Sometimes there are enough problems with a mouth that we may suggest smile rejeuvenation, a combination of restorative techniques such as bonding and veneers, gingival recontouring or neuromuscular analysis. The result is nothing short of a reconstruction of your whole mouth, and you walk away feeling happy and healthy in just a few visits.

Full-mouth reconstruction may sound daunting, but it really isn’t. It does not involve surgery, but integrates a whole range of restorative techniques to fix as many problems as possible, all at once.

Full mouth reconstruction can involve:
• Veneers/Bonding
• Gingival recontouring
• Porcelain/composite fillings
• Occlusion work (bite)

Basically, we get your whole mouth working right in just a few visits!

A gummy smile can be fixed in just one visit with gingival recontouring. If your teeth appear short, your gums can be gently laser-sculpted to reveal your true smile. We apply a mild anesthetic and in less than an hour you’re back at work, pain free.

Are your teeth sensitive to hot or cold? Or do they show small cracks or graying? Chances are that your amalgam fillings are at least partly to blame. Today there are literally billions of amalgam fillings out there protecting people’s teeth, but that protection may come at a cost. The toxic element mercury is one of the primary components of dental amalgam, and is still used by over 92% of dentists. Mercury is used to keep the amalgam soft so that it can be shaped to fit the cavity in the tooth.

The cause for concern stems from what happens to mercury once it has been placed in the tooth. Studies show that about two-thirds of the mercury in a person’s body originates from amalgam. While it isn’t entirely clear what effect that level of mercury has, for those concerned about their health, being rid of amalgam is one less thing to worry about.

Apart from elevated mercury levels, amalgam fillings are made of metal, which expands and contracts at different rates. This leads to hot and cold sensitivity, as well as cracking and graying. And it isn’t at all uncommon for Dr. Hunsaker to find old amalgam fillings that have decay surrounding them, even after having been placed for only a few years (see right). Often dentists will simply replace these with another, slightly larger amalgam filling, which poses significant risk to the health of the tooth. But with the advent of new composite technologies, the era of amalgam fillings will be coming to an end. Windsong Dental Arts is proud to be on the forefront in offering this revolutionary and safe method to our clients. Some wonder whether removing a filling doesn’t do more harm than leaving it untouched. We use the proper precautions for removing old fillings, and the replacement composite filling not only strengthens the tooth, it is virtually invisible.

And let’s face it: amalgam fillings just look bad. After a few years the silver oxidizes (tarnishes) and turns black. Who wants a bunch of black spots in their mouth? The combined disadvantages of amalgam in comparison with our top-quality composite technologies, make replacing amalgam fillings a great way to improve your smile, strengthen your teeth and possibly even improve your health!

No more visions of Dr. Frankenstein at the dentist’s office! Air abrasion dentistry alleviates the need for just about all of the things you had nightmares about as a kid – the noise, the odor, the vibration, and worst of all, the shot. New technologies insure that you can avoid the apprehension many of us have experienced over years of visits to the dentist. And no pain means no anxiety.

The procedure is simple: Air abrasion uses an ultra-thin stream of compressed air and aluminum oxide particles, which gently remove the decayed area of your tooth – and nothing else. In the old days a lot of healthy tooth structure had to be removed because the drill was so big in comparison, and the old amalgam fillings needed a basin with cusped edges to keep it in place.

Often air abrasion removes so little of the tooth that the filling is extremely small. The cavity is filled with a tooth-colored composite filling that bonds to the tooth, offering strength, longevity and virtual invisibility.

Air abrasion is very safe, too – it can be used on small children and pregnant women. Anesthetic is needed only in rare cases where a little pain might be experienced. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll see the wisdom of regular checkups – problems caught early are easy to treat, and you can say goodbye to the drill!