General and Preventative Services
The best way to protect your beautiful smile is by preventing problems before they start. Most of the conditions that negatively affect your smile can be avoided with regular care. Dr. Kleven and his team are committed to answering your questions about proper hygiene and to providing you with the most advanced preventative dentistry.
PerioTherapy
Fifty percent of all adults have some form of periodontal disease, often without realizing it. Periodontal disease is chiefly responsible for adult tooth loss, bleeding gums, bad breath, and receding gums. The truth is, it is easily prevented with proper hygiene, home care, and professional treatment. If diagnosed in its early stages, periodontal disease treatments are easier, less invasive, and more effective. Your visit with Dr. Kleven includes a complete evaluation of your gums and supportive tissues. You will have access to advanced periodontal therapy to heal and restore your oral health.
Signs and symptoms of periodontal disease include:
- Bleeding gums
- Bad breath
- Receding gums
- Loose teeth
- Pus around teeth
- No pain (until it is too late)
Root Canals
Damage to the nerve tissue inside of a tooth sometimes requires a root canal procedure. Dr. Kleven takes advantage of advances in technology and dental techniques that make root canal procedures more effective, while also taking less time. The procedure involves removing the soft tissue within the tooth when it has become infected and inflamed. Dr. Kleven gently removes the infected tissue and fills the void with an inert material. The procedure is completed with the placement of a crown.
Tooth Extractions
In some cases, injury or decay extensively damages a tooth, and an extraction is the only proper treatment option to start you on the path toward complete dental health. Dr. Kleven can remove your troublesome tooth and give you treatment options for replacing that tooth to complete your beautiful smile once again.
Fillings
Are you embarrassed about your smile because of decayed, disfigured, or discolored teeth? You may be a good candidate for composite resins, also known as tooth-colored fillings or restorations. When the decay has been removed from the tooth, it is replaced with “filling” material. In the past, amalgam (silver) fillings were placed into the cleaned-out portion of the tooth. With new advancements in dentistry, you can now have tooth-colored fillings instead of silver fillings, resulting in a long-lasting, brighter, whiter smile. The new tooth-colored material is bonded to the teeth for a stronger restoration.
Nightguards
Many people who notice chipped or cracked teeth, but who don’t remember when the injury occurred, damaged their teeth while they were sleeping. Grinding or clenching your teeth during the night will cause your teeth to chip, crack, and even break. To keep you from seriously damaging your teeth, we recommend a dental appliance called a nightguard, which protects your teeth from grinding and clenching in your sleep. Dr. Kleven takes great care in making sure you have a proper fit to prevent pain in your jaw joint. Do you also suffer from headaches? You may find that a side benefit of your nightguard is headache prevention. Many headaches start during the night, caused by the extreme pressure generated as you grind and clench your teeth. Ask Dr. Kleven about having a nightguard custom created especially for you.
NTI
While nightguards protect your teeth from grinding against one another and becoming damaged, an NTI is another solution.
An NTI is a small device that only covers your anterior teeth. Similar to a nightguard, it is made from acrylics and hard plastics. In addition to preventing the grinding of teeth, the extra benefit of the NTI is that, over time, the device teaches your muscles to relax. In this way, an NTI may be able to help you break the habit of grinding all together. If you are suffering from frequent migraines, as well as damaged teeth, an NTI may be the answer. Ask your Advanced Dental Services team if an NTI is right for you.
BOTOX® Therapy (for TMJ and Smile Enhancement)
If you experience headaches, migraines, muscle aches in the back and neck, worn teeth, or jaw pain, you may suffer from Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ). While you sleep, your jaw struggles to relax, causing you to grind your teeth or to clench your jaw for an extended period of time. Left untreated, TMJ can cause irreversible damage to your teeth and to the supportive structures of the mouth, trauma to the jaw joints, and significant trouble eating and speaking.
Dr. Kleven is proud to offer BOTOX® as an effective new treatment for those suffering from TMJ symptoms. You may be familiar with BOTOX as a treatment to smooth out wrinkles, but increasingly, dental professionals have found it to be a safe, minimally-invasive way to ease the pain and tension associated with TMJ. Your Advanced Dental Services dentist will review your medical history to ensure you are a candidate for BOTOX treatment, and will then gently inject you with a purified protein form of the botulinum toxin, relieving your jaw muscles of tension and preventing your painful headaches and the damage from teeth grinding.
Take advantage of this non-surgical procedure right in the Advanced Dental Services offices; it can usually be completed in half an hour or less! Patients typically experience a noticeable improvement in jaw pain within 48 hours of their first treatment.