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Implants

What is a Dental Implant? 

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is surgically anchored into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge in place. The benefit of using implants is that they don't rely on neighboring teeth for support and they are permanent and stable. Implants are a good solution to tooth loss because they look and feel like natural teeth. Implant material is made from different types of metallic and bone-like ceramic materials that are compatible with body tissue. There are different types of dental implants: the first is placed directly into the jaw bone, like natural tooth roots; the second is used when the jaw structure is limited, therefore, a custom-made metal framework fits directly on the existing bone.

Can anyone receive dental implants?

Talk with your dentist about whether you are an implant candidate. You must be in good health and have the proper bone structure and healthy gums for the implant to stay in place. People who are unable to wear dentures may also be good candidates. If you suffer from chronic problems, such as clenching or bruxism, or systemic diseases, such as diabetes, the success rate for implants decreases dramatically. Additionally, people who smoke or drink alcohol may not be good candidates.

What can I expect during this procedure?

The dentist must perform surgery to anchor the "artificial root" into or on your jaw bone. The procedure is done in the dental office with local anesthesia. The gum is then secured over the implant, which will remain covered until it fuses with the bone. The dentist then uncovers the implant and attaches an extension, or post, to the implant. With some implants, the implant and post are a single unit placed in the mouth during the initial surgery. Finally, the dentist makes an artificial tooth, or crown, that is attached to the implant post.

How long does the process take?

The process can take up to nine months to complete. Each patient heals differently, so times will vary. After the implant and posts are placed surgically, the healing process can take up to six months and the fitting of replacement teeth no more than two months. Sometimes, if a patient has good bone quality, posts can be placed and replacement teeth fitted in one appointment.

 

 

Fastbraces® Technology

 

FastBraces | Court Street Family Dentistry | Westfield MA
Everybody Should Be Able To Smile With Confidence!
  • Do you have gaps between your teeth?
  • Do you have crooked teeth?
  • Do you hide your teeth behind your lips or your hand?
  • Do you hate getting your photo taken?
  • Are YOU one of the thousands of people who dislike their smile?

If any of these statement apply to you… Then We Can Help!

If you’ve ever considered traditional fixed braces but have been put off by the need to wear them for 2 – 3 years and by the cost ….

If you’ve ever considered clear aligners but have been hesitant due to the cost and length of time you may need to wear them...

 … Then We Can Help!

Court Street Family Dentistry is proud to be your Premier Dental Office that now offers the amazing Fastbraces® Technology!

Fast! Treatment times range from 3 months to about a year 
Fastbraces® Technology typically works with just one orthodontic wire from start to finish, whereas old braces usually require a series of wires and tightening procedures. Fastbraces® Technology uses a special square super-elastic nickel-titanium wire which is activated by the special design of the braces. This dynamic wire helps upright the whole tooth using the natural temperature of the mouth in just one stage. Now treatment time can be measured in months instead of years!

Safe 
Twenty years of history, thousands of consecutively treated patients and university research have shown that Fastbraces® are not only safe but offer many additional benefits. Patients oftentimes experience less discomfort and there are no more risks with Fastbraces® than those associated with traditional braces. Additionally, the fact that the braces are on for less time means that there is possibly less chance of tooth decay due to improper oral hygiene.

   Affordable
   Fastbraces® Technology is very affordable in most cases because treatment typically takes just a few visits at    the doctor’s office. Less doctor visits mean less money spent, less gas used getting to and from the doctor’s        office and less time off school or work.

To discuss your treatment options, call our office today to schedule a consultation! 

Galileos 3D X-ray Imaging

How Does Galileos Work? 

One of the best things about the GALILEOS 3D imaging system is how comfortable it is for patients and how quickly it delivers comprehensive information to your dentist. According to Michael Augins, president of Sirona, you will need to stand still for about 14 seconds while GALILEOS travels around your head and takes about 200 images. That's it! It then takes about two or three minutes for the computers to reconstruct the data and provide your dentist with high-resolution images. If you've ever had a panoramic X-ray done, your experience with GALILEOS won't be much different.

If you're considering dental implants, you've come to the right place. Less than one percent of dentists use GALILEOS, but we do because it's important to us that you receive the best diagnosis and the highest quality dental restorations possible.

One of the reasons why patients love GALILEOS is because 3D imaging capability translates into more precise, more natural-looking dental implants. While traditional 2D imaging is limited in its scope, with GALILEOS your dentist can measure things like bone density, which is essential for placing dental implants.

The GALILEOS 3D diagnostic system is a cutting-edge dental technology that delivers superior quality images of your teeth with the one of the lowest dosages of radiation. Dentists love GALILEOS because it helps them make a diagnosis quickly, easily and accurately. Simply put, 3D scans capture much more data than traditional X-rays. This gives your dentist an in-depth picture of your jaw, mouth and teeth. Your dentist can use this information to determine whether cavities, abnormal growths or other dental conditions exist -- especially conditions that aren't evident from a traditional 2D image.

CEREC Restoration

Why patients at Court Street Family Dentistry are choosing CEREC®

Since 1985 CEREC® by Sirona has remained the preferred CAD/CAM technology of dentists worldwide for the fabrication of all-ceramic dental restorations in a single treatment appointment. CEREC® is proven by hundreds of clinical studies and is offered by thousands of dentists to millions of patients around the world each year. It also has the broadest restorative range of any dental CAD/CAM system on the market. Proven performance, unrivaled success, and unequaled capabilities have made CEREC® the number one dental CAD/CAM choice for over 28 years.

So, why are thousands of people world wide choosing the CEREC® restorative technique for their dental needs?

Single Appointment Dental Care

Most dental restorative methods require more than one visit to the dentist. This means that on the first visit, you get an injection of anesthesia, your tooth prepared, an impression taken, and a temporary restoration put on your tooth. You make a second appointment for a couple of weeks later, get another injection, have the temporary pried off (if it hasn't fallen off already), and have a permanent restoration put on. Why go to the dentist a second time when you don't have to? With CEREC®, the procedure is done in a single appointment at Court Street Family Dentistry, start to finish.

Finest Dental Materials

A CEREC® tooth restoration isn't just convenient, it is also healthy. Many years ago, dentists had few options to repair decayed and damaged teeth other than amalgam, gold, and other metals. With CEREC®, Dr. Zive can use strong, tooth colored ceramic materials to restore your teeth to their natural strength, beauty, and function. These materials closely match the composition of natural tooth structure. This means when you eat hot food and then drink something cold, the restoration and tooth expand and contract at almost equal rates. So, your tooth does not crack, and you can go on enjoying your evening. Also, the materials are chemically bonded to your tooth, so your Dr. Zive can save as much healthy tooth tissue as possible while providing you with a dental restoration that strengthens your tooth.

Smile Enhancement

Court Street Family Dentistry uses CEREC® for more than just crowns and fillings. CEREC® is capable of producing any single tooth restoration. Chipped or discolored front teeth can be repaired with beautiful CEREC® porcelain anterior crowns or veneers. Your smile makes a lasting first impression. Enhance it with CEREC®.

Worldwide, a CEREC® restoration is placed every 20 seconds. With a history of over 27 years, this equipment has helped dentists place millions of restorations worldwide. Using metal free materials that are the closest to your natural enamel, CEREC® gives you the highest quality restorative care. Ask Dr. Zive today about single visit CEREC® restorative care!

CEREC® is an acronym meaning Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic. Our certified CEREC® machine allows the Court Street Family Dentistry staff to perform a variety of dental restoration procedures in one visit to our office, including:

Crowns
Veneers
Bonding
Onlays
Inlays

CEREC® restorations give your restores tooth a more natural match to the rest of your teeth, and can help preserve the healthy part of that tooth.

And better yet, CEREC® restorations do not contain any metal – which is not only safer for your mouth, but also eliminates unsightly discoloration. And, the composite materials used will even feel exactly like your other teeth!

Denture Stabilization

Now you can once again laugh, talk, and live with comfort and confidence.

Over our lifetime, each of us will at some point have a dental problem that requires a visit to the dentist. These problems may include a broken tooth, cavity, abscess and other dental issues. Perhaps the most common of these dental issues is the loose denture.

Most dental patients are unaware of the impact and changes the loss of the teeth will have on their lives and oral health before they commit to becoming a denture wearer. Following tooth extractions, the bone previously holding the teeth is no longer needed and slowly melts away. The shape of the jaws and the tissues covering them changes shape over time. The inevitable result is a lifetime of uncomfortable, loose dentures.

Denture wearers accommodate for all these changes. Diets are altered, speech patterns adjusted and in many instances their social lives suffer. But now Court Street Family Dentistry has the solution to help denture wearers overcome these obstacles. We offer a minimally invasive, affordable dental implant procedure that can provide the denture stability you’ve always wanted – without the costs and time associated with full-size implant treatment.

Court Street Family Dentistry proudly introduces the 3M™ MDI mini dental implant. Smaller than full-size implants, mini dental implants are inserted to retain and stabilize your dentures, eliminating the need for messy denture adhesives.

3M™ MDI mini dental implants:

Typically do not require an incision in the gums.
Cost significantly less than full-size implants.
Can often be placed with a 2 hour appointment.
Can provide immediate stabilization of loose dentures in a single visit.

Learn more about Denture Stabilization

Dental Bridges

Dental bridges have been used for centuries to replace missing teeth. Today, dental bridges are still considered one of the most durable, conservative and cost-effective options for bridging the gap between a missing tooth and surrounding teeth. Comprised of two anchoring teeth and a replacement tooth, dental bridges help prevent surrounding teeth from drifting out of position, improve chewing and speaking, and help keep your natural face shape in tact.

There are three types of dental bridges: 1) traditional dental bridges, 2) cantilever dental bridges, and 3) Maryland bridges. Traditional bridges have either dental crowns or dental implants on either side of the missing tooth, plus a replacement tooth, which is held in place by a post-like structure called a dental abutment. Cantilever dental bridges are used in cases where there are surrounding teeth only on one side of the missing tooth. Maryland bridges are made of a specialized resin that is cemented to a metal framework and cemented to the enamel of surrounding teeth.

Dental bridges typically take 2-3 weeks to complete and are less invasive than other options, such as dental implants. With good oral hygiene and regular dental visits, dental bridges can last up to 30 years.

Six Month Smiles (Short Term Orthodontics)

We all know that first impressions are important. We are attracted to someone who has a healthy, beautiful smile. Not only do we feel less attracted to someone who has an unpleasant smile or badly misshapen or crooked teeth, but that person sees themself as unattractive. They are often less outgoing and lack self confidence.

Advances in dental technology can now offer adults with crooked teeth or an embarrassing smile the path to achieve a beautiful smile. Many adults do not want to undergo treatment with traditional braces due to the look of metal brackets and wires, long treatment time and association with it being a treatment more suited for teenagers. Others avoid the strict compliance required and long treatment time associated with clear aligners. These methods also involve significant financial investments and often are not a covered benefit of most dental plans.

Court Street Family Dentistry offers a new solution to achieving that attractive smile. Through Short Term Orthodontics (STO) using the Six Month Smiles System, these adults can now obtain the attractive smile they never dreamed they could have. Using clear plastic brackets, tooth colored wires and tooth colored cements, the system is virtually invisible during treatment as the components cosmetically blend in with the teeth. Six Month Smiles cosmetic braces can barely be seen at normal conversational distances and are extremely comfortable. Most STO cases are completed within 4-9 months with the average patient finishing in about six months.

Prior to the introduction of this amazing method, smile correction often involved artificially changing the appearance of the teeth through preparation and placement of Porcelain Veneers or Crowns on multiple teeth and at significant expense. Now patients can get that attractive smile without "grinding down the teeth" and at less than half the cost of other long term orthodontic methods.

If you think Six Month Smiles is your solution to getting an attractive smile, call us at 413-568-7238 for a free consultation.