We Offer a Wide Range of Services

Our office is one of few which truly offers complete family dentistry.   Our patients range in age from 2 to 99 with services from simple cleanings and checkups to complex implant and full mouth rehabilitation services. We offer the basic restorative services of fillings, root canals, crowns and bridges, cosmetic procedures such as whitening and veneers and prosthodontic services including full and partial dentures. We even provide Orthodontic care for children and adults including interceptive expanders, invisible braces, conventional orthodontics and ongoing retention. We are happy to assist you with emergency care and treatment for TMJ pain or night grinding.  

Our philosophy is too offer most of the services you may need but have a network of top notch specialists to access if you will be better served in their hands. In all cases your best interest is our top priority. For additional information on these services and many others go to our helpful links page and click on the type of services listed.

Sedation Dentistry

We realize that, for many, a trip to the dentist can cause anxiety and we want you to be as comfortable as possible. Oral sedation may be the answer for you if you have anxiety about going to the dentist. We offer the use of Nitrous Oxide sedation or Oral sedation if you feel the need for a little additional help to relax during your visits. These forms of conscience sedation are low risk, highly effective methods, used in conjunction with standard local anesthesia.  We have provided an environment that is clean and comfortable. Our friendly staff and Doctors will make every effort to put you at ease and are conscience of your comfort.  

Our goal is to make your dental experience unlike any other so you will say, like many of our patients, “I never thought I could enjoy going to the dentist”.
 

Implants

An implant is an excellent way to replace a missing tooth and keep a good looking smile. A dental implant is a small titanium cylinder that is surgically inserted into the bone of the jaw to replace the root of a missing tooth.

An artificial tooth is attached to the implant. Placing a dental implant after the tooth has been lost, can prevent a chain reaction of problems that would affect your entire mouth. Teeth need each other for support. When a tooth is lost, the biting forces change on the teeth next to the space and they shift.

When a tooth no longer has anything to chew against, it begins to grow out of the socket. You can eventually end up losing it too. When your bite is slightly off, it is common that one tooth may hit sooner than the rest. This causes undo stress on the involved teeth and they begin to flex. It is this continuing flexing and stress, that overtime causes the enamel to separate from the inner dentin layer forming the familiar looking notch we call abfraction.

As your bite changes, it gets harder and harder to chew and you may get damage to your jaw joint. It is also much harder to clean teeth that have shifted. Harmful plaque and tartar collect in these hard to reach places causing cavities and the permanent bone loss that comes with gum disease.

A bridge is another option to solve the problems of a missing tooth. But two advantages of an implant over a bridge are the teeth next to the space aren't affected as they are in a bridge preparation, and also that the implant helps stop the ongoing bone loss that occurs once a tooth has been lost.

A missing tooth really changes a person's smile, but a dental implant can replace the missing tooth and improve your smile.

Bonded fillings

Because our primary concern is to give you the best possible outcome, we use only bonded fillings. These are tooth colored fillings as opposed to the metal (silver amalgam/dark/black) fillings used in the past.

There are 3 primary reasons to use a bonded filling instead of the old style of fillings.
1.    You lose less tooth in the process.
2.    Bonded fillings add strength back to the tooth
3.    You are less likely to have tooth fractures

Also, there is still a lot of controversy about the safety of the old style fillings. Some people do experience adverse allergic responses to the metal materials.

Crown and Bridgework

Crowns are a great way to protect and preserve a tooth when there is just too much tooth missing to do a filling. Bridges are used to replace missing teeth or to splint several teeth together for stability. The type of materials used is dependant on where in your mouth the tooth is, how much force it will take, and how much space is needed. Whatever the materials used you can be assured that we use only the best materials. We never have your crowns made outside the United States where harmful metals may be included in the making of your restoration. In fact we use local labs where we have more control and shorter turn-around times. The aesthetics of each tooth is a primary concern and Dr. Pfab and Dr. Raika are expert at creating the most beautiful smile possible.

Porcelain Veneers

If you want to change your smile, Veneers are a great choice. They can give you almost instant results to change the color, shape, size or angle of your teeth. Natural looking porcelain is used for the best look. Porcelain carries light much like natural teeth. You will see what your teeth will look like before the veneers are made. A wax model of your future smile (a wax-up) is made for your approval.
 Whitening can be done in conjunction with veneers.

Bonded Veneers

Bonding, as it is sometimes called, is the use of bonded filling material to create a veneer on your teeth. While it is not possible to get the best result with this material, it is possible to improve the look of your front teeth at a lower cost.

Bite Appliances

There are 3 reasons that people loose their adult teeth: Decay, Boneloss, and Bite problems. If your bite is “off” you can grind away or even break teeth. For some the problem is an issue of PAIN. Jaw pain, neck, back, shoulder, arm or facial pain and even severe headaches are all common for people with TMJ dysfunction. A simple bite guard or pain splint may be the answer. This is a simple acrylic appliance, made to fit you and specific to your problem is easy to wear and interrupts bruxism or grinding and can relieve you of the pain and cost associated with a bad bite.

Whitening

Whitening is a very popular treatment choice. A good whitening process can reverse years of staining from coffee, tea, tobacco use, red wine and even medications. We have developed a process that we feel gives a fantastic result and, for most people, will not cause the sensitivity, which sometimes is a result of whitening. We have chosen a product that is not as harsh as some that are so well known from TV shows. Then we combine this with a home whitening system used for 10 days. Finally, we follow up with a second in office treatment to give you the result you want in a short period of time. You will also have your home whitening kit to keep your smile bright. Whitening gel is always available in our office. 

Preventative Care

Perhaps the most important part of dental care is preventative care or oral hygiene. Professional dental cleanings along with good home care can keep you from having most of the problems that restorative and periodontal dentistry were created to treat. Tarter, a hard build-up that accumulates on your teeth, cannot be removed without dental instruments. The tarter that we all form gives bacteria a place to thrive and do its destructive work. By removing the tarter we remove the bacteria that can destroy bone and infect gum tissue. The presence of Plaque is also detrimental. Plaque is a beginning stage of the tarter and can cause gingivitis (gum infection). If the plaque is not removed daily it can cause decay and lead to periodontal disease. It is estimated that 80% of Americans have periodontal disease and is #1 reason that Adults lose their teeth. The constant infection associated with gingivitis and periodontal disease is also detrimental to your overall health. Please go to the links page to find interesting articles about this important problem.

What level of cleaning do you need?

• A one-step cleaning- Once you are in a routine you will need a regular cleaning or re-care Prophylaxis about every 6 months. Most insurance plans will pay for a regular cleaning 2 times each year. Even if you do not have insurance it is important to keep the calculus or tarter from building up on tooth surfaces. A thorough exam at each appointment will also allow you to stay ahead of small problems that can become much bigger if left untreated.


• A two-step cleaning-If you have not had a professional cleaning in a few years or build up tarter quickly, you may need a two-phase cleaning. Also called a debridement, this is done when tarter has built up covering tooth surfaces so an exam cannot be completed or is causing moderate to high inflammation. Gums in this condition are considered to be in the initial phases of periodontal disease. The first visit is a tarter removal appointment. This allows for plenty of time for your care professional to remove stubborn tarter so gums can heal. Then a second appointment is set in two to four weeks for a more detailed scaling and polishing. The healing time between appointments allows for healing and gives your care provider important information on how well your gums are recovering from the inflammation caused by the tarter.


• A three-step cleaning- this is also called a periodontal scaling. Periodontal scaling, also known as deep scaling or Quadrant scaling, is necessary when tarter builds up under the gums. Bacteria hide under and around the tarter deposits and give off acids that initiate an inflammatory response.  This will in turn cause the loss of bone that supports the teeth. Bone loss is the most common reason for adult tooth loss.  Removing the tarter will help to halt the bone loss process. An anti microbial irrigation may also be used to ensure the tater and the bacteria clinging to it are washed away and not left to irritate and infect the gums and surrounding bone. Once you have active bone loss you must always stay on the cleaning schedule prescribed by your care professional. Bone does not grow back.