Initial Appointments and Treatment Options
Meeting You
At Richard Wilson DMD we do not hand new patients a clipboard through a tiny portal in the wall. Pat, Helen and Danielle personally interview new patients and will ask you about your concerns in a real, human conversation, “eye-to-eye and knee-to-knee.” If your first visit is for an emergency, you will see one of the doctors for a thorough diagnosis and prompt treatment of your pressing problem. If you are here because it’s time for your checkup, our hygienists Dominique and Gina will capably gather a remarkable amount of information about the health of your teeth and gums and discuss your needs and concerns in detail. Then you will meet Dr. Feinberg or Dr. Wilson for a definitive diagnosis.
Treatment Options
Our Astonishing Progress in Preventing Root Canal Treatment
Through a triangulation of deep knowledge of dental adhesion principles, ozone therapy (to kill the cavity-causing germs) and the extreme precision of working in the Operating Microscope, we have made incredible gains in our ability to maintain vitality of the pulps in our patients’ teeth. The pulp is the small band of living tissue deep inside each of our teeth. It’s involved in the growth of the tooth when we are children, and remains through adulthood. Often, unfortunately, to cause us trouble.
Why the trouble? Situations like deep decay, trauma or gum disease can all cause infection in the pulp. Such infections are what cause patients to require root canal therapy in order to save the tooth.
Since adding ozone to our treatment protocol last year, Dr. Wilson has kept record of each patient with deep decay where there was as yet no infection, and where a direct restoration of the tooth was performed; not a full crown. In four hundred and eighty so far, only eight have required root canal treatment after our great efforts to prevent it. In many high-tech practices, the rate of needing root canal treatment on such teeth would be over fifty percent; in practices where silver amalgam fillings or poor quality adhesion is practiced, most such teeth would have required root canal treatment.
Maintaining healthy tooth pulps is one of our most energetic goals, and we achieve that goal at a rate that far exceeds the baseline standard of care.
Preventative Care
Oral health maintenance is far less costly than treatment, by any means you want to measure it. There’s financial cost, of course, and if teeth are lost or broken down, there’s also the loss of function and the beauty of our smiles. We look forward to working together to maintain your health and prevent dental problems; we know that healthy teeth are central to so many of life’s pleasures.
We have also created the “Caries Clock” as an educational tool to help prevent cavities in our modern sugar-laden culture. Especially, to help parents in teaching their children about decay prevention. Behavior is notoriously difficult to change; our clock gets people thinking about how they eat and drink as well as what they eat and drink.
Gum Care and Treatment
We help you prevent gum disease, and provide treatments when disease occurs. Gum disease, or periodontitis, is caused by germs in the plaque that forms on our teeth and if untreated leads to a melting away of the jawbone, loose, unsightly teeth and tooth loss. Preventing gum disease is vitally important.
Tooth-colored (composite resin) Fillings
Composite resins and the brilliant adhesive systems that bond them to teeth are technological processes that have been perfected for a very long time now. Michael Buonocore worked out how to bond to human tooth enamel in 1955, and Takeo Fusayama and John Gwinnett explored the intricacies of making materials adhere to the inner dentin of a tooth in the mid-1980s. Since then, it’s been hone, hone, hone until we now gain for you the beautiful, predictable and long-lasting results from the best bonding agent on the planet, Prelude SE.
Take-Home Tooth Whitening
With our kits, you can comfortably and safely whiten your teeth in the comfort of your own easy chair. There are two different methods, one requiring less time than the other. The slower process is better if your teeth are sensitive to cold.
We also offer a paint-on whitening process that takes just a half hour. We paint it on, you brush it off–it’s that simple!
Root Canal Treatment
Root canal is a procedure used to treat infections inside of our teeth, in the delicate pulp, which is often unable to stand up to injuries brought against it by cavities, gum disease and trauma. Adopting four modern technologies has allowed us to completely re-invent this storied dental procedure. We do root canal treatment by use of an operating microscope so that your tooth is magnified and flooded with light. Our modern rotary instruments completely remove infected pulp from the tooth, and we irrigate with the new EndoVac system, which vastly improves post-op comfort by safely drawing out even microscopic debris. Then we fill with bioceramic sealing materials, the finest yet devised to keep further infection out of your tooth.
Dental Crowns
There are times when a tooth simply cannot be maintained with a big filling any longer. There’s just too much damage, and chewing many hundreds of times per day exerts enormous pressures on teeth. In these situations a dental crown can often save your tooth. A crown surrounds the top and all sides of a tooth with ceramic materials. We don’t take these treatments lightly, but when they’re warranted, they bring a welcome second life to worn, broken and heavily filled teeth. And they look better as well.
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Dental Bridges
A bridge is a number of crowns made together in one piece. But they look like individual teeth, and we can replace missing teeth in this manner. Safe, long-lasting and esthetically pleasing.
Dental Implants
We don’t mind saying that you’ll find dental implants in the mouths of one of the doctors and a number of our staff. That’s how much we believe in them. Dental implants consist of a titanium artificial substitute for the root of a tooth, and then the actual crown that replaces the missing teeth in function and appearance. We place and restore dental implants, as well as referring to our periodontist and oral surgeon colleagues when the complexity of the situation warrants it.
Non-Invasive Mini-Implants
Mini-implants are simpler and less costly than standard dental implants. They are highly useful in providing mid- to long-term solutions to large dental restorations, where a supporting tooth is failing. They also excel at making dentures tight, as they can provide priceless anchorage and support.
Dentures – Full and Partial Removable
In situations where many or all teeth are missing, partial and full dentures remain a valuable treatment option. Carefully designed full dentures that are supported by mini-implants are remarkable, beautiful and long-lasting restorations. You’ll find your chewing power (and eating pleasure) restored.
Invisalign
Invisalign is a tray-based tooth movement system. Many adult patients have teeth that are, taken individually, absolutely beautiful. It is inappropriate to mask severely crowded and uneven teeth with dental restorations like veneers or crowns. A far healthier and long-lasting option is to move your teeth into their proper positions. We perform Invisalign treatment where appropriate, and refer to the finest orthodontists when braces are the best treatment option.
We should note that there are only three kinds of people on the planet, from an orthodontic standpoint. There are people who are in active orthodontic treatment. There are people who are wearing an effective pair of retainers. And most everyone else has teeth that are getting more crowded and uneven all the time.
Retainers are amazing. We can never overstate their value.
Snoring Appliances
We have trained extensively in dental-appliance therapy that combats snoring. Here is an image of the Klearway anti-snoring dental appliance.
Night Guards
Night guards provide protection and relief for those patients who grind their teeth excessively at night. With a protective appliance, you won’t wear your teeth away and your muscles and joints won’t suffer from high levels of strain. There’s nothing about eating your own teeth that makes sense.
Children
We welcome children in our practice. Professional dental care should start at around the age of two and a half. Let us help you raise children without cavities, and introduce you to the finest orthodontists to guide your child’s dental development. We are sensitive to the special needs of children (and their parents) in the dental office.
Sealants
We wish we could provide anti-decay armor for every part of every child’s tooth. Well, in the grooves on the biting surfaces of the back teeth, we can. Sealants are like fillings, only there’s no cavity first. We coat the tooth and seal over those grooves with a thin, bonded filling material. This protects one vulnerable area of a child’s tooth from decay.
Research and Its Implementation
We are a progressive dental office, actively seeking information on the latest developments, both in approaches to care and dental technology. We look forward to working with you using the most proven, innovative practices.