Procedures

From porcelain veneers and oral cancer screening, to bridges, mercury-free fillings and routine cleanings and oral hygiene, your health and comfort are our top priorities. We try to make every procedure as fast and painless as possible so you can get back to your life.

Anesthetic Free Fillings 

People can be easily put off by large anesthetic needles and the noise of the drill during their dental treatments, but now, new laser technology allows for anesthetic-free fillings. Small, precise lasers let us drill cavities and repair teeth without the standard dental instruments and without the use of anesthetics. With no shots and no drills, the first and most significant impact of this technology comes in the form of increased patient comfort.

Same Day Porcelain Crowns

One of the things we can do to give back your smile is create a crown, a tooth-shaped cap we place over the damaged area. For either cosmetic or functional purposes, crowns are a resilient, and until now, time-consuming procedure. The process starts as before, numbing the area in the mouth and using a drill to shape the tooth for the crown. But with our new technology, instead of making an impression of the tooth, we use a small camera to create a 3D image of the drilled tooth and a computer program to build an image of what the tooth will look like with the crown.  If same day crowns are an option for you, we will take digital impressions of your tooth, then mill, fabricate and place the crown for you, during your appointment, with no additional visits or temporary restoration required.

Porcelain Veneers

Patients who wish to restore or enhance their smile quickly and easily will appreciate the sudden and dramatic improvement offered by porcelain veneers.

Porcelain laminate veneers are a “shell covering” placed over the teeth to enhance or correct their appearance. They can close space between teeth, restore traumatized teeth, repair worn teeth, increase their size, replace deteriorating restroations, conceal badly stained teeth and straighten mildly misaligned teeth. In as few as two visits you can have the beautiful smile you have always wanted.

Oral Cancer Screening

Oral cancer screening is one of the important reasons for maintaining regularly scheduled dental appointments. In the past this has been done with a visual exam. Oral cancer is often curable when detection, diagnosis, and treatment are performed early. Unfortunately, the tissue changes that lead to oral cancer actually start below the surface. These changes may not be visible to the naked eye until the disease progresses to the surface. **We are one of the first dental offices in the nation to be able to offer our patients the most current state-of-the-art technology used in the diagnosis of oral cancer. It is called a VELscope and it is a revolutionary hand-held device that provides an easy-to-use instrument for early detection of oral cancer. It allows us to detect lesion that are below the surface. This demonstrates the incredible advantage of using the VELscope for cancer screening.

If it is determined that a biopsy is necessary, we have a soft tissue laser to perform the procedure which can minimize bleeding, infection, inflammation and soreness, or (if applicable) the patient may be referred to a specialist to have the biopsy performed.

Smile Makeovers

For patients who desire a dramatic or even subtle change in their smile, Dr. Hewlett is able to combine several treatment options to enhance your smile. Depending on your desired results, we may recommend dental implants, tooth whitening, porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns, dental bridges and shaping of the gums. Creating a natural and beautiful smile is truly a fine art, one which bridges aesthetics and functionaltiy. There are a number of alternative methods and procedures possible to enhance your smile.

Bridges

Bridges are a fixed or non-removable prosthesis constructed to replace one or more missing teeth. The teeth on either side of the existing space anchor the bridge. We are able to construct full porcelain and porcelain over metal bridges to produce beautiful aesthetic results.

Mercury-free Fillings

These are tooth colored restorations that tare now the accepted alternative to traditional amalgam silver filling. No longer do patients have to endure the unsightly look of metal when they smile. As a further benefit, tooth-colored fillings are potentially safer than their traditional counterparts, as many believe that the mercury present in silver fillings may be taxic. Aside from being healthier and more aesthetically pleasing, the tooth-colored fillings are bonded to the tooth and more resistant to breakage.

Cleanings and Oral Hygiene

For optimum oral health, regularly scheduled appointments for cleaning and oral hygiene are essential. The hygienists have the highest level of training available. In their approach to cleaning they are gentle but extremely thorough. They will clean your teeth above the gums as well as below the gums, which is necessary to maintain healthy tissue. They also have the important skills needed to treat periodontal (gum) disease.

Sculpting Gum Tissue with Soft Tissue Laser

We have the skills and technology to remedy a host of oral problems, including those resulting from periodontal (gum) disease. Uneven gums can play tricks on a smile, making teeth look slanted or unusually out of proportion. For instance, too much gum can make teeth look too short. To create a more satisfactory appearance, we can reshape the gum line using state-of-the-art technology. Soft tissue lasers are more precise and gentle than conventionally instruments, offering greater comfort and reduced recovery time for patients. In addition, soft tissue lasers can be used to treat cold sores. We can reduce their size and healing time, making them less noticeable.

Preparing a Restoration with a Hard Tissue Laser

Dental laser technology now allows us the option, when appropriate, to prepare a filling with a hard (tooth) tissue laser. Hard tissue lasers enable us to use less drilling than normal and often no drilling at all, resulting in less healthy tooth structure being removed. The laser concentrates on removal of only diseased tooth structure. This can often be done with fewer injections than normal and often no injection at all. This is an ideal option for children. This translates to more comfort for the patient.

Children’s Dentistry

We are a family general dental office that caters to the needs of children. We ahve a room especially designed with our young patients comfort in mind. We have several programs that encourage healthy dental habits at a young age. During children’s dental health month we provide tours for our local preschools. We appreciate and value the children in our practice. Dental sealants are one of the important dental procedures we recommend for children.

Bleaching/Tooth Whitening

A professional bleaching system is often more effective and reliable than the over-the-counter bleach systems that are available. Your progress is tracked and monitored throughout the procedure. After the initial bleach trays have been received by the patient and they have achieved the desired shade, it is easy to maintain with inexpensive bleach refills.

Dentures/Partials

As a general dentist with a wide variety of patients, Dr. Hewlett has experience with dentures and partials. There are treatments available to help make dentures and partials more comfortable and secure.