Family Dentistry

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Oak Family Dentistry is dedicated to providing comprehensive dental care for you and your family. Dental heath is very important starting at a young age and we wish to cultivate good dental habits from childhood through adulthood.

Learn More About Our Practice Areas:

Children • Cleanings and Checkups • Restorative Treatment • Bridges and Crowns • Dental Implants
Dentures • Root Canal Therapy • Tooth Extraction • TMD Therapy

Children

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Here at Oak Family Dentistry we embrace the family approach to dental treatment. We wish to serve you and your family's dental needs from the young to the elderly. A common question asked by parents is when to start bringing their children to the dentist for a checkup. Dr Peter Sciarrino recommends that children first visit our office around the age of one year. The first visit is mainly to get your child acquainted with our friendly staff and to go over dental hygiene techniques to ensure your child has a clean healthy mouth. This visit will allow the dentist to assess your child's oral health and screen for problems commonly found in children at this age such as teething irritation, baby bottle tooth decay, and complications caused by prolonged thumb sucking. Dr Peter Sciarrino will be able to assess if your child has any problems and provide early preventative care.

Dr Peter Sciarrino believes in establishing good oral hygiene habits at a young age to set your child on the path to a disease free mouth. Please call our office at (843)559-5555 to make an appointment or if you have any questions specific to your child's mouth. We look forward to hearing from you!

Cleanings and Checkups

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Routine cleanings are a necessary part of maintaining a healthy mouth and smile. It is clearly understood that plaque accumulation on teeth and gums leads to decay and inflammation. Regular dental checkups allow for us to spot small problems before they turn into bigger issues.

A cavity that can be removed and repaired when it is still small will save you from having a more painful problem that may ruin your day in the future with a toothache or broken tooth.

At your checkup we can also assess the health of your gum tissue. Chronic inflammation of your gums, also called Gingivitis, can lead to Periodontal Disease which is defined by the loss of bone around your teeth. As this disease progresses you lose more and more bone until the teeth become loose and extractions or periodontal surgery is necessary.

When the pocketing between the tooth and gum becomes too deep, Scaling and Root Planing is required. This is a procedure where the Dental Hygienist numbs your gums and cleans below the gum line to remove the bacteria and hard deposits causing the progression of Periodontal Disease.

Restorative Treatment

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Direct restorative treatment involves removing cavities and replacing the removed tooth structure with a restoration. Resin or Amalgam fillings are options for restoration after removing the diseased tooth structure.

Resin Fillings are tooth colored fillings that are bonded to your teeth. This restoration material allows for the highest level of aesthetics for a directly placed restoration that blends with your natural tooth shade. Amalgam (or silver) fillings are used in areas where bonding of resin would be difficult to achieve.

Amalgam fillings are an option but usually not a restorative material of choice for most due to the darker color of the amalgam.

Sealants also fall under direct preventive restoration. A sealant is placed on healthy posterior teeth with no cavities so drilling is not necessary. A sealant is a thin layer of fluoride releasing bonding that fills in deep grooves on top of posterior teeth. This bonding allows for less food collection in this area and thus fewer cavities on the top of the back teeth.

Fixed Bridges and Crowns

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It is sometimes necessary to replace large fillings on broken or cracked teeth with a full coverage crown. Over time large fillings have a tendency to split and crack your tooth and create stress fractures in your remaining tooth structure. A crown is essentially a new outer shell for your tooth. Crowns will protect your remaining tooth structure from fracture and restore aesthetic when needed.

A Bridge is very indicative of its name in that it bridges a gap between two teeth. It can be used to fill in spaces between teeth and restore your appearance and your ability to chew.

Dental Implants

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If you are missing any teeth you might be a candidate for dental implants. Dental implants replace the roots of the teeth and provide your dentist with a foundation to restore the empty space with a tooth. Dental implants are the restoration of choice for replacing teeth as they are most similar to your natural teeth in function.

Dentures

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Dentures are a good treatment choice for people missing multiple or all of their teeth. They restore the ability to chew and can improve a patients smile. Implants can also be combined with dentures to provide for more stability of the denture and more confident chewing.

Root Canal Therapy

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When the dental pulp (or nerve) of the tooth becomes infected or traumatized it can cause the tooth to die. When this happens, your dentist must remove the damaged nerve tissue either by treating the tooth with a root canal or by extracting the whole tooth. Root canal treatment allows for the patient to keep their natural tooth structure while addressing the problems with the nerve. The canals are cleaned out and instrumented with the latest in rotary endodontic technology. Dr Sciarrino will restore your root canal treated tooth and allow for a long lasting, functional, and aesthetic solution to the problem without having to lose your tooth.

Tooth Extraction

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Extractions are removal of the tooth from the socket of bone. An extraction is necessary if a tooth is severely broken or damaged by decay and cannot be saved. Every effort is taken to ensure your experience is comfortable and as painless as possible.

TMD Therapy

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TMD (or Tempero Mandibular Disorder) occurs in people who have a tendency to clench and grind their teeth. This usually happens at night and can be corrected with an occlusal night guard. Not only will this night guard protect your teeth from wear, it also will help with jaw joint pain, jaw muscle soreness, and headaches associated with overuse of this joint. The night guards are custom fit to your mouth to ensure an even distribution of forces when grinding.

Click here for information about Cosmetic Dentistry at Oak Family Dentistry.