The dental check up is where we get to know you. If you have any special needs or concerns this is a great time to ask.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Preventative checks
Gum disease treatments
Wendell Dental focuses on our patients’ wishes. If you would like to request a specific hygienist or doctor, simply let us know and we will accommodate you.
A beautiful smile is powerful. It conveys joy, laughter and positivity. We want to help you achieve it.
Veneers
Tooth-colored fillings
Whitening Trays
Please ask us if you’d like to fix anything in your smile. We are always willing to help, and if it’s too complex, we will find you a board-certified specialist.
Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth in the mouth.
Implant consults
Coordination with Specialists
Aesthetic Crown/Bridge
Wendell Dental works with board-certified specialists to place the implants safely. Once they are placed, we will help you get your crown implant conveniently here at the office.
What to Expect
Put your mind at ease before your visit by learning what to expect depending on your needs
Dental plaque is a naturally occurring biofilm that covers the teeth throughout the day. If not removed with proper brushing and flossing, dental plaque can combine with ions in the saliva to harden into calculus. Calculus is a hard, gritty material that can only be removed with special instruments used by a dental hygienist. Calculus is important to remove from teeth because it harbors bacteria and can lead to dental decay and periodontal disease.
During your cleaning appointment, your dental hygienist will work around your teeth and gums to scale off all of the calculus with several instruments. It is common to experience sensitivity during this procedure and please inform your hygienist if the sensitivity is too extreme. Following the scaling of the calculus, your teeth will be polished to remove the outer layer of stain and to smooth the teeth.
Following the appointment, it will be common to experience sore gums, tenderness, sensitivity, bleeding, and pain. This is a normal response to removal of the outer layer of the teeth and exposure of fresh tooth material to the mouth. Please call us if you experience any issues after.
Cavities are the most common chronic disease for children. Gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults. The dental examination is an important diagnostic procedure to ensure your oral cavity is properly cared for and at its optimal health.
At the examination, we will check your lymph nodes and tongue to screen for any sign of cancer. We will check the muscles of your head and neck to screen for any signs of clenching/grinding/tenderness. Also, we will check your jaw joints (TMJs) to assess if the joints are healthy. Then we will check the health of your gums and teeth, looking for any signs of decay or gum disease.
The dental examination is a great time for us to get to know you and for you to get to know us. If you have any questions or concerns about anything with your oral health, please do not hesitate to ask. We love talking with our patients at this appointment to ensure all their concerns are addressed properly.
On smaller cavities, sometimes the only thing needed is a filling. Depending on the size, location and tooth, there are several different types of materials that are used to complete a filling. Composite, amalgam, and glass ionomer are all filling materials used commonly in the office.
After a filling, it is common to feel sensitivity for a few weeks. There might be some pain on biting, bleeding, and tenderness to the gums around the filling, but this is normal. If these symptoms last for an extended period of time (more than 2 or 3 weeks), we would like to see you to make sure there are no issues with the tooth.
Most of these fillings require a dry field to successfully be placed. As such, our office uses a DryShield to keep your mouth dry and to let your jaws rest on a bite block. This tool helps to ensure fillings are properly placed, and the inability to use this instrument can compromise the success of your filling. If you have a history of gagging or jaw joint pain/popping, please let us know ahead of time. We will work with you to ease your treatment concerns.
For children, losing baby teeth and getting “adult” teeth is a very exciting time. As the new molars emerge into the mouth, the deep grooves are very susceptible to trapping plaque if the child is not cleaning appropriately. For these newly emerged teeth, sealants are a great option. The sealants are a thin material that flows down into the deep grooves to make it more difficult for bacteria and plaque from getting into the grooves.
It is still possible for children to get cavities under sealants if not cared for properly, but the sealants are still a great product to help reduce the chance for cavities as children learn how to better brush their teeth. If you are interested in this procedure for a family member, please do not hesitate to ask us!
When a tooth is decayed to a depth where it cannot properly be restored with a filling or a crown, the tooth may be indicated for an extraction. At our office, we will try to minimize the need for extractions by prevention, but sometimes it is necessary.
During a tooth extraction, the bone surrounding the tooth is widened and the gum fibers around the tooth are detached. Our goal is to extract the tooth with minimal damage to the surround tooth structures. However, sometimes teeth are very broken down and can fracture during an extraction. If this happens, it may be necessary to drill out the tooth. Our dentists will communicate with you throughout the procedure to ensure you are always comfortable.
Following the tooth extraction, it is common to have mild-to-moderate pain, inflammation, redness, bleeding, oozing, tenderness and swelling following an extraction. There is also a possibility for loose neighboring teeth, broken teeth, bone fragments, bruising, soreness in the jaws, cracked/dried lips, and difficulty opening. If any of these symptoms become severe or you are concerned about anything, do not hesitate to call us immediately.
Root canal treatment (RCT) is needed when the pulp becomes infected or inflamed as a result of injury/trauma, deep decay, or dental procedures. During treatment, the dentist will remove the infected/inflamed pulp, disinfect the pulp space, and seal the space with a filling material called gutta percha. To protect the patient, a rubber dam will be used during the procedure. This is the standard of care and a root canal will not be attempted without this rubber dam in place. No exceptions.
Because the pulp of the tooth contains blood flow and nerves, teeth can become brittle following root canal treatment. It may be advisable to have a crown placed after a root canal treatment to strengthen the remaining part of the tooth. Your dentist will discuss this option with you.
Following root canal treatment, it is common to have mild-to-moderate pain, inflammation, redness, bleeding, oozing, tenderness and slight swelling. There is also a possibility for bleach to stain your clothes or burn your gum tissue. The rubber dam used during the procedure will help minimize these complications, but they are still possible. If any of these symptoms become severe or you are concerned about anything, do not hesitate to call us immediately. Rapid swelling around the mouth is not normal and the office should be notified immediately.
Sleep apnea is a common sleep breathing disorder that occurs when the airway repeatedly becomes blocked during the night. Due to the repeated bouts of airless, the oxygen levels in the blood can drop to dangerous levels. There are several risk factors for sleep apnea, including being overweight, smoking, and even possibly your genes. If you feel especially sleepy throughout the day, it might be a good time to seek out help.
When you come to our office, if you believe you are suffering from sleep apnea, please let us know. We will ask questions and complete a preliminary examination to see if we suspect possible sleep disordered breathing. If you display any signs or symptoms that lead us to believe you may have sleep apnea, we will refer you to a qualified neurologist or your primary care physician. Once the referral has been made, it is likely that they will have you participate in a sleep study survey to assess for sleep apnea. Depending on the sleep study results and the physician’s diagnosis, you may be referred back to the office to make an appliance. Sleep apnea requires multiple disciplines to properly treat the disorder and the physicians and sleep specialists play an absolutely essential role in this process.
If the physician diagnoses obstructive sleep apnea, they may recommend either a CPAP or a sleep appliance. If a sleep appliance is recommended, we will bring the patient in for a comprehensive examination. After that, we will consult with the physician about your treatment and bring you back in for a follow-up appointment to get your impressions for your appliance. Once the appliance is created and delivered, you will still need to follow-up with both our office and the physicians. Ultimately, fixing obstructive sleep apnea can yield to a higher quality of life, and we would like to help get you there.
When the hard calculus begins to form below your gum tissue, it may be necessary to have a more intensive cleaning to remove these deposits. If there is signs of bone loss or extensive gum disease that makes cleaning the teeth difficult, this more intensive cleaning also may be indicated. One of the hygienists will use a vibrating instrument below your gums to remove the hardened deposits and to reshape the root surface to make it more cleansable for you.
These hard deposits are difficult to remove with just a floss and toothbrush. If you are more susceptible to calculus, it may be necessary to increase your cleaning regiment from 2 times a year to even 3 or 4 times a year. We want to ensure that the root surfaces remain clear of all debris to protect the bone levels. A decline in bone levels from gum disease can leave the tooth susceptible to mobility, even tooth loss.
Due to the sensitivity below the gums, we will need to use anesthetics to numb the tissues and surrounding structures. After this deeper cleaning, it can be expected to have some soreness, bleeding, sensitivity to cold, and slight mobility of the teeth. This is a normal aspect of the healing process as the gum tissue repairs itself and heals. If any of these symptoms become worse or stays for an extended period of time, please let us know.
Teeth with large fillings are inherently weaker than a natural tooth. These teeth can be susceptible to fracture, compromising the remaining structure of these teeth. In this situation, a crown, or “cap”, could be indicated. A bridge is used in a situation when there is a missing tooth in between two other teeth and the patient wishes to have this area filled with a fixed solution.
During the first appointment, our doctors will prepare the tooth to receive the new crown. Once the crown is prepared, an impression will be taken in order for the lab to fabricate the crown. Then, a temporary crown will be created and cemented with temporary cement until the final crown returns from the lab. This first appointment can be a long procedure. We greatly appreciate your patience as the procedure can range anywhere from 90 to 135 minutes, depending on the complexity of the tooth.
At the second appointment, we will show you your new crown. It is imperative to check the color of the crown to make sure you like the shade match with your other teeth. During this appointment, we may have to adjust how the crown fits in between your teeth and with your bite. Once the crown fits ideally, we will cement the final crown.
During any crown procedure, it is possible to have sensitivity, especially around the gum. There can also be bleeding, redness, and slight discoloration around the gums. This is normal and to be expected. Please let us know if you have any symptoms that you are concerned with.
When you have missing teeth, another option is a removable denture. With this removable denture, you will wear it during the day and remove it at night. There are several varieties of dentures. Complete dentures are used when there are no teeth remaining on an arch. Depending on the situation, our doctors might discuss the need for implants with your complete dentures. Complete dentures cover a large area of the mouth and stability can be an issue. Partial dentures are used when there are still some natural teeth remaining on an arch. The partial denture will attach to these teeth. Depending on the type of partial, it may be necessary to work on the attached teeth to make it easier for the partial to insert and remove from the mouth.
The adjustment to life with a partial can take some time. It will initially feel like a foreign object in the mouth. It will take some practice to master chewing, speaking, swallowing, and taking the prosthesis in-and-out of the mouth. However, our doctors will work with our patients on practicing with these new appliances to ease the transition. These prosthetic teeth can give you the ability to chew food efficiently and smile bright. They are a tremendous service and we are happy to offer it to our patients.
Once the prosthesis is made, it might take several adjustment appointments to get the bite to fit just right. Our doctors ask for your patience as they are trying to get the best result for you and this can take time. It is also likely that you develop sore spots on your gums. The dentures use gum tissue for stability and support, but sometimes can apply too much pressure and generate sore spots. If you are having issues with any of these things, please let us know so we can make the necessary adjustments