly used for receding gums by protecting the exposed teeth!
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Restorative Dentistry
Ohio Family Dentistry is committed to offering a full range of dentistry services. Whether you’ve had repairs or need a complete replacement, we recommend continual check-ups to assess your gums and bone density to assess the surrounding areas associated with your implant.
Dentures
If you are missing teeth, dentures can provide a positive solution to improving your oral health. We are proud to provide dentures that are designed to fit your mouth for proper function and unique comfort. Following your appointment, we will provide you with information on at-home care for your dentures. We strongly recommend scheduling follow up appointments for periodic denture cleanings.
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Bridges
When your teeth are missing, it greatly affects your smile. At the same time, the missing tooth has the potential to negatively affect your oral hygiene because of unprotected gum exposure. Dental bridges are one of many options aimed at improving the appearance and function of your teeth by replacing the missing tooth or teeth. During your exam, we will discuss whether or not dental bridges are right for you.
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Dental Implants
When you have missing teeth, an alternative solution to dentures is dental implants. While dentures are removable, dental implants provide permanent new teeth to restore your mouth’s function and appearance. Dental implants tend to offer a successful and lasting solution to the loss of some or all of your teeth.
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