A smile can be dulled by stained, chipped, cracked or misaligned teeth, but bonding can quickly and painlessly restore your smile’s natural beauty.

The Procedure

During the procedure, a thin coating of plastic or resin is painted over the damaged teeth and shaped, strengthening them and making them virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth.

Twice-daily brushings and regular flossing are excellent for maintenance between office visits, but a healthy mouth requires routine general and preventative care to stay that way.

Dr. John Durling and Associates offers comprehensive care that includes regular oral examinations, cleanings, fluoride, professional breath control, and periodontal (gum disease) treatments designed to help keep your teeth and gums strong and disease-free.

Dr. Durling can help you create a beautiful smile no matter what state your teeth are currently in, using cosmetic bridges and crowns.

Crowns

Porcelain crowns fit over damaged teeth to create a strong, new surface that looks entirely natural. Using tooth colored materials, porcelain crowns can be custom matched to blend in perfectly with your other teeth. Similarly, bridges can be used to discreetly replace a missing tooth. Bridges combine a new tooth with two crowns that fit over your remaining teeth.

Bridges

Also made of tooth colored materials, bridges can conceal a gap beautifully. Bridges also help protect the integrity of your bite, keeping your other teeth in place. Never has dental work looked so beautiful or so natural.

Cosmetic dentistry can give you a smile that is both beautiful and healthy. Combining artistry and science, Dr. John Durling uses the latest materials and techniques to create the kind of smile you have always wanted. Whether you are looking to better your appearance for personal, social, or professional reasons, you’re sure to love your new look.

It is important to note that many aesthetic problems, such as worn down or cracked teeth, can also cause dental health problems. Fixing damaged teeth has the double benefit of improving health and appearance. If you are interested in cosmetic dentistry, please contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Each of our teeth contains a long, thin strand of dental pulp, which provides the tooth with nutrients and nerves, that extends down to the tooth’s root. If the pulp becomes infected or injured, the tooth’s nerves die and, often, without endodontic treatment, the tooth dies as well.

What is a Root Canal?

Root canals are designed to save such damaged teeth. During the procedure (performed under anesthesia), a gap is drilled into the tooth’s crown and pulp chamber, diseased pulp is reshaped or removed, and the tooth is permanently sealed with a gold, porcelain, or tooth-colored crown.

Kids want to be comfortable, entertained and respected. Adults want the best technology, the most informed doctors, and the highest quality care. In our office, we understand that kids and adults have different needs and priorities, and we address them all. That’s why our dentists have extensive experience working with children. We can make their dental experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Experts concluded long ago that the mineral fluoride is quite effective in protecting teeth enamel from decay. For that reason, it is added to tap water and other products. But children, whose teeth are vulnerable, need extra fluoride to keep their enamel extra strong. Fluoride treatments are an excellent solution.

The Procedure

Fluoride treatments, administered in trays or brushed onto the teeth, are quick and painless and are given immediately following professional cleanings.

Why Have Full Dentures?

Dentures are an excellent option for people who have lost all their teeth.

The Procedure

Precisely designed and molded to fit one’s mouth, full dentures slide over the gums and are held in place with strong cheek and mouth muscles. They allow for comfortable chewing and keep the mouth and its surrounding facial features in proper alignment.

Periodontal Disease

Unfortunately, periodontal (gum) disease can lead to more than just an unsightly smile. it can cause loss of teeth and eventually, if left untreated, serious health problems.

Gingivitis

Called gingivitis in its early stages, periodontal disease is caused by excessive toxic bacteria (found in plaque) that attack your mouth’s soft tissues.

Gum Disease Symptoms

Early warning signs of the disease include red, swollen, bleeding gums. If caught early, we can help you reverse the damage or, if detected late, we can use one of many effective cosmetic and restorative dentistry procedures to achieve a healthy, beautiful smile.

Gaps in the smile are often uncomfortable and embarrassing. We offer the option of dental implants for patients who are missing individual teeth. The implants are very comfortable, eliminate gaps, and look completely natural, without the hassle of cutting down the surrounding teeth, as required with bridges.

The Procedure

The dentist attaches an aesthetic crown to the implant, creating a beautiful, natural smile that you can be proud of!

The Benefits

Another benefit to implants is the preservation of the bone surrounding the implant site. While other procedures inhibit the growth of bone around the treatment site, dental implants actually promote bone growth!

Invisalign allows you to straighten your teeth without anyone noticing! Using a series of custom-fit, invisible aligners, it is virtually undetectable. Both clinical studies and the experience of real patients nationwide have shown Invisalign to be highly effective at straightening teeth. Invisalign can treat the same problems traditional braces can, including crookedness, crowding, and gaps between teeth. Invisalign offers advantages beyond its discreetness.

Advantages

For one, Invisalign does not use metal, wires, or brackets, making treatment far more comfortable. Also, because the aligners are removable, keeping teeth clean, is easier as is eating all the foods you love. Invisalign is only available from trained, certified dentists like Dr. Durling, so you can be sure you are receiving quality care.

So how does Invisalign work?

At your first appointment, Dr. Durling will evaluate your teeth and bite and make an impression of your mouth. The impression is sent to the lab where your customized aligner series is made. You then proceed through the series of aligners, changing about every two weeks. Slowly your teeth will be moved into their correct, straight position with no telltale signs and very little discomfort

Dr. Durling is extensively trained in a full range of oral surgery procedures, including bridgework, tooth extractions and root planning, designed to help patients obtain optimal oral health.

Why Have Partial Dentures?

Partial or removable dentures fill gaps left by missing teeth.

The Procedure

Partial dentures are held in place with metal clasps or precision devices (tooth-colored, discreet clasps) that are attached to natural teeth. Usually made of resin or metal, partial dentures allow more comfortable and effective chewing, improve speech, and prevent sagging of the cheeks and lips.

Children’s teeth, especially back teeth, are susceptible to decay and cavities despite regular brushing and flossing. To protect your children’s teeth, consider sealants.

The Procedure

These durable, clear products are painted over the teeth, adding strength and creating reinforcement. Sealants can significantly reduce decay!

If you start to tremble when the dentist’s office calls your house and you can barely handle hearing the sound of grinding drills and slurping suction hoses, you are not alone. Thousands of people all over the country get anxious even when someone mentions “The Dentist.”

Everyone knows that healthy teeth and gums contribute to a great physical appearance and a healthy body, so there is really no way around going to the dentist. Unless you are willing to live your life toothless, eating porridge for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you have to make regular dentist appointments part of your routine. So if you are one of the people that dreads drills, but wants to do away with decay you should start to explore sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry allows you to feel relaxed and calm during a planned procedure. In fact, most of our patients achieve a tranquil feeling that allows them to fall into a light sleep. The actual process involves taking a small pill about an hour before your dental procedure. When the medication kicks in the patient usually becomes extremely relaxed and drifts into a sleep-like state. When you become coherent after surgery most patients have no memory of their procedure at all.

Patients who opt for sedation dentistry are required to have someone around to drive them home after their dental appointment because typically sedatives will take several hours to completely wear off.

Our skilled dental professionals strive to relieve your anxiety and ensure your dental procedure is completed in the shortest possible amount of time. Through sedation dentistry, our doctors can often perform in one visit dental work that may have spanned several visits without it. Deemed safe and effective by the American Dental Association since 1999, oral conscious sedation is a good choice for many patients.

Sedation dentistry is not for everyone, but for those who have been avoiding getting their teeth fixed because of fear, paranoia or discomfort this method can be extremely beneficial.

*Sedation dentistry is a non-specialty area not recognized by the ADA or MDA

Teeth Whitening

Almost everyone would like to have a whiter smile. Over time, teeth naturally yellow. This is due in part to aging and in part because of dark colored foods and drinks that stain the teeth. Teeth whitening is a highly effective procedure that can lighten the teeth by several shades, enhancing a person’s entire facial appearance. There are two methods of professional teeth whitening. An at-home version and an in-office one. The at-home method uses custom-fit plastic trays that are filled with a whitening gel and worn for several hours at a time. The in-office procedure can be done in a little over an hour. You simply sit under a light that activates the whitening gel that has been placed on your teeth. Please contact us today to learn more!

Zoom!

The Zoom! In-Office Whitening System is a revolutionary tooth whitening procedure. It’s safe effective and fast. In just over an hour, your teeth will be dramatically whiter. Zoom! Whitening is ideal for anyone looking for immediate results. The convenience of Zoom! in comparison to days of wearing trays and gradual whitening makes it the perfect choice for the busy individual.

The Procedure

The Zoom! Whitening procedure is simple and painless. It begins with a short preparation to isolate your lips and gums. The Zoom! clinician then applies the proprietary Zoom! Whitening Gel, which is activated by a specially designed light. Teeth typically become at least six to ten shades whiter, sometimes more. A five-minute fluoride treatment completes the procedure. You’ll be amazed with the results. In most cases, teeth get even whiter the first few days after the procedure.

Your smile is important. It’s one of the first things you notice when you meet someone. A whiter, brighter smile is beautiful – it can help you feel better about yourself and make a memorable impression.

Thanks to advances in dental materials and ceramics, fillings and restorations no longer have to look unnatural. Tooth colored fillings can be matched to the natural color of your teeth and carefully contoured to look completely realistic.

Do They Last?

The materials used for tooth colored fillings are very strong and long-lasting, making them an ideal option.

Normal Tooth Extraction

In only the most extreme and necessary cases, such as when a tooth’s roots are severely damaged beyond repair, we may extract the tooth in preparation for a restorative dentistry procedure, such as dentures.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Wisdom teeth may be too crowded in the jaw, causing problems. We can help determine if they need to be removed.

One of the most significant advances in cosmetic dentistry, porcelain veneers can correct a host of problems, including cracks, gaps, chips, stains, and crookedness.

The Procedure

Veneers are created and matched to your natural tooth color in the dental laboratory. They are then placed on the front of teeth, giving you the kind of smile you have always dreamed of having. Strong and long-lasting, veneers are sometimes called “instant orthodontics,” because they can create a straight, perfect smile in just a few short appointments.