Family Dental Services

Teeth Cleaning/Dental Hygiene

Having your teeth cleaned twice a year by a dental hygienist is what we recommend at Larsen Family Dental. When we regularly see patients we get familiar with the state of your mouth and see when conditions are changing. When we are familiar with your mouth and teeth we can treat them more conservatively because we treat them only when we see changes or advancement of a disease process. We find most patients have enough tartar/calculus deposited to their teeth after this amount of time that a professional cleaning is the only way to remove the deposits. We screen all of our patients for Periodontal disease, and in most cases our Hygienists are more then capable of treat the disease in our office with out a referral to a specialist.

Digital X-ray

We use the most up to date digital x-ray system around. The use of Digital x-ray is beneficial for both the patient and the Doctor. The patient is exposed to significantly less radiation when using digital sensors. The Doctor then has the ability to compare previous pictures of the teeth with the current state of the tooth to make treatment decisions. In many cases Dr. Larsen will use this technology to observe the rate of change in a cavity and only treat the tooth if the cavity is progressing, allowing him to stay true to his conservative approach to dental treatment.

Sealants

A "sealant" is a coating placed on the chewing surfaces of teeth (mostly the back teeth) to offer a protective layer. The sealant is placed in the grooves of the back teeth. This treatment significantly decreases the chance of a tooth decaying in these are areas that are often the first to decay due to their exposure to sugar and acid from our diet. These are normally placed on adult teeth but can be placed on baby teeth if the child has a high incidence of decay.

Tooth-Colored Fillings

We only use tooth-colored fillings. We have been mercury/amalgam free for over 10 years. Besides looking much better we feel these fillings are gentler on the tooth than silver/amalgam fillings. We can remove only the damaged part of the tooth and replace it with this material. Keeping in line with our conservative approach to dentistry. We want to save as much tooth structure as possible and composite fillings allow us to do that. We use this material to replace mercury/amalgam fillings and try to do this before there is need for more aggressive treatment such as a onlay, crown or a root canal.

Onlays, Crowns and Bridges

This procedure allows us to recreate the shape of your natural tooth when it has been lost. This shape affects the function and esthetics of your tooth so our goal is to restore what you have lost in the most conservative way possible. Depending on how much tooth is lost and or failing we will restore it with the most conservative yet effective option. With the advancements in dental implants we do not treat many patients with bridges because the option of a dental implant allows us to be more conservative in our treatment and also gives us a better long term treatment option.

Root Canals

A root canal is needed when the nerve of a tooth has been traumatized to the point where it will not heal on its own. Most often this damage is from decay or physical trauma to the tooth. Root canal treatment is a procedure used to remove the nerve and blood supply from a tooth that has been damaged to the point that it is not going to heal on it’s own. The space that is left from this removal is then sealed. The tooth remains functional although it will only be responsive to pressure as it is essentially dead. Unfortunately root canal treatment does not last forever and they often have to be retreated due to new infection or decay on the tooth.

Teeth Whitening

We offer two types of teeth whitening. We offer a take home kit that you use at home and at your own pace. We also offer a in office treatment that includes the take home kit as well as two “boost” treatments that accelerate and enhance the effectiveness of the take home kit. Whitening your teeth is a safe process when done under supervision. Extreme use can dry out the teeth and give them a blue/grey color. Everyone responds differently to the whitening process and results vary based on your diet, oral hygiene, and make up of your tooth structure. Some people experience tooth sensitivity during or after whitening. This is usually a temporary situation. If sensitivity occurs frequency and duration of whitening sessions should be adjusted to avoid this situation.

Extractions

We do perform extractions of teeth in many different circumstances. Our goal is to save teeth if that will provide a good long term solution, but sometimes extracting a tooth is the best option for the patient we are treating. When we extract a tooth our goal is to have a plan for it’s replacement so we can maintain the integrity of the surrounding structures in the mouth.

Implants

Dental implants are the most effective way to replace a missing tooth. This procedure allows us to replace one tooth that is missing with a single implant. The alternative is to involve several other teeth in the replacement of one tooth. Implants are typically done in stages and can take several months to complete depending on the situation and health of the bone where the implant will be placed. We also use implants to support dentures. This process gives denture wearers the confidence that their teeth will stay in place and function great while chewing, talking and laughing.

Laser treatments for cold sores and cankers

We can now treat you cold sores and canker sores with a low energy laser. This treatment significantly speeds the healing time for you. Cold sores can take weeks to heal, but with the use of laser treatment they heal much faster, often in days. If we can treat the sore prior to it blistering or scabbing it will typically never reach that stage. This is a treatment that takes 10-15 minutes and can save you weeks of dealing with a cold sore.

Dentures/ Implant supported Dentures

Dentures are the most economical way to replace teeth. They are also the most challenging to get used to chewing and speaking with. They are a appliance that can be taken in and out of the mouth. If you need a full set of dentures we recommend attaching them to dental implants to support them and hold them in place while you chew, speak, and laugh. The implants provide support and stability to your dentures and allow you to eat and chew food the way you did with your own teeth. In many cases we can attach these implants to your existing denture. By using your existing denture we save you the expense of having new dentures made.