General Dentistry
A healthy smile is foundational when it comes to your overall wellness. Your teeth and gums require regular monitoring and maintenance to ensure that they stay comfortable and disease free.
We offer comprehensive general dentistry to help our patients enjoy optimum oral health and a comfortable smile.
Preventive Dentistry
We strive to prevent dental conditions, whenever possible. With regular dental exams, cleanings, and x-rays, we can often detect dental conditions in their earliest stages before they pose a serious risk to your smile.
A comprehensive dental exam will evaluate the health of each tooth as well as look for signs of periodontal (gum) disease. If we find anything that requires treatment, we will let you know right away.
Our dental cleanings are designed to keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy as well as give you a smooth, fresh smile. Our hygienist will remove all plaque and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth. We will finish up with a polish so that your teeth are completely clean.
Dental x-rays assist us in the diagnosis of conditions that are not visible through a visual exam alone. This can include dental decay, infection, bone levels, and certain types of cysts and tumors.
We typically recommend a dental exam and cleaning every six months unless you have a dental condition, such as gum disease, that may require more frequent visits.
Restorative Dentistry
Whether you require a dental filling, crown, or dental bonding, we are here to repair your teeth, which protects them and can extend comfortable function.
- Fillings – Fillings are used to repair a tooth after removing decay.
- Crowns – Crowns protect and stabilize a cracked or deeply decayed tooth.
- Bonding – Bonding can fill in small chips and narrow gaps in teeth for cosmetic purposes or to prevent stains or decay.
When providing restorative dentistry, we make sure that the results are both comfortable and long-lasting.
Tooth-Replacement Options
Saving your natural teeth is a priority for us, but sometimes removing a tooth is necessary to relieve your symptoms and protect your health or because restoration is not possible. Having a gap in your smile, however, is not ideal either for your appearance or for chewing and speaking comfortably.
We offer the following tooth replacement options:
- Fixed dental bridges– replaces a missing tooth by anchoring an artificial tooth in place using two healthy teeth
- Dental implants – replaces a missing tooth by surgically implanting a replacement root and placing a dental crown
- Dentures – replaces all teeth on the upper or lower arch with a removable prosthetic
- Partial dentures – replaces one or more missing teeth by anchoring a prosthetic to your remaining natural teeth
A comprehensive dental exam will give us the information we need to make a recommendation to restore both your smile and your ability to eat and speak comfortably by replacing your missing teeth.
Contact Us to Schedule a Dental Appointment
Give us a call to schedule your next dental appointment. We look forward to welcoming you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, we are accepting new patients.
Baby teeth are placeholders for the permanent teeth that will erupt in the future. If baby teeth are decayed and not treated, then they may become infected. An infected tooth is like any infection in the body and so it must be treated, and typically the only treatment at that point is to extract the baby tooth. If a baby tooth is extracted too early, then it often causes spacing problems as the teeth around the extracted tooth will shift and eliminate the space that is needed for the permanent tooth to erupt in the future. If a baby molar is extracted at age 6, it is very possible that the permanent tooth to replace the baby molar will not be ready to erupt until the child is age 12 or later, and most likely there will not be any space for that tooth to properly erupt by that time. We always recommend filling baby teeth that have cavities unless the child is likely to lose the tooth naturally in the near future. Very young children should always have their cavities filled to prevent pain, infection, and early loss of baby teeth.
Yes, electric toothbrushes are significantly more effective than manually brushing with a regular toothbrush. Everyone should spend two minutes brushing their teeth both morning and night, but most people do not even spend 30 seconds! When an electric toothbrush is used, the bristles are moving much more rapidly than a person can move a brush, which allows for better cleaning in any amount of time. Electric toothbrushes will remove more plaque and tartar than manual brushing, and are more gentle on the gums, therefore offering the best clean without causing gum recession. We always recommend electric toothbrushes, but especially for patients with a history of aggressive brushing, recession, root abrasion, periodontal disease, heavy tartar build-up, or a high decay rate. Any electric toothbrush will work, but we prefer a rotary brush with a small brush-head and soft bristles.
Meet Our Doctors:
Dr. Rebecca R. Steves DMD
Dentist
Dr. Becky grew up in nearby North East, where she graduated from North East High School. She attended Penn State Behrend and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. Shortly after graduation from Behrend, ...
Dr. Andrea S. Ball DMD
Dentist
Dr. Andrea grew up in the Clymer/Findley Lake area and attended Clymer Central School. While in high school, Dr. Andrea decided she was very interested in pursuing a career in dentistry. At that time, she ...