Lone Star Smiles
In addition to dental decay and accidents, even normal activity can leave a smile looking and feeling far from its best. When you need to get your oral health back on track, Lone Star Smiles can help. Using modern materials and careful attention to detail, Dr. Stephanie Vera can repair or replace damaged teeth and restore your smile to perfection.
Restorative Dentistry
Tooth Colored Fillings
Although tooth decay is preventable, it is the most common oral condition treated by dentists. Traditionally, metal fillings were the standard material for fillings, but today everyone can enjoy a natural-looking solution with bonded tooth colored fillings.
Composite resin, or tooth colored fillings, allow our doctors to repair minor damage or tooth decay with a conservative, metal-free technique that gives patients long-term results they can smile about.
Crowns & Bridges
A strong and functional set of teeth is essential to a confident smile, but over the years, our teeth can be weakened by an injury, normal use, or decay. Crowns and bridges are custom-made porcelain coverings that are cemented over teeth to restore their shape, size, appearance, and function. At Lone Star Smiles, Dr. Vera selects the most natural looking materials available from our dental laboratory partners to create beautiful crowns and bridges, allowing our patients to reclaim the beauty and strength of their smile.
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DENTAL CROWNS
A “cap” or crown is a common dental restoration used to repair a severely damaged tooth. The dental crown is made specifically for each patient, and will fit completely over the damaged tooth, or teeth, to protect them and improve functionality. Crowns are cemented in place and created to blend naturally with the neighboring teeth.
DENTAL BRIDGES
Bridges are one of the ways we can help patients replace a missing tooth or teeth. A dental bridge is made up of a replacement tooth with single crowns on either end. These crowns are cemented over the remaining natural teeth to hold the bridge in place, allowing us to “bridge” the gap between natural, healthy teeth.
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Both dental crowns and bridges are created in an two-appointment process. During the first visit, the natural teeth used to anchor the crown or bridge is prepared and an impression is created for the dental lab to design and create the restoration. Before you leave, a temporary crown or bridge will be placed to protect your tooth, or teeth, and maintain the space for your final restoration. Once we received your crown or bridge, you will return to our office for a second visit when the temporary will be removed and your flawless, custom crown or bridge will be cemented in place.
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How Long Will my Crown or Bridge Last?
Crowns and bridges are an investment, and with the proper care, can last you up to a decade or longer. In order to maintain the integrity and health of your new restoration, you should continue brushing and flossing your teeth as usual. One of our team members will be happy to walk you through optimal at-home care, review your oral hygiene products, and help you to make the most of your dental care. The following tips can also help your restorations last:
When brushing, use an extra-soft tooth brush and non-abrasive toothpaste
Don’t use your teeth as tools
Don’t chew overly hard or sticky foods
Wear an athletic mouth guard for sports
Wear a night guard if you clench or grind your teeth
Visit your dentist at least twice a year for a cleaning and checkup
Dentures
Tooth loss affects more than 120 million adults in the United States. Patients who are missing multiple teeth can struggle with everyday tasks like chewing, speaking, and even smiling confidently. At Lone Star Smiles, we’re here to help by offering a wide range of custom-made, removable tooth replacement options based on each patient’s needs. Whether you are replacing several teeth or all of your teeth, our skilled dentists will work with you to create a beautiful solution.
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Missing teeth can have a dramatic effect on your quality of life. Missing teeth can affect the way we speak and eat, causing confidence issues and nutritional deficiencies. Missing teeth is more than just a cosmetic issue – without teeth, the bone in the jaws is constantly changing, causing the muscles of the face to lose support, droop, and wrinkle. Luckily, there are several options to replace missing teeth depending on your budget and how many teeth need to be replaced.
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PARTIAL DENTURES
Partial dentures are used to replace one or more gaps in your smile while keeping any remaining healthy teeth in place to help anchor, or hold, the partial in place. Partial dentures are made using gum-colored material, and in some instances metal, to fit snuggly between the remaining teeth using clasps or arms for stability.
FULL DENTURES
A full denture is used to replace every tooth in the upper or lower jaws – or even both! Using gum-colored acrylic, a full denture is created using an impression of the patient’s jaw bones for a custom-fit. The suction created between the denture base and gum tissue provides support for speaking, eating, and other every day activities. In some instances, a small amount of denture adhesive is needed to improve the stability of a denture.
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As an alternative to a traditional full or partial denture, some patients may benefit from the added stability of dental implants to support their full or partial denture. Dental implants are small posts inserted below the gums that mimic the lost tooth root structures, securing a denture in place like natural teeth. If you’re interested in this option, let our team know during your tooth replacement consultation so our doctors can determine if you are a candidate for implant placement.
Root Canals
Although root canals are common, they have a bit of a bad reputation, but they are the same as any other dental treatment. Before starting, patients are given anesthetic and Dr. Vera will ensure you are completely numb.
In the simplest terms, a root canal is a procedure where the dead or dying nerve is removed from inside of a tooth, giving patients immediate pain relief. The space where the nerve used to be is then shaped, disinfected, and sealed, allowing patients to keep their natural tooth in place.
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Often, it is thought that extracting a tooth is the most convenient solution when experiencing dental pain. However, you are left with the choice of how and when to replace the tooth or teeth - and the costs can quickly add up. While there are several options to replace missing teeth, nothing is a good as your natural tooth, and a root canal procedure may be your dentist’s recommended treatment option to save your tooth.
Since a root canal is completed to remove dead or dying nerve tissue, there are several tell-tale symptoms indicating that a root canal is necessary. While a clinical examination and X-rays are needed to confirm the diagnosis, common signs to look out for are:
Significant, lingering or prolonged sensitivity to heat, cold, or pressure
A dark or discolored tooth
A pimple like bump, or abscess, near the tooth
Tenderness or swelling around the gums or root area of the tooth
History or previous trauma to the tooth or teeth
Broken, fractured, or severely decayed tooth
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In order to access the dead or dying nerve tissue inside the tooth, local anesthetic is administered and the tooth is numbed fully prior to starting treatment. Once you are comfortable, a small hole is created and and decay or infected tooth structure is thoroughly removed along with the infected nerve tissue. Next, the canal where the nerve once was is shaped, disinfected, and sealed with a material called gutta percha. From there, the tooth is restored to it’s normal size and shape using filling material and a dental crown is often placed as the final restoration to protect a once damaged tooth and maintain your beautiful smile.