Specialty Dentistry in West Newton, MA

Scaling And Root Planing

Most periodontal patients in our practice become very familiar with the two primary therapies we rely on to treat gum disease: scaling and root planing. Sounds a little disagreeable, yes. But scaling and root planing are the beginning of the end of periodontal problems. The treatment is tried and true, with a simple goal—get the “junk” out of there. Plaque, calculus, and bacteria, left to accumulate, will form pockets around teeth beneath the gumline. As pockets deepen and bacteria go to work, tissue becomes infected. Without care, tissue, ligaments and eventually bone are destroyed and you’re facing tooth loss.

Root Canals

In the past, teeth with diseased nerves have been removed from the mouth. However, through a root canal, most of the diseased tooth can be salvaged. In most cases, the root canal procedure is a simple treatment that involves little to no patient discomfort.

Oral Surgery/Extractions

Many teens and adults are completely unaware that they have an additional set of molars growing beneath the surface of their gums in the far back of their mouth. Your third molars, or wisdom teeth, have the potential to increase chewing and grinding power, but most people do not have the space in their mouth to allow these teeth to grow in properly. Patients with wisdom teeth are susceptible to several dental problems like tooth impaction, infection, gum disease, and misalignment of healthy teeth.

Periodontal Gum Therapy

Gum disease (also called periodontal disease) is an infection of the tissues (gums) that support your teeth. Periodontal disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Because gum disease is usually painless, you may not know you have periodontal disease. At each regular dental health checkup, we will measure the depth of the shallow v-shaped crevice (called a sulcus) between your tooth and gums to see how healthy your gums are.

TMJ Treatment

Are you suffering from jaw pain? Does your jaw make popping or clicking sounds when you open it? Do you have regular headaches or migraines that aren’t responding to the treatments your doctor recommends? Perhaps the true cause of your symptoms is temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). In TMJ, a dysfunction in your jaw joint can cause muscle strain, pinched nerves, and other effects that cause numerous symptoms throughout the body.