Dental Services

DENTAL SERVICES OFFERED

Listed below is a variety of dental services offered by Stone Oak Family Dentistry, followed by a brief description. Keep in mind that insurance coverage varies depending on each patient’s policy.

ROOT CANALS

If it’s possible to save a tooth, a root canal is a great option. Root canals are done to repair and save a tooth that has been traumatized or infected. It is simply replacing the infected/traumatized nerve with a filling material and closing it up with a filling or crown.

ORTHODONTICS

We do offer some orthodontic treatment for the straightening of teeth for cosmetic or functional reasons. Whether it’s to improve teeth out of alignment, or to correct an occlusion problem, traditional braces or clear aligners are options that could help.

IMPLANTS

Having an implant is very much like having natural tooth. It is the closest you can get to the real thing. It involves placing a screwlike post in the bone, which acts as the root. An abutment piece is placed, and then followed with a crown.

BRIDGES / REMOVABLE PARTIALS

If you’ve lost a tooth and implants are not a viable option, then a fixed bridge or removable partial could be for you. A dental bridge fills in the space of a missing tooth or teeth.

DENTAL CROWNS

A crown is simply a “cap” that covers the whole tooth once it has been prepped and is cemented permanently. The material of the crown can be made by several different materials such as gold, tooth colored, or silver.

COMPOSITE FILLINGS

A composite filling is placed after decay has been removed from a tooth. It is designed to match the color of your natural teeth as close as possible. Fillings can last up to 5-7 years before needing to be replaced.

WISDOM TEETH EXTRACTIONS

Dr. Sako does perform wisdom teeth extractions in our office. However, to determine if he can take them out with minimal complications, a consultation is needed. This includes taking a panorex x-ray, that shows the position of the wisdom teeth. Also options for sedation will be discussed.

DENTURES

Dentures are made of a plastic/resin base that is colored to match the patient’s gingival tissue and is supported by plastic or porcelain teeth. Another optionis dentures that snap onto implants that are imbedded in bone. A consultation is recommended to decide which denture type is best for you.

SEALANTS

Sealants are a plastic/resin protective coating recommended for kids whose 1st and 2nd molars have erupted. Only the occlusal (biting) surfaces are “painted” over and cured with a light to set it in place. They are designed to protect the deep grooves of the tooth, so they don’t get cavities.

NIGHT GUARDS / ATHELETIC GUARDS

We can help with bruxism by making custom nightguards. These are useful for TMJ problems as well. Dr. Sako will consult with you to decide what type of guard would be best for your particular problem. In addition to nightguards, we can make custom athletic guards as well.

TEETH WHITENING

We can make custom bleaching trays that you can wear at home. The bleaching gel we use is a 30% solution that works very well and is recommended to use 7-10 days. Results will vary and it may take more time to achieve the desired whiteness.

DENTAL VENEERS

Dental veneers are a thin custom-made porcelain shell that covers the front or facial part of the tooth, unlike a full crown that covers the whole tooth. Dental veneers are great for fixing discolored teeth, misaligned teeth, broken teeth, or to close spaces between teeth.

ORTHODONTICS – BEFORE & AFTER

Image of teeth taken before orthodontic treatment

Image of teeth after orthodontic treatment

Image of dentistry patient's teeth before orthodontics treatment

Image of dentistry patient's teeth after orthodontics treatment

DENTAL VENEERS – BEFORE & AFTER

Image of dentistry patient's teeth before dental veneers

Image of dentistry patient's teeth after dental veneers were applied

PREVENTATIVE CARE

As a general dental practice, preventative care is simply our effort to prevent oral health issues as well as improving your oral health. These are things like regular checkups and treatments to prevent damage to your teeth and gums. Please keep in mind as with any treatment, insurance coverage varies depending on each patient’s policy. Not all cleanings will be covered at 100%.

ROUTINE HEALTH CLEANINGS

Routine healthy cleanings are recommended at least every 6 months. This involves measuring the gums, scaling the teeth just below the gumline, and polishing to remove any light stain and plaque. These types of cleanings are generally covered by your insurance.

SCALING / ROOT PLANING

Scaling/Root Planing or a deep cleaning is much more involved and will require several visits. The number of visits will depend on the degree of pocket depths, bleeding, calculus build up, and bone loss. A treatment plan is made at the initial dental appointment. We are eager to get your teeth and gums healthy again, and highly suggest setting up an appointment to get started.

FULL MOUTH DEBRIDEMENT

This is a dental cleaning that falls in between a routine healthy cleaning and a scaling/root planing. This type of cleaning generally has isolated deep pockets, bleeding, and some calculus build up that can me mostly and sometimes removed in one visit. After this cleaning we can determine if it will be enough to go forward as routine cleaning, or if it will be more involved turning into a scaling/root planing (deep cleaning).

DENTAL X-RAYS & IMAGING

At Stone Oak Family Dentistry, we have several technologies to help us assess the condition of your teeth. These tools are vital for proper diagnosis and treatment planning.

PANOREX X-RAYS

These dental x-rays include all of the teeth and surrounding structures in one image. It allows us to check for positions of wisdom teeth, and abnormalities such as extra or missing teeth, cysts, tumors, and osteonecrosis (bone loss).

BITEWING X-RAYS

These x-rays are for detecting cavities between the teeth and to check for bone loss. Generally, 4 are taken at a time, but sometimes there are 7. These are taken as needed at the discretion and recommendation of Dr. Sako and patient needs.

FULL MOUTH X-RAYS

Full mouth x-rays are a series of 18 individual images of all the teeth. Like a panorex it takes pictures of all the teeth, but in more detail. Images on an FMX will be clearer than a panorex because you are looking up close. These images also detect cavities but can also capture potential abscesses that bitewing x-rays don’t show.

3D / CONE BEAM IMAGES

These are images in 3D of the bone structures of the maxilla and mandible. These images are very helpful and sometime necessary for the planning of placing implants. This helps determine the size and placement of the implant.

INTRAORAL CAMERA

These images are taken with a wand style camera that is great for getting images of tissue damage, ulcers, blisters, fractured teeth (which can’t always be seen on an x-ray), the gingival palate, or basically anything in the mouth we need a photo of.