Services

At Selwyn Family Dental, we understand that dental health is a crucial component of your overall well-being. One common dental procedure that we perform on a daily basis.

What is Root Canal Treatment?

A root canal is a dental procedure designed to save and repair a severely damaged or infected tooth. It becomes necessary when the pulp, the soft tissue inside the tooth, becomes inflamed or infected due to decay, trauma, or other dental issues.

The Procedure:

    Assessment: Our experienced team will first conduct a thorough examination, including X-rays, to identify the extent of the damage and assess the need for a root canal.

    Anesthesia: Before the procedure begins, local anesthesia is administered to ensure your comfort throughout the process.

    Cleaning and Shaping: The dentist will access the infected pulp, remove it, and clean the interior of the tooth. The root canals are then shaped to prepare for the filling.

    Filling: Once cleaned and shaped, the empty space is filled with a biocompatible material called gutta-percha to seal the canals and prevent further infection.

    Restoration: In most cases, a crown is placed on the treated tooth to restore its strength and protect it from future damage.

Benefits of Root Canal Treatment:

    Pain Relief: Root canal treatment alleviates the pain caused by an infected tooth, providing long-term relief.

    Preservation of Tooth: Instead of extracting the tooth, a root canal allows us to save and preserve your natural tooth.

    Prevention of Spread: By removing the infected pulp, we prevent the spread of infection to surrounding tissues.

At Selwyn Family Dental, our dedicated team is committed to providing compassionate and effective root canal treatment. We prioritize your comfort and ensure that your experience is as stress-free as possible.

If you are experiencing tooth pain or suspect you may need a root canal, contact us today to schedule a consultation. Your oral health is our priority, and we are here to help you achieve a confident and healthy smile.

Most root canal treatments are successful. But in some rare cases, a second root canal treatment is needed. This is called retreatment. When retreating a tooth, the root canal filling material is taken out and the canal is cleaned, reshaped and refilled.

Root Canal Surgery 

Sometimes root canal surgery is needed when a regular root canal treatment cannot be done or when it has not worked. Surgery is done to: 

Check the end of the root for fractures (cracks).

Remove parts of the root that could not be cleaned during regular root canal treatment.

Clear up an infection that did not heal after regular treatment.

Smile restoration involves enhancing the appearance and function of a person's smile through dental procedures. This may include cosmetic treatments like teeth whitening, veneers, and bonding, as well as restorative procedures such as dental implants, crowns, and bridges. The goal is to create a natural-looking and aesthetically pleasing smile while ensuring optimal oral health. At Selwyn Family Dental we tailor treatment plans to individual needs, offering a holistic approach to achieve a confident and radiant smile.

Comprehensive Dental Care:

        Emphasize that smile restoration involves a range of dental treatments and procedures to address multiple aspects of a patient's smile, ensuring a holistic and customized approach.

Cosmetic and Restorative Procedures:

        Outline the cosmetic dentistry procedures involved, such as teeth whitening, veneers, or bonding, to enhance the appearance of the teeth. Additionally, mention restorative procedures like dental implants, crowns, or bridges that address structural issues.

Personalized Treatment Plans:

        Communicate the dentist's commitment to creating individualized treatment plans based on the unique needs and goals of each patient, considering both the aesthetic and functional aspects of their smile.

State-of-the-Art Technology:

        Highlight the use of advanced dental technology and modern techniques in smile restoration, ensuring precision, efficiency, and optimal results.

Before-and-After Showcase:

        Include a gallery or examples of before-and-after photos of patients who have undergone smile restoration procedures. This visual representation can help potential patients understand the transformative impact of the treatments.

Patient Testimonials:

        Share positive experiences and testimonials from patients who have undergone smile restoration at the dental practice. This adds credibility and reassurance to potential patients seeking similar services.

Expertise of the Dental Team:

        Showcase the skills and expertise of the dental professionals involved in smile restoration, including their qualifications and experience in cosmetic and restorative dentistry.

If one or more of your teeth are missing, there are a number of ways to replace them. An alternative to bridges, partials or complete dentures may be dental implants. Implants are used to replace missing roots and support artificial replacement teeth. They are comfortable and look like natural teeth. 

What are dental implants?

A dental implant is an artificial root made of titanium metal. It is inserted into the jawbone to replace the root of the natural tooth. An artificial replacement tooth is attached to the implant. The implant acts as an anchor to hold the replacement tooth in place. 

Who does this procedure?

If you are having an implant, your dentist may refer you to a dental specialist who has further training in this area. Specialists who place implants are periodontists or oral and maxillofacial surgeons, also called oral surgeons. Specialists who place crowns, bridges and dentures on implants are called prosthodontists. 

Who can get dental implants?

If you are in good general health, have healthy gums and have enough bone in the jaw to hold an implant, dental implants might be right for you. If your jawbone has shrunk or if it has not developed normally, you may be able to have a bone graft to build up the bone. A bone graft is a way of adding new bone to your jawbone. Your dentist or dental specialist will tell you if bone grafting can be done. 

How dental implants are done

• Your dentist or specialist will carefully examine your mouth and take x-rays of your head, jaw and teeth to find out if dental implants are right for you.
• During the first stage of surgery, your dentist or specialist will put a dental implant into your jawbone beneath the gum tissue. The gum tissue is then stitched back into place. As the tissue heals, the implant will bond with the bone and attach to the gum. It can take several months to heal.
• During the second stage of surgery and once the tissue is healed, your dentist or specialist will attach an abutment to the implant. An abutment is a post that connects the replacement tooth to the implant. In some cases, the first and second stage of implant surgery may be done in one single stage.
• An artificial replacement tooth is made and your dentist or specialist attaches it to the abutment. It may take several appointments to properly fit the replacement tooth to the abutment.
• When replacing several teeth or all of your teeth, a fixed bridge is anchored to your dental implants. A bridge is a dental restoration that replaces one or more missing teeth by spanning an area that has no teeth. The bridge is held firmly in place by dental implants on each side of the missing tooth or teeth.

Caring for my dental implant(s)

Because dental implants are placed in the jawbone, artificial replacement teeth attached to implants look and act much like natural teeth. Like natural teeth, implants need to be kept clean using a toothbrush and floss. Your dentist will show you the proper cleaning procedure for implants. Regular dental check-ups are important so your dentist can make sure that your bite is right and that your implants are not loose. 

What else should I know?

• Several visits to your dentist or dental specialist may be needed until the process is done.
• Check-ups will be scheduled during the following year so your dentist can be sure your implants are working properly.
• You will need to take very good care of your implants.
• Implants can cost more than other kinds of replacement teeth and might not be covered by your dental plan. But in most cases, this is a one-time cost, unlike other kinds of tooth replacement procedures.
• Although rare, possible complications due to dental implants include bleeding, infection, numbness or injury to nearby muscles or the sinus cavity. In some cases, the implant may not be successful because it didn’t bond to the bone.

If your tooth is damaged but not lost, a crown can be used to restore its shape, appearance and function. You may need a crown if you have a root canal, a large filling in a tooth or a broken tooth.

A crown, also called a cap, is a hollow, artificial tooth used to cover a damaged or decayed tooth. The crown restores the tooth and protects it from further damage. Crowns can also be used to cover a discoloured or misshapen tooth. A tooth that has been fixed with a crown looks and works very much like a natural tooth. 

Who does this procedure?

If you need to have a tooth crowned, your dentist may do it, or he or she may refer you to a prosthodontist. A prosthodontist is a dentist who has completed a university post-graduate specialty program in prosthodontics. Prosthodontics is a specialty of dentistry that deals with restoring and replacing natural teeth and tissues with artificial substitutes. 

How a crown is done

• Your dentist gives you a local anesthetic.
• To make room for the crown, your dentist files down the tooth that needs to be restored.
• An impression of the filed-down tooth and nearby teeth is taken. This impression is used to custom make your final crown. The crown is built using restorative material (material used for fillings) based on the impression. The final crown will be the right shape for your mouth.
• Until your final crown is ready, your dentist places a temporary crown over the tooth that needs to be restored. The temporary crown is made from an impression of your tooth before it was filed down. It protects your tooth until the final crown is ready. A temporary crown may not have the same shape and colour as a final crown.
• On your next visit, your dentist takes off the temporary crown and puts on the final one. Your dentist checks to make sure the crown is the right fit, shape, colour and bite. If it is, your dentist cements the crown into place.

These are the steps dentists most often follow in making a crown, but your tooth may need special care. You may need orthodontic treatment, gum treatment or root canal treatment. It may take more than 2 visits to your dentist, or your visits may last longer.

Different types of crowns

Crowns are made from various types of materials. Depending on which tooth needs a crown, your dentist will suggest a material, or combination of materials, that is right for you. 

Metal crowns are made of gold. They generally last a long time and won’t chip or break. They tend not to wear down your opposing natural teeth. However, the gold colour does not look natural, particularly on front teeth. 

Composite crowns look natural. They won’t chip as easily as porcelain crowns, but they tend to wear more quickly from chewing. Tooth brushing tends to remove the highly polished surface of composite crowns and this causes them to stain more easily. 

Porcelain crowns look the most natural. They are more brittle than metal or composite and may chip more easily. Because of this, they are not usually placed on back teeth. 

Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns look natural and are stronger than porcelain or composite crowns. They won’t chip as easily as porcelain or ceramic crowns. However, depending on their design, the metal may show if your gums are thin or shrink. 

What else should I know?

Crowns are strong and generally last for about 10 years or longer if you take good care of them. Brush and floss your crown, just like you clean your natural teeth. Crowns may not be as strong as your natural teeth. So, like your natural teeth, remember not to bite down on hard objects or use your teeth to open or cut things.