Dental Services at our Laguna Niguel Office

Initial Oral Examination

Your first visit at our office is very important in establishing your oral health baseline. Dr. Pallos will perform a complete oral examination which includes an oral cancer screening, periodontal evaluation, an analysis of your occlusion (bite) and a thorough examination of your teeth, their supporting structures and of the oral anatomy.

Radiography

Using the most advanced dental technology possible is just as important as staying up-to-date on the latest treatment techniques. Because our practice is dedicated to providing you with the safest and most convenient treatment options available, we utilize advanced digital X-ray technology in our office. Digital X-rays provide several advanced imaging options designed to save time, provide clearer dental photos, and expose patients to 90% less radiation than with traditional X-ray technology.

The Preventive Program

Both natural teeth and teeth with restorations survive best in an oral environment that is clean and where the intake of harmful foods is controlled. Our dental hygiene program is designed to help prevent new cavities, preserve teeth that have been restored and manage periodontal disease. At the initial visit with our hygienist, oral hygiene instructions are reviewed and are reinforced at subsequent recall visits. Dr. Pallos recommends that each patient be seen at least twice a year for a dental prophylaxis.

Fillings

Traditional dental restoratives, or fillings, include gold, porcelain, and composite. The strength and durability of traditional dental materials make them useful for situations where restored teeth must withstand extreme forces that result from chewing, such as in the back of the mouth. Newer dental fillings include ceramic and plastic compounds that mimic the appearance of natural teeth. These compounds, often called composite resins, are usually used on the front teeth where a natural appearance is important, but they can also be used on the back teeth depending on the location and extent of the tooth decay.

Root Canal Treatment

Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection. This simple treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need of dental implants or bridges. Symptoms of the infection are generally acute dental pain or sensitivity to hot, cold or percussion. If you experience any of these symptoms, Dr. Pallos will most likely recommend root canal therapy to eliminate the diseased pulp. This injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. This therapy usually involves local anesthesia and may be completed in one or more visits depending on the treatment required. Success for this type of treatment occurs in about 90% of cases.

Crowns & Caps

The terms dental crowns and caps are synonymous. Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth's function and appearance following a restorative procedure such as a root canal. When decay in a tooth has become so advanced that large portions of the tooth must be removed, crowns are often used to restore the tooth.

Crowns are also used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or an existing filling is in jeopardy of becoming loose or dislocated. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use, and are applied when a discolored or stained tooth needs to be restored to its natural appearance.

Crowns are fabricated in a laboratory and are made either of porcelain baked onto a metal substrate, all-porcelain, or many of the new ceramic materials that have been developed.

Bridges and Dentures

A bridge may be used to replace missing teeth, help maintain the shape of your face, and alleviate stress on your bite. A bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth, looks great, and literally bridges the gap where one or more teeth may have been. Your bridge can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials and is bonded onto surrounding teeth for support. There are two basic types of bridges. A fixed bridge is a cemented bridge which remains in your mouth at all times and is supported by your natural teeth. Removable bridges (partials and full dentures) are removed from the mouth several times a day for cleaning and rest on the gum where the missing teeth are being replaced.

Implants

If a tooth is extracted or missing for some other reason, it is now possible to replace it using dental implants. An implant is a new tooth made of metal and porcelain that looks just like your natural tooth. It's composed of two main parts: One part is the titanium implant body that takes the place of the missing root, and the second part is the tooth-colored crown that is cemented on top of the implant. In addition to tooth replacement, implants may be used to anchor dentures, especially lower dentures that tend to shift when you talk or chew. For patients with removable partial dentures, implants can replace missing teeth so that you have a more natural-looking smile.

Invisalign

Invisalign straightens your teeth without wires and brackets, using a series of clear, customized, removable appliances called aligners. It's virtually undetectable, which means hardly anyone will know that you're straightening your teeth.

The Invisalign System combines advanced 3-D computer graphics technology with 100-year-old science of orthodontics. Invisalign aligners are designed to move your teeth in small steps to the desired final position prescribed by your orthodontist. Each aligner is precisely calibrated and manufactured to fit your mouth at each stage of the treatment plan. Your first step is to visit our office to determine if Invisalign is right for you. After sending precise treatment instructions, Invisalign uses advanced computer technology to translate these instructions in a sequence of finely calibrated aligners -- as few as 12 or as many as 48. Each aligner is worn for about two weeks and only taken out to eat, brush and floss. As you replace each aligner with the next, your teeth will begin to move gradually -- week-by-week until the final alignment prescribed is attained. Then you'll be smiling like you never have before!

Veneers

Gaps, chips, stains, or misshapen teeth can now be treated with wonderful results and very conservatively using porcelain veneers. Veneers are natural in appearance, and are a perfect alternative for patients wanting to make minor adjustments to the look and feel of their smile. Veneers are thin, custom-made shells made from tooth-colored materials (such as porcelain) designed to cover the front side of your teeth.