Services Details

In the past, getting braces meant years of painful adjustments and struggling with self-image. Introduced in 1999, Invisalign has changed the face of orthodontics with over one million satisfied patients. Instead of wires or bands attached to the outside of your teeth where the world can see them, Invisalign treatment utilizes advanced technology to prepare a series of clear molds of your teeth during each stage of alignment. These aligners are removable and virtually invisible, which means you can straighten your teeth without anyone knowing. You can also eat and drink normally.

How does Invisalign work? Every two weeks, you will receive the next set of molds, or "aligners," to keep your treatment on track. Unlike braces, the aligners are removable, making it easier for eating, brushing and flossing. Your teeth will move gradually each week. Every four weeks you will visit our office so that we can check on your progress and make any necessary adjustments. Total treatment time averages six months to a year, which is much shorter than normal braces.

Who can benefit from Invisalign? Anyone with:
· Crossbites
· Overbites
· Underbites
· Crowded teeth
· Teeth that are spaced too far apart

Don't put off restoring your perfect smile. Call us today and schedule an appointment to see if Invisalign is right for you.
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In addition to meticulous cleaning, polishing, and examination of your teeth, we also take the time to help our patients develop proper oral hygiene habits at home. We will evaluate your hygiene techniques and make adjustments to your routine where needed. Our team will also provide you with the tools and education you may need for preventative measures such as dental sealants or mouth guards.

If we feel that you are suffering from more severe gum disease, we may recommend a root scaling or planing, also known as deep cleaning. These measures can be instrumental in preventing bone loss and helping you to keep your natural teeth.

Other areas of your mouth do not go unnoticed. We also check areas such as your neck and oral tissues for lumps, red or white patches or recurring sore areas. Screening for early changes in the oral tissue can help detect oral cancer at a stage when it can be more successfully treated.
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Unfortunately, because periodontal related problems are most often painless, these problems are often discovered after they have persisted for an extended period of time. Regular dental check-ups, proper oral hygiene and daily dental care will minimize the risk of periodontal disease or gum disease. Gum disease may include gingivitis, periodontitis or advanced periodontitis.

We have the tools and techniques to help remedy these problems. We can reverse gingivitis by cleaning your teeth at our office and having you continue proper oral care at home with brushing and flossing.

Advanced gum disease sometimes requires the hygienist to remove plaque and tarter below the gum line, a non-surgical procedure called scaling or root planing. Root surfaces are cleaned and smoothed (planed) with specially designed instruments to help restore it to its original shape. This procedure helps allow your gum tissue to better attach itself and heal properly.
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Before advances in dental procedures, if you had a diseased nerve in your tooth, you would have probably lost the tooth. Today, with a special dental procedure called root canal therapy you may possibly save that tooth. Root canals are tiny passageways that branch off from beneath the top of the tooth, coursing their way vertically downward until they reach the tip of the root.

Many tooth problems involve infections that spread to the pulp, which is the inner chamber of the tooth containing blood vessels, nerves and other tissues. When infected, it can begin affecting the roots. When the pulp is diseased or injured, the pulp tissue dies. If you don't remove it, you could lose your tooth.

Root canal therapy is a remarkable treatment with a very high rate of success. This procedure involves removing the diseased tissue, cleaning the root canal, and sealing it off to protect it from further infection. Most of the time, a root canal is a relatively simple procedure with little or no discomfort involving one to three visits. Best of all, it can save your tooth and your smile.
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As we get older, our teeth begin to change and may require special attention and repair. The reasons for this may include, teeth grinding, general decay, cracked fillings, root canals and many others. When a filling is not sufficient in repairing a tooth, the best solution may be the placement of a crown or "cap" to save the tooth. A crown will help restore the damaged tooth, providing durability, cosmetic appearance and overall support of the chewing function. Crowns are also used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or cover a filling that may become loose or dislocated.

The procedure begins with the removal of all decay in the tooth. Once the decay is removed, an impression is taken of the tooth. The impression is sent to a lab where your new restoration will be crafted. In most cases, a temporary crown is applied until the permanent crown is ready. The temporary crown will resemble a natural tooth so that you can continue with your daily activities.

During a second visit to our office, the crown will be fitted comfortably into your mouth. We will make every effort to ensure that the new crown feels like one of your natural teeth. The final step is to cement the crown into your mouth, leaving you with a beautifully restored smile.
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Do you avoid smiling for cameras because you are embarrassed to show your smile? Unique imperfections or abnormalities shouldn't be a permanent issue in anyone's life. Stop hiding your teeth and let us help you gain your confidence. New methods of teeth replacements are available to give you optimum functionality as well as an aesthetic solution.

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root surgically positioned in the jaw bone underneath the gums to support a replacement tooth where natural teeth are missing. The implant is placed into the jawbone under local anesthesia, allowing it to heal and integrate with the bone. Once the healing process is completed and the jawbone is attached to the implant, the patient returns to the office where the implant is fitted with the new tooth.

A dental implant can:
· Replace one or more teeth without affecting adjacent teeth.
· Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture.
· Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable.

It is important for patients with dental implants to maintain good dental health. Bacteria can attack sensitive areas in the mouth when teeth and gums are not properly cleaned, causing gums to swell and jaw bones to gradually recede. This will weaken implants and eventually make it necessary for the implant to be removed. Regular dental check-ups are needed to ensure the health of your teeth and implants.
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Do you suffer from frequent headaches, migraines, popping temporomandibular joint (TMJ) or jaw joints, stiff neck, back pain, dizziness, earaches, or other related head or facial pain? If so, you're not alone. These problems may be related to TMJD or Temporomandibular Joint Disorder.

The TMJ can endure quite a large amount of wear and tear and actually takes the majority of the pressure when you bite down. In a normal jaw, the cartilage between the jaw and the skull cushions the components and provides "shock-resistance." When any of these areas (muscles, cartilage, joint, bone) are out of balance or injured, the amount of force that is exerted can have a negative impact on the bite and cause pain.

At Thompson Family Dentistry we can provide a complete dental examination with appropriate x-rays to help determine if you have sustained a TMJ injury or if your jaw joint is out of balance. The majority of the TMJ problems we see are able to be treated with safe, noninvasive therapies. For patients whose jaw imbalance problems have a more pressing and difficult origin, more direct methods may be successful. The wearing of an orthotic appliance can protect the joint and eliminate symptoms. In some cases realignment surgery may be the best solution with more permanent results. Our goal with these treatments is to create an environment where the jaw joints can move freely with little friction.

In the event of a head or neck trauma or accident, do not put off an early visit for a TMJ evaluation.
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For patients who may have problems with bruxism or teeth grinding, the use of mouth guards may be recommended. Teeth grinding where there is evidence of enamel infractions can be damaging. Infractions are tiny craze lines in tooth enamel. Sensitivity or discomfort when biting may be signs of a possible fracture. Use of occlusal guards can sometimes prevent or delay the need for a root canal or crowns especially when grinding or clenching is present. Because these guards do not require a "closed mouth" to be held in place, there is little interference with breathing and speech.

The Academy for Sports Dentistry recommends the use of a properly fitted athletic mouth guard in all collision and contact sports, provided under the supervision of a dentist. Our custom fabricated athletic mouth guards are made over a dental cast and are fitted for comfort and function.
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Snoring may just seem like an annoyance, but actually it can be a sign of a more serious medical condition known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This occurs when the tongue and soft palate collapse onto the back of the throat and completely block the airway, which restricts the flow of oxygen. Treatment for this condition can include oral appliance therapy. Not all patients are candidates for this type of therapy, so it is important to discuss your condition first with your physician before receiving therapy.

Oral appliances that treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are small plastic devices that are worn in the mouth, similar to a retainer or mouth guard. These appliances help prevent the collapse of the tongue and soft tissues in the back of the throat, keeping the airway open during sleep and promoting adequate air intake.

Types of Oral Appliances:
· Tongue Retaining Appliances - functions by holding the tongue in a forward position by means of a suction bulb, keeping the back of the tongue from collapsing during sleep and obstructing the airway in the throat. · Mandibular Repositioning Appliances - functions to reposition and maintain the lower jaw or mandible in a protruded position during sleep. It helps to open the airway by indirectly pulling the tongue and making it more rigid. It also holds the lower jaw and other structures in a stable position to prevent opening of the mouth.

Advantages of Oral Appliance Therapy:
· Comfortable and easy to wear. For most people is only takes a couple of weeks to become accustomed to wearing the appliance.
· Small and convenient making them easy to carry when traveling.
· Treatment with oral appliances is reversible and non-invasive.

If you or a loved one is suffering from OSA, call for an appointment so we can discuss which oral appliance therapy is right for you. Don't let this serious condition go untreated, call us today.
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When it comes to dentures, we want to make sure you can eat, speak, and smile with confidence. Our team uses the latest dental technology to custom design your dentures and partials to look just like your natural teeth, with no embarrassing slipping or rubbing.

We create dentures or partials that will fit precisely and comfortably to your mouth and will stay in place allowing you to chew and speak normally. Your dentures will be made from materials, which reflect light just like your natural teeth.

We will help you take care of your natural teeth for as long as possible, but if the time comes to replace your teeth, you no longer have to worry about uncomfortable false teeth. We can create beautiful custom dentures and partials that will restore the natural beauty of your smile and allow you to chew and speak with ease.
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We offer a full range of services to help improve the appearance of your mouth, teeth, and smile. With the advancements in today's technology, we can correct everything from minor flaws in a person's smile to missing teeth and tooth discoloration. From tooth colored fillings to veneers, we can help you achieve the smile you've always wanted.

Tooth Whitening

Have your pearly whites become pearly "off-whites"? We can help brighten your smile with tooth whitening or "tooth bleaching". Teeth whitening can be performed to reduce discoloration and staining, or simply to provide you with whiter, brighter teeth. Whiter teeth tend to help minimize the appearance of facial wrinkles, giving way to a more youthful and energetic appearance.

Bonding and Enamel Shaping

Bonding will help fix chipped or cracked teeth. It is a process in which an enamel-like dental composite material is applied to a tooth's surface, sculpted into shape, hardened, and then polished. Enamel shaping removes parts of the enamel contours to improve the appearance of a tooth. It may be used to correct a very small chip of a cracked tooth.

Amalgam Removal

Do you have old silver fillings that seem to stand out like a sore thumb? Let us fix that by removing those amalgam fillings safely. We take steps to assure the safe removal of these fillings so that any toxic vapors or mercury that is released while removing the silver fillings are contained. We replace these fillings with composite resin (tooth-colored) fillings that are more esthetically appealing than amalgam fillings.

Composite Resin (White Fillings)

A composite filling is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture used to restore decayed teeth. Composites are also used for cosmetic improvements of your smile by changing the color of the teeth or reshaping disfigured teeth. Following preparation, Dr. Thompson places the composite in layers, using a light specialized to harden each layer. When the process is finished, he will shape the composite to fit the tooth. Then he polishes the composite to prevent early staining and wear.

Veneers

When it comes to veneers, we make sure to custom design your smile specifically for you. Porcelain veneers will help correct spaces between your teeth, broken or chipped teeth, stained or washed-out fillings, permanently stained or discolored teeth, and misshapen or crooked teeth.

Veneers are very thin porcelain facings. They have a natural appearance with the strength, beauty and durability that only porcelain restorations offer. They will not discolor or wear like natural tooth enamel.

How are veneers put in place? Meticulous records, measurements and photographs are used to evaluate your smile needs and determine if veneers are the best solution for any smile problems you may have. Once we determine veneers are needed, at your next appointment, we will contour the front teeth followed by an impression of the teeth, and will create temporary veneers for you to wear while your real veneers are being made. Once completed, the veneers are bonded in place. We will follow up with you after a week. If we find that some of your front teeth are too damaged or broken down, we can place new porcelain crowns combined with veneering and other cosmetic techniques.

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