Our Services
Our Full-Mouth Approach
At Preston Dental Centre we practice general dentistry that focuses on total oral health and a comprehensive full mouth approach. Our focus is on why your dental issues may be occurring, and then not only working on a variety of options to treat the current concern, but create a preventative treatment plan to address the root of the problem. Our patient-centered approach places value on education, personalized attention and long-term relationships. We offer:
- Full dental services
- Full mouth rehabilitation
- Complex implant rehabilitation
- Oral disease management
Learn more about the different areas of your mouth and how we address common issues.
Gums
Common Gum Issues
Our full mouth approach starts with your gums. The health of your gums is not only a key factor for a healthy mouth, but also a healthy body. Healthy gum tissue should fit snugly around the tooth, be stippled not smooth, and should not show any signs of redness or bleeding.
If you are experiencing any of the following gum issues, it may be time for a visit.
When the blood vessels in the gums dilate due to inflammation and/or infection it can cause bleeding. Often, this starts out as gingivitis. If not reversed quickly,
bleeding and swelling can progress, becoming advanced periodontal disease, which is the leading cause of tooth loss.
Mouth Lesions (or colored areas) can be red/purple, brown, or black. They are more common in people over 60 and are typically located either under the tongue or
at the back of the roof of the mouth.
Mouth ulcers are raw spots on your gums or the lining of your mouth formed mostly in response to some form of irritant. An ulcer is often whitish in the middle with
an edge of redder tissue around it. Depending on their cause, mouth ulcers may be quite painful but usually resolve within 7-10 days.
Most white spots are thickenings of normal mouth tissue in response to some form of irritant. The white spot may be firmer than the surrounding tissue due to this
thickening. Less commonly, white spots can indicate an infection or disease process.
Does it seem like every time you eat, you get food caught or packed between certain teeth? Healthy gum tissues hug the teeth tightly. Between each tooth, is a small
triangle of gum tissue called the “papilla”. Gum recession occurs when this tissue shrinks away and leaves behind gaps that dentists call the "black triangle", where food can collect and cause further issues.
There are two types of periodontal disease. Gingivitis is infection and inflammation of the gums around the neck of a tooth, and periodontitis is an infection of
the ligament and bone surrounding the root of a tooth.
How We Treat Gum Issues
Gum recontouring is a procedure where your gum lines (margins) are adjusted against the tooth without affecting the health of your smile.This procedure may be
considered when tissues are interfering with restorative procedures or causing aesthetic concerns.
When gums recede, it’s an indication that the bone below them is shrinking away.If the recession is mild to moderate, it is more of an aesthetic concern than it is structural, especially if the affected area includes your anterior (front) teeth.
Soft tissue gingival grafts work by re-covering tooth surfaces that have suffered from receding gum lines, which improves their appearance while also protecting the teeth.
Soft tissue gingival grafts work by re-covering tooth surfaces that have suffered from receding gum lines, which improves their appearance while also protecting the teeth.
This procedure removes plaque and calculus from above and below the gum line. It may also include oral medications and rinses to kill bacteria and promote gum and bone healing.
This procedure is the re-contouring of gum and bone to decrease the risk of further periodontal disease. Surgical procedures are designed to either remove diseased gum and bone for better access to clean, or to build up missing tissue.
Teeth
Common Teeth Issues
A healthy body starts with your mouth. If teeth are painful, sensitive or achy it may prevent you from eating the healthy foods you need, and could be a sign of an underlying infection.
A cracked tooth occurs when there is a complete or partial fracture of the tooth structure. Sometimes a tooth breaks upon impact—such as accidentally biting
something too hard like a fruit pit, however usually a small fracture begins at the edge of the tooth then becomes deeper over time as you clench, grind or chew.
A cracked filling is a previous restoration of your tooth that has failed because it has broken into pieces. If you have older fillings, an uneven or unbalanced bite, or orally destructive habits like chewing ice or using your teeth to open things, you may be at higher risk of cracking fillings.
A discoloured tooth appears darker than the teeth beside it. Teeth naturally darken as you age, but the overall colour of your teeth should be about the same. There are many causes of tooth discoloration that you can work to address with your dentist, including decay, trauma, good staining, old fillings made of certain materials, and nerve issues.
A discolored filling is a previous restoration that gets dark as it ages. The dark appearance may be around the edge of the tooth, underneath the filling or within the filling itself.
Tooth decay is caused by an infectious disease called dental caries, which is the formation of holes or “cavities,” in your teeth caused by acid-producing bacteria. At Preston Dental, our education-backed approach can help you understand the risk factors, care properly for your teeth, and prevent decay.
One of the most common dental emergencies for people to experience is a knocked out – or “avulsed” – tooth. Luckily, there are many options available to your dentist to help restore your smile.
Abrasion is the progression of mechanical wear of teeth caused by foreign external objects. It is often caused by improper tooth brushing technique. This can result in tooth wear, ranging from V shaped notches at the gum line to ruining the biting surfaces of the teeth.
Dry mouth is a common condition in which the salivary glands in the mouth don't create enough saliva to keep the mouth wet. Some people are at a higher risk than others for Dry Mouth.
Erosion is the progression of chemical wear of the teeth caused by excessive dietary or stomach acids. It is an important and potentially destructive cause of tooth wear,
with effects ranging from the thinning of the inside surfaces of the upper front teeth to total loss of the biting surfaces of the back teeth.
Sensitive teeth (dentinal hypersensitivity) can occur when gums pull away from your teeth at the gumline exposing the softer dentin layer that lays below the hard
enamel of your tooth. Once exposed, the microscopic pores (tubules) that lead to the tooth nerve are left unprotected. Varying temperatures and sometimes sweet or
acidic foods can trigger pain.
Tooth wear is the loss of healthy tooth structure for reasons other than decay. Although there may not be cavities present, teeth become shorter and often thinner
over time. Tooth wear may hurt the ability to chew and may also noticeably change the overall look of your smile.
A loose tooth occurs when the tooth wiggles in the mouth. As a natural stage of dental development, children have loose baby teeth when their adult teeth are growing
in. A loose tooth in an adult is not normal and indicates there may be a problem.
How We Treat Teeth Issues
Dental sealants are thin, hard plastic coatings placed in the pits and grooves of teeth to protect against cavities. Usually they are needed on the chewing surfaces
of the back teeth, but other teeth may also develop pits that should be protected with sealants.
Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure that purposely lengthens a tooth, by removing some of the surrounding bone and gum. It may be carried out for either functional or aesthetic reasons.
You can work with your dentist to determine if crown lengthening is an appropriate treatment for your dental concerns.
You can work with your dentist to determine if crown lengthening is an appropriate treatment for your dental concerns.
One of the most popular variations of fluoride is sodium fluoride, due to its water solubility. When it is applied directly to your teeth, sodium fluoride adds minerals
to weakened enamel and makes healthy tooth structures more resistant to decay.
Inlays, also called “lab made fillings”, fills in the valleys and hollows inside of a tooth, as long as the cusps around it are still intact. Inlays are almost like
a large filling, except more durable than a standard composite or amalgam (metal) restoration.
Onlays cover the cusps and ridges (or biting edges) of teeth, rebuilding enamel that’s been broken or chipped. When it comes to recreating the shape of teeth that have been compromised, an onlay is similar traditional crown, except it does not cover the full tooth surface.
Onlays cover the cusps and ridges (or biting edges) of teeth, rebuilding enamel that’s been broken or chipped. When it comes to recreating the shape of teeth that have been compromised, an onlay is similar traditional crown, except it does not cover the full tooth surface.
Each tooth has a space within it that contains blood vessels and nerve tissues that supply the tooth. A root canal treatment is needed if this tissue becomes
infected or has severe swelling. The procedure involves cleaning out and filling that space to prevent bacteria from re-infecting the tooth. Root canal treatment allows the tooth to remain in place instead of being removed.
After all other options have been explored, a tooth extraction (removal of the tooth) may be recommended if the tooth is unable to be saved.
Bite & Jaw Joint
Common Bite & Jaw Joint Issues
Chronic teeth grinding and clenching is a habit that dentists refer to as “bruxism.” It has a few different causes, some of which can be treated and others that require lifestyle changes that need to be addressed.
The problem with bruxism is that it wears enamel against enamel — the hardest substance in your body — causing teeth to wear down, fracture, and even break apart existing dental work.
The problem with bruxism is that it wears enamel against enamel — the hardest substance in your body — causing teeth to wear down, fracture, and even break apart existing dental work.
How We Treat Bite & Jaw Joint Issues
The Kois Deprogrammer is a removable retainer-like appliance designed to help your dentist evaluate the stability of your bite. Every time you chew or swallow,
you must adapt your jaw to the best fit for your teeth. If this fit is not ideal for your jaw joint and muscles, you will be at higher risk for experiencing facial
pain as well as worn, broken or loose teeth.
Reconstructive surgery can add to existing bone where bone is missing. Bone grafting is when tissue is transplanted from one area to another. When done in dentistry, it is used to build a solid foundation for dental restorations.
If you have a sleeping disorder like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but aren’t able to use a CPAP machine, another viable alternative is an oral sleep apnea appliance.
Our dental team’s holistic approach allows us to address these concerns without relying on bulky machines.
Our dental team’s holistic approach allows us to address these concerns without relying on bulky machines.
If you play sports, there is a higher likelihood of injuries involving the face and mouth. A preventative measure you can take to lower the risk of oral injury and concussion is with a protective sports mouthguard custom built by your dentist.
Our clinic is proud to offer our patients orthodontics in Saskatoon. Orthodontic treatment manages growth and correction of dental and facial structures by changing the position of the teeth. Orthodontics is commonly used in the treatment of bite problems, including abnormal tooth wear, TMJ problems, and smile aesthetics. Learn more about getting orthodontics in Saskatoon.
Dental Aesthetics
Visit our dental clinic if you are looking for teeth whitening in Saskatoon. It’s an affordable option for freshening up your smile. Professional whitening treatments are effective, easy to maintain and can safely brighten the color of your teeth while erasing years of superficial stains that have built up. Talk to our dentists to find out more about getting teeth whitening in Saskatoon today.
When you have healthy, stable teeth, but wish your smile looked different, it’s possible to change their appearance without the full coverage of a restorative crown. Aesthetic dental veneers offer dramatic results to enhance the way you look and help you regain the confidence of feeling comfortable when you show off your smile.
Invisalign™ is a favourite for adults who want orthodontic treatment without braces. Preston Dental Centre is a certified Invisalign provider and can fit you with these comfortable, removable and invisible aligners that will allow you to achieve a straighter smile.
Dentures & Implants
A tooth supported bridge is a dental restoration that replaces missing teeth. It is made of a false tooth attached to crowns which fit over teeth on both sides of a space. A tooth supported bridge is cemented in place and cannot be taken out.
Essentially, dental implants are artificial tooth roots crafted from bio-compatible materials (titanium or ceramic,) which are set into the mouth near the area of the missing tooth. Their design triggers osseointegration, new bone development, around them. This is where the body fuses itself to the implant, making it a permanent part of the mouth.
There are several different methods and types of dental implant options available. Some implant options are “immediate load” implant designs, which means it’s possible to get your new implant placed and restored with a crown on the very same day. You no longer have to wait months between appointments to finally complete the restorative process.