Are you interested in achieving a flawlessly beautiful smile? If so, cosmetic dentistry is the right choice for you! Our dentist at Strasburg Family Dentistry, Dr. Botros, is skilled in a number of cosmetic dental treatments to improve the appearance of your smile. We invite you to call or visit our dental office in Strasburg, Virginia to learn more about how cosmetic dentistry can enhance your smile! We also welcome you to visit the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry for more information on cosmetic dentistry.

Fillings, as the term indicates, are dental restorations that are used to repair a damaged tooth following caries, or wear. Several years ago, a silver coloured material known as amalgam was being used to restore teeth, but it compromised the appearance of the smile. It also contained trace amount of mercury, a liquid element which is toxic to humans, and the environment. Today, that material has been replaced with an aesthetically pleasing, safe, non-toxic and structurally stable substance known as Composite. At Strasburg Family Dentistry, composites are our restoration material of choice for the most natural looking fixes!

A typical filling procedure involves removal of the decayed portion of the tooth with the help of a rotating tip attached to a hand piece. A retentive cavity shape is then created, and the composite is loaded into it in the form of small increments. The material is shaped according to the natural contours of the tooth and then finally set in place with the help of a laser, or a curing dental light. Unless the filling is deep, anesthesia is not generally needed for the procedure. The filling is then polished for a natural-looking shine. Composites can also be used for small cosmetic dental fixes to improve the appearance of the smile.

You may have heard about dental sealants during your routine check-ups. This unique treatment is perhaps one of the most beneficial of all procedures performed as part of prophylactic dentistry today. Sealants were introduced with young children and patients with disabilities in mind. They help protect the teeth from dental caries, or tooth decay, even before it starts, keeping the primary dentition healthy and disease-free for a long time. A thin layer of tooth-coloured filling material is applied and set in place on the biting surfaces of all the molars in the oral cavity. This is because these teeth are most prone to developing lesions of decay due to their unique anatomy. Children are unable to maintain good oral hygiene all by themselves, and this procedure goes a long way in giving them the extra protection they need.

At Strasburg Family Dentistry, we advise all parents to bring their children to the clinic for dental fissure sealants. The treatment is fast, easy and entirely painless. If you notice that the sealants have worn off after some time, you can bring your child in again to have them re-applied easily. Book an appointment with our team of restorative experts to discuss sealants today!

Brushing and flossing can help keep the plaque at bay. But aside from personal oral hygiene, it is important to have regular teeth cleaning done by a dentist to keep your teeth in top condition. If you don’t have your teeth cleaned, you can still develop tartar that will lead to many types of periodontal diseases like gingivitis or even losing a tooth due to infection.

Having regular dental cleaning will cost you money but it will get you a lot of benefits. Not only will it allow you to achieve that perfect smile, but it also helps you protect your overall dental health. Having white teeth and a brilliant smile is not the only thing you get from having professional dental cleaning. Did you know that dentists can detect any sign of oral cancer especially during routine cleaning?

Another benefit of teeth cleaning is that you also reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke. Many studies have indicated that gum diseases are linked to stroke and heart attack. Thus, the cleaner your teeth are, the lesser the risk for heart disease you have.

Extraction in dentistry is a term given to the removal of natural teeth from the upper or lower jaws. As oral health providers, we at Strasburg Family Dentistry aim to always save the natural teeth through specific, targeted treatment. In some cases however, extraction becomes unavoidable and necessary. These include:

• Advanced stage dental caries

• Advanced stage periodontitis

• Space gaining for Orthodontic treatments

• Impaction of third molars

• Retained primary teeth

• Untreatable abscesses of the root

• Bone disorders

With the local anaesthesia in place, it is our guarantee that you will not feel any pain or discomfort as we safely remove the problematic tooth/teeth from your mouth. For larger teeth, we may use sutures, or stitches following the extraction to promote faster healing and better management of blood loss. Our techniques ensure that your surrounding soft tissues remains perfectly unharmed during surgery. You can choose the sedation methods that suits you best for the procedure. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to provide you all the details regarding our tooth extraction surgeries.

Dentures are perhaps the oldest of all tooth replacement methods being used in dentistry today. These are removable artificial teeth that can be used to replace all, or several natural missing teeth in the oral cavity. However, unlike dental implants, dentures only replace the crowns, and not the roots of the natural teeth. These prosthetic teeth are made using a material known as acrylic which is non-toxic, biocompatible, non-allergenic, and very easy to clean.

There are two main types of dentures that you can get at Strasburg Family Dentistry based on your requirements; Complete Dentures, which are full trays meant for patients who do not have any teeth in their mouth, and Partial Dentures, which are smaller segments of artificial teeth fabricated for patients missing several teeth in their upper or lower arches. Patients usually opt for dentures because of their ease of usage, and affordability.

Root canal treatments are special types filling that are done when the innermost portion of a natural tooth becomes damaged or infected. This portion, known as pulp, is where the tooth receives innervation, and nourishment through blood vessels – it is therefore the most sensitive layer as well. Bacteria can invade the pulp if left untreated as they enter through the enamel and dentin. The pulp can also sustain damage through trauma. In both cases, the only way to save the tooth is by performing a Root Canal Treatment.

The treatment may be completed in two or three visits, depending upon the tooth. For instance, molars have multiple pulp canals and therefore take more time. The procedure involves removing the decayed portion of the tooth and gaining access to the pulp chambers. The pulp is then completely removed from the canals with the help of special endodontic files either manually, or attached to a hand-held rotary device. The canals are then cleaned, shaped, disinfected and finally filled with an inert endodontic material. The tooth is then fitted with a crown for restoration of structural stability, functionality and aesthetics. Root canals and pulp infections in most cases can be prevented, keep your oral health in check by visiting the team at Strasburg Family Dentistry today.

A dental bridge is one of the most effective treatments for missing teeth replacement. If you have a single missing tooth, or several missing teeth in your upper or lower dental arches, then you should consider bridges. Based upon the principle of the architectural structure that they have been named after, these fixed dental prostheses use the support of natural teeth to fix or suspend an artificial crown over an empty socket. At Strasburg Family Dentistry, we use porcelain and metal to fabricate our bridges so that you don’t have to worry about the strength or the aesthetic properties of the artificial teeth that will be placed in your mouth.

To create a bridge, one natural tooth on either side of the empty socket is prepared and slightly reduced in dimensions with the help of a hand piece. An impression of the segment is then taken, one the basis of which a bridge is fabricated by technician at the dental laboratory. When ready, it is cemented on top of the natural teeth. Dental bridges can effectively restore a patient’s ability to bite and chew food normally, and smile confidently once again. If you’re missing a few teeth in your mouth and need them replaced, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to help you out!

Oftentimes a dental implant is treatment planned when a natural tooth is either congenitally missing or must be removed due to decay or injury. The implant becomes the support system for a new tooth, replacing the root. Once the implant is in place and ready for restoration a mold is taken of the implant. A special type of crown, called a dental implant crown, will be fabricated to complete the restoration of the implant. As a dental implant ends at the gum line, and there no longer tooth structure to fill the center of the dental implant crown, normally we will have our technician use this mold to make an abutment, also called a connector. This portion of the restoration, typically made of a strong ceramic called Zirconia or titanium, will tie the submerged dental implant to the new crown. A feat of engineering, the abutment is held in place by a screw that goes through a small hole in the center of the abutment, ingeniously joining together the two components – the implant and the abutment. The abutment is designed to provide the strength to support the implant and to bear the forces of one’s bite.

Do you frequently find yourself covering your mouth when you smile, or simply shy away from smiling opening in social gatherings? Do you feel conscious about your pale smile and wish there was a way you could make it brighter, more attractive? You can rest your worries because our Teeth whitening treatments at Strasburg Family Dentistry can give your smile the makeover you’ve been waiting for.

Bleaching, or teeth whitening is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure aimed at removing stains and discoloration to reveal a whiter, brighter smile. It can be done at home with the help of DIY Whitening kits. The procedure has a positive impact on the lives of most patients as it allows them to smile more confidently than ever before, and with the right measures, this smile can be maintained for months or years at a stretch. If you have been hiding behind a pale smile, then it is time to give it a boost – call us now to book you teeth whitening appointment at Strasburg Family Dentistry today!