Services

During your initial examination, Dr. Kim will perform a comprehensive examination. Our goal is to determine your immediate dental needs as well as plan for your future dental care. 

At your comprehensive exam, here's what you can expect:

• A full mouth series of x-rays will be taken

• We will examine your mouth and record any existing restoration 

• We will check your teeth for any decay or fractures

• We will conduct a complete periodontal examination to check for gum disease 

• We will evaluate your bite and jaw

• We will conduct an oral cancer screening

Dr. Kim will explain all the findings and if any treatment is needed, he will explain his recommendation. Our goal is to present each patient with a highly personalized treatment plan that will treat any disease and address any concerns you may have. 

Regularly scheduled professional cleanings are critical to maintaining a healthy mouth and beautiful smile.  During your cleaning appointment, our hygienist will examine your mouth and perform the following procedures. 

REMOVE PLAQUE

Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that has colonized around the tooth. The bacteria produce toxins that inflame the gums, leading to periodontal disease. Preventative cleanings reduce your risk of developing cavities and periodontal disease.

REMOVE TARTAR

Plaque left on teeth over time hardens and becomes calculus (tartar). It can only be removed with dental tools.  Tartar builds up from the top down pushing the gum tissue away from the tooth over time. This can cause gums to bleed, leading to periodontal disease and bone loss.

POLISH TEETH

This final step removes minor stains and any remaining plaque, making teeth their whitest and brightest!

For most people, Dr. Kim recommends a professional cleaning every six months to keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong.

What Are Crowns?

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap”. This is cemented over your tooth, affixed on a dental implant or placed in a dental bridge. The cap looks and functions like your natural tooth. Here at Touchstone Dental we use only the highest quality and skilled dental laboratories to make our crowns. Crowns are designed to match the shade of your surrounding teeth. In some cases, where there is insufficient clearance for the crown material, Dr. Kim may advise a Titanium crown. 

Why Do I Need A Crown?

Restore a tooth with a large cavity or fracture

Cover a dental implant

Change the size, shape and color of a tooth

After a root canal treatment

What Is The Procedure Like?

The typical crown process requires two visits.

FIRST VISIT:

During the first appointment, the tooth needing the crown will be numbed. Once you are completely numb, the cavity or fracture is cleaned out and the tooth is properly shaped so that it can retain a crown. In some cases, where the tooth had a large cavity, it may need to be filled in order to properly support a crown. This is called a "Build Up." 

Once the tooth is shaped, an impression is taken and sent to our dental lab. The lab will fabricate the restoration. This usually take 2 weeks. In the meantime, you will be given a temporary crown.

SECOND VISIT:

When you come in for your second visit, your temporary crown will be taken off and the final crown will be bonded into place. Before the permanent crown is cemented in place, we will make sure your are happy with the way the crown looks and feels.

Why Do I Need A Deep Cleaning?

If calculus (hard bacterial buildup) has spread underneath the gums, they can cause red, irritated and bleeding gums. Over time, this calculus will also cause bone loss which can result in loose teeth. In order to bring your mouth back to health, you will need a deep cleaning to remove this bacteria to prevent further disease.

What Is The Procedure Like?

Before the procedure, we will make sure you are fully numb. Once you are numb, we will use a Peizo Ultrasonic Scaler as well as hand instruments to remove the bacterial buildup and any other irritants from underneath your gums. 

For many patients with gum disease, Dr. Kim recommends the use of diode lasers to help kill the bacteria that cause gum disease. If you would like to learn more, check the section below about lasers gum therapy.

It is very important to know that contrary to common belief, root canals are not painful. In fact, they relieve pain! People often become anxious whenever we mention root canals, but it's not like the old days... They are usually pain free and will not feel anything throughout your root canal treatment.

The reason most people find out they need a root canal is because they are experiencing pain in their tooth. A root canal is one of the most common dental procedures and can help patients stay away from more costly and invasive dental work down the road.

Why Would I Need A Root Canal?

When the nerve inside the tooth becomes infected, you will need a root canal. The pulp can become infected most commonly because of a cavity or trauma.

Outside of trauma and faulty crowns, the best way to avoid needing a root canal is making sure you take care of your teeth every day and make your regularly scheduled visits. Cavities that are left untreated for too long can cause the pulp to be damaged.

What Is A Root Canal?

In a root canal procedure, the infected nerve is taken out and the inside of the tooth is disinfected. Afterwards the canals are then filled with a rubber-like material and sealed. Afterwards the tooth is restored with a final restoration so that it retains its strength, shape, and function. 

When To Get A Root Canal?

With any infection of the pulp, root canal therapy is going to be necessary. Here are the signs you may have an infection:

 Visible swelling of the tooth

Heightened sensitivity to temperature

Pain in a tooth or gums

If you experience any of these symptoms, call us today to schedule your consultation. Leaving an infected tooth untreated has serious health risks. The infection can spread all the way to the jaw bone, causing deterioration and illness.

No one wants to have teeth pulled, but sometimes for the benefit of your entire mouth, an extraction must be performed. Dr. Kim will ensure you’re well-informed of your options and, if teeth do need to be extracted, offers extraordinary care and as pain-free an extraction as possible.

Why Would I Need A Tooth Extraction?

There are many reasons a tooth might need to be extracted. These include:

Severe tooth decay

Periodontal disease

Broken teeth that cannot be repaired

To make space for orthodontics (braces)

What Is A Tooth Extraction Like?

Removing teeth no longer causes the type of pain and bleeding that is commonly associated with the procedure. This is in large part due to advances in anesthesia. A local anesthetic will numb your gums, jawline, and tooth before the procedure begins.

Once the area is fully numbed, Dr. Kim first expands the socket that holds the soon-to-be-extracted tooth. He then carefully pulls the tooth out and removes it from the ligament holding it in place – something that can usually be completed in just a few minutes. Patients may feel pressure at the point of extraction during the procedure, but there should be no pain and only minimal bleeding is expected. In the hour or so immediately following the extraction, patients will be asked to bite a pad of gauze in an effort to stanch the bleeding while a natural clot is formed.

After the tooth is extracted, patients will most often be prescribed a painkiller and asked to use an ice pack for a few days to minimize swelling. After your extraction, Dr. Kim may recommend a dental implant in order to prevent your other teeth from shifting.

Fillings are recommended to restore teeth that have developed a cavity.

How Do Cavities Happen?

Cavities occur when the tooth is exposed to an acidic environment that weakens and breaks down the tooth over time. Some causes of the acid are:

• Bacteria - Often the bacteria that have colonized the mouth eat the food debris and produce acid. 

• Stomach Acid - Patients who have GERD or other stomach issues often experience acid episodes.

• Dry Mouth - Dry mouth (also known as xerostomia) will cause the pH balance of the mouth to become acidic. This chronic acidic environment can quickly break down your teeth. 

What Is the Fillings Process Like?

If the cavity is large, Dr. Kim will get your tooth completely numb. Once you are numb, the infected and weakened portion of the tooth will be removed. The portion of the tooth that was removed will then be replaced with tooth colored composite resin. At Touchstone Dental we use the highest quality composite bonding materials that have been proven to have the highest bond strength, least amount of shrinkage and strongest flexural strength.

What Are Inlays and Onlays?

Inlays and Onlays are used to repair damage to a tooth’s biting surface with a type of custom-made filling that is more conservative than a crown.

While very similar, inlays and onlays are separated by one major difference. Inlays fit into the cusps of teeth (the part of your tooth you use for chewing) while onlays spread over the cusps, and sometimes more than one cusp if needed. They are both used to treat teeth that have undergone enough trauma to necessitate some stabilization but are not in bad enough shape to require a full dental crown or dental implant.

Unlike a crown, when a sizable portion of the tooth must be drilled away to ensure the crown will fit properly, very little removal of the tooth is needed for an inlay or onlay. Teeth that have undergone significant drilling tend to lose some of their normal strength, while teeth bonded with an inlay or onlay can sometimes see increased strength and durability.

How Are Inlays and Onlays Placed?

The application of most inlays and onlays require two visits to the office. On the first trip, the diseased or damaged portion of the tooth is removed and an impression is made. That impression is then sent to our dental laboratory where the inlay or onlay is fabricated before being bonded to the tooth at a second visit. At Touchstone Dental, we use the highest quality materials and highly skilled lab technicians to make our inlays and onlays. 

Inlays and onlays are treatments that are designed to last, provided patients are following a regular oral hygiene regimen of brushing and flossing. While inlays are typically slightly more expensive than fillings, they are often favored by patients for their natural appearance and longevity. Not every situation is right for an inlay or onlay, but by setting up a consultation with Touchstone Dental Group, we can help find the right treatment path for you.

Laser Bacterial Reduction (LBR) is a painless process that takes 5-10 minutes. It uses laser energy to specifically target and kill bacteria, pathogenic biofilm and diseased tissue, while leaving healthy tissue intact. LBR has the following benefits:  

Reduces risk of Bacteremia - During cleanings most patients will have some areas that bleed. This allows bacteria to flood into the bloodstream (bacteremia). This bacteria may circulate and settle on weakened areas of the body such as artificial heart valves, artificial knees and hips. By reducing the bacterial count in the gums, we are able to minimize the bacteria enter into the bloodstream.

Reduces risk of cross-contamination - During cleanings dental instrumentation can inadvertently move bacteria from an infected area of the mouth to a non-infected area. LBR kills the bacteria before we use traditional instruments.  

Reduces pathogens in aerosols - By reducing the overall bacterial count, we reduce the bacteria that are in the aerosols produced by the dental procedure. 

Biostimulation - Lasers have been shown to increase collagen production, enzyme activity, fibroblast and osteoblast proliferation. All of these things help jumpstart the healing process. 

In addition to these benefits, lasers can also be used to help treat aphthous ulcers (canker sores), herpetic lesions (cold sores) and other oral lesions. 

What Are Veneers?

Porcelain Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain that are bonded to the outer-facing portion of your tooth. They are uniquely made to match the natural coloring of the surrounding teeth, concealing any imperfections and bringing back your fullest smile. The veneers are nearly impossible to detect. They are durable and resistant to staining, whether it’s from coffee, red wine or whatever else your teeth endure. 

Who Should Get Veneers?

Veneers are for anyone who is dissatisfied with the current look of their smile. Whether that’s because a tooth has become chipped, or stained, or if a gap has developed between two teeth, these veneers can restore almost any issue. 

In a few cases a patient will not be a good candidate for veneers. If a patient does not have enough enamel for veneer placement, Dr. Kim will present other options. Also, patients need to be in good oral health with any tooth decay being addressed prior to moving forward.