Rockland Restorative Dentistry

Because Life Happens - Even to Your Smile

Most people don’t sit around worrying about their teeth. We think that’s a good thing – especially if you make sure to keep up with your general dentistry like regular professional cleanings, exams, fluoride treatments, and diligent home hygiene. It means your teeth are strong and healthy enough to do their job. But problems can develop, sometimes over time, and sometimes all of a sudden:

  • Dentists scare you (you had a mean one when you were a kid) and your teeth are showing the lack of professional care.
  • You chipped a tooth and now it’s starting to hurt.
  • Your old fillings look terrible and, hey, is that a crack starting around one?
  • Your teen had a tooth knocked out during hockey practice.
  • You had chemotherapy and now your teeth are in danger of being lost.

Whatever has happened, if trouble has snuck up on you or punched you directly in the mouth, Dental Arts of Rockland has a restorative solution to stop your pain, repair any damage, renew your smile, and bring back the beauty you thought was lost forever.

These folks are artists, skilled and experienced dental professionals, and like family! I now live out of state, but within driving distance, and I am continuing to come here for top-notch dental care. They accommodated my schedule of visiting the area to check an issue that turned out to be a replacement of an old filling and a crown on an adjacent tooth. Everything was done totally pain free and with comfort, kindness and care. I am looking forward to my follow-up for the permanent crown.

– Stephen

Life Takes a Toll on Teeth

It can really surprise our patients, even though they have cared for their teeth by the book, we still find cavities or decay. Even more surprising is the discovery that they need a root canal or oral surgery. The thing is, no matter how well you care for your teeth, bacteria are opportunistic and will take any chance they have to set up camp in your mouth. Uncontrollable circumstances can put your smile at risk as well. Here are just a few things that invite trouble:

  • Drinking acidic beverages, even juice
  • A diet focused on sugary, sticky foods and carbohydrates
  • Dry mouth from medications, aging, or hormonal changes
  • Crowded or unbalanced conditions in your mouth
  • Hereditary propensities for tooth decay or gum disease
  • Untreated gum disease
  • Deep pits or grooves in your molars that make them hard to clean properly
  • A stressful lifestyle that can lead to clenching and grinding
  • Not wearing a properly designed and fitted mouthguard during sports or other risky activities

The list could really go on and on. But no matter why you need a dental repair, don’t delay getting your repair because of anxiety about the cost or possible pain. Dental Arts of Rockland will co-develop a treatment plan with you, carefully explain all costs, and keep you completely comfortable every step of the way. Our patients rave about our pampering care.

How Dental Arts of Rockland
Can Help

One of the things that sets Dental Arts of Rockland apart is the fact that we approach restorative dentistry a little differently. We don’t just fix your tooth and send you home.

We make sure to explore the causes of your issues and work with you to create a plan to keep more problems from developing.

We also support you through any medical issues you might be having, creating a schedule for checkups and hygiene that lets us keep an eye on your oral health while your physical health is being treated.

And what our patients really love is that all of our dentistry is approached from a cosmetic standpoint so no matter what life doles out, you can face the future with a stunning, healthy smile.

Fillings

Those fillings you had in childhood were certainly nothing to brag about, were they? Dark, rough, and sensitive when eating anything hot or cold, they were also noticeable in your smile and made you feel embarrassed to laugh too widely. Some of them might still be in your mouth! If your old, metal dental fillings are part of the reason you are avoiding restorative care, relax. Dental Arts of Rockland only offers the safety, beauty, and comfort of tooth-colored fillings for our patients who experience tooth decay and cavities.

Because our tooth-colored-fillings are made of the same resin material we use for composite bonding you can be sure every repair will look great, reduce sensitivity, and last for years to come. We simply clear away decay, color-match the resin filling material, harden it with a special light, and smooth and polish it so it looks and feels like your own tooth. No more sensitivity or rough edges you can feel with your tongue.

Porcelain Inlays / Onlays

Many of our patients don’t really know the variety of restoration options we offer. If you don’t need it, you don’t really think about it, right? Well, we believe it is good to be informed so that when the worst happens, you know exactly what your choices are. Probably the most mysterious restorations are porcelain inlays and onlays. These gorgeous repair options are similar to porcelain crowns in their strengthening and supportive capabilities, but they don’t cover as much of your tooth structure, making them the ideal, conservative dental repair when a tooth-colored filling just isn’t enough.

Inlays are placed inside the cusps or points of your teeth much like a filling, while onlays cover one or more points like a mini crown. Once they are bonded to your tooth, they are super strong and yet look just like part of your natural smile. in fact, dental inlays and onlays are so comfortable and natural looking, you may forget which tooth has been repaired!

Dental Crowns

There you were, getting ready for work…taking a walk… watching a movie…just enjoying life when suddenly it happens: You bite into something hard, an old filling finally gives way, you trip over something in your path. Now chewing hurts, you can’t stop touching the broken area with your tongue, and you’re worried about infection. When something major happens to your tooth, you want it fixed as fast as possible. If your tooth or teeth are broken, severely worn or decayed, or in need of a root canal, our beautiful dental crowns can come to the rescue. Crowns create a strong, protective, brand-new upper layer that looks and functions exactly like a natural tooth so you can get back to enjoying life.

Crowns are ideal to:

  • Restore a tooth to its original shape
  • Bring strength to a weakened or damaged tooth
  • Improve the appearance of a tooth
  • Top a dental implant

Your crown will be completed in two easy visits. The first visit is to prepare the tooth and take molds so our labs can custom-create your porcelain restoration, then we bond your new crown securely in place on the second. It’s that easy!

Dental Bridges

Missing teeth! Even a couple can be so disruptive, making chewing annoying, smiling embarrassing, and speaking more difficult. You need something to fill the gap! If you are missing one or more teeth, our dental bridges may be just what you need to start smiling again. Dental bridges are an attractive way to:

  • Perfect your smile
  • Help keep teeth from shifting
  • Keep your mouth comfortable
  • Allow you to eat with confidence
  • Speak normally

As the name suggests, prosthetic bridges from Dental Arts of Rockland fill the void that missing teeth have created. Beautiful, porcelain false teeth are held in place by crowns bonded to your own teeth or an implant post, perfectly and securely bridging the gap. As with all of our restorations, each tooth and crown in your bridge is custom made and shaded to look completely natural in your smile. Unless you are using an implant post to retain the bridge, the process is about the same as having a crown placed.

We simply take impressions of the area that needs to be repaired, send the molds to one of our outstanding labs who will create your dental restorations to our exacting standards, and send you home with temporary, try-on restoration. That’s right! You’ll leave with new teeth on your very first visit. Once your permanent bridge is designed and completed, we’ll bring you back to our comfortable office for fitting and placement. You’ll leave with a smile ready for chewing, speaking, and grinning with total confidence!

Partials and Dentures

Your teeth help you chew and enjoy your food, speak clearly, and smile without embarrassment. So when you are missing teeth, life can simply lose its savor along with your lost dentition. When our Dental Arts of Rockland guests lose their teeth, we always recommend dental implants for their superior stability and natural function. Even our Rockland friends and neighbors who are missing all or most of their teeth can benefit from dental implants with implant-retained partials and dentures. Unfortunately, not everyone is a good candidate for dental implants, at least not right away.

When we have patients who are missing teeth––and more bone mass than will allow an implant post to be properly seated––we offer bone grafting in an attempt to rebuild and stimulate this crucial bone. In the meantime, we will create custom-made partials or dentures to replace your teeth. These partials and dentures are also a great option for those who simply can’t use dental implants because, unlike denture-mill dentures, our dentures are created to mimic your own teeth, feel more comfortable in your mouth, and give you a youthful appearance you can feel confident about.

Implants

Dental implants are our most recommended tooth replacement option because, unlike dentures, partials, or bridges, they replace both your teeth and their roots for the most natural, secure, and beautiful smile you could ever hope for.

Endodontics

If you think a root canal is the equivalent of medieval torture, think again. Root canals, one of Dental Arts of Rockland’s most commonly required endodontic treatments, are true smile savers, ending your pain and allowing you to keep even severely decayed, infected, or compromised teeth. Plus, because we are so careful about your comfort, so gentle in our touch, and so pampering at every visit, our patients have no reason to feel nervous about even more advanced procedures like endodontic care. If you have a darkened tooth, severe discomfort, a badly damaged tooth, or a large filling that is causing pain, our root canals can help you feel better fast.

We simply clear away the infected pulp all the way into the canals of your tooth roots, disinfect, seal everything against future contamination, and top your tooth with a beautiful porcelain crown. Your pain will end, your natural tooth is saved, and you can enjoy all of your favorite foods again. For more advanced cases, we offer the services of a visiting root canal specialist a few times a month to ensure your complete satisfaction––without the need to travel to or feel nervous about the care in an office you don’t know or trust. We think our Rockland-area patients are worth it!

Oral Surgery

No one likes to hear that they need oral surgery, especially when it involves the removal of a tooth. It can be upsetting and nerve-wracking, for sure. Relax–– at Dental Arts of Rockland, we will make sure you know exactly what is going to happen, how, and why so you can feel completely prepared. We also offer you all the pampering treats on our comfort menu, like a heated neck pillow and blanket, cooling eye mask, and soothing music or a movie to entertain you.

Just add in a little nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and before you know it, your surgery will be over and you will be on the road to recovery. And remember, anytime we need to perform an extraction, we will support the bone with bone augmentation and talk to you about your replacement options right away. Most of our patients choose to replace their extracted tooth or teeth with dental implants for the ultimate in comfort and function.