Author: DA-Admin

In today’s article, we will be discussing the latest and greatest in dental procedures, also known as ICON. When a tooth in your mouth begins to decay, this tooth can lose minerals in the affected area, and over time become weaker until a soft area forms in the tooth, also known as a cavity. The early stages of tooth decay can be treated as an area to watch by your dentist, but as tooth decay progresses, the tooth is treated by drilling out the weak area and restoring the tooth with a malleable material. We’re here to tell you, however, that there is a new way to treat early cavities that don’t involve drills or anesthesia. If a particular cavity sprouts between two teeth, the only way to treat the tooth decay is by grinding away the tooth structure above the cavity and restoring a whole entire side of the tooth. Let’s take a look at how ICON can change the way your teeth are treated from now on.

ICON Stands for Infiltration Concept

By using this new technology, dental professionals can now treat early tooth decay without waiting for the tooth cavity to progress. Icon Treatment helps stop the progression of cavities, can increase the life expectancy for the tooth, and is also minimally invasive. ICON works by placing a few solutions onto the affected area and then treating it with a UV light that hardens the material. After this procedure is done, the area is annually evaluated by the use of x-rays.

Is It Right for Me?

To know for sure if ICON is both a viable and good option for you or a member of your family, the best advice we can offer is that you visit one of the dental professionals at Dental Arts SPB in St. Pete Beach, FL. Here we can give you a full evaluation of your circumstances and needs to give you the treatment you need at the best indicated time. Feel free to send us an email or give us a phone call to schedule a consultation appointment.

Do you have a tooth that has been affected by decay, damage, or trauma? Our team at Dental Arts SPB provides a wide range of preventative, restorative, and cosmetic services that help to improve our patients’ smiles. We offer dental inlays and onlays as one option is restoring teeth back to a healthy state. What are dental inlays and onlays? How can they help your smile? How are they applied? Continue reading to learn more about dental inlays and onlays for your smile!

What is an inlay?

A dental inlay is created to fit in between the cusps in the center of an individual’s tooth. They are used to repair a tooth that has decay or is affected by an injury. Applying an inlay involves numbing the affected area and then thoroughly cleaning it out with a dental drill. The dentist near you takes an impression of your tooth and send it to a lab to be completed. The inlays can be made from porcelain or a composite resin material that will closely match the natural look and feel of a tooth. Both materials are durable and made to last.

What is an onlay?

A dental onlay is used to cover over one or more cusps and goes over the biting surface of a tooth. These onlays are often referred to as partial crowns due to the amount of coverage they provide. If a tooth’s structure is too weak for a dental filling, then your dentist may recommend an onlay. They can also be used instead of a dental crown. Onlays are made with the same materials as inlays. Therefore, they are durable and natural in appearance, unlike metal fillings. The preparation for an onlay is also similar to an inlay, and the results last for years.

If you need to strengthen your tooth after damage or decay, then contact Dental Arts in St. Pete Beach today for more information on the procedures we provide. Call a member of our staff to set up your next consultation and get on the path to a healthier smile, or book your next appointment online today!

Our mission at Dental Arts St Pete Beach is to provide St Pete Beach, FL dental care for families with a one-stop shop that meets all of your oral care needs. We offer top-notch general dentistry, orthodontics, endodontic treatment, cosmetic dentistry and more. With our experienced team and advanced technology, our patients always receive the best dental care possible. Our goal is to stay current with the latest dental treatments to create smiles that last a lifetime. For that reason, Dental Arts are proud to offer our St Pete Beach patients Icon, one of the newest advances in pediatric dentistry.

Icon Cavity Treatment in St Pete Beach

Children’s dentists use Icon to halt the progression of decay while preventing cavities from getting worse. This method is just one of the many ways we ensure your child’s comfort at Dental Arts St Pete Beach.

What Is Icon Treatment?

As children transition into adolescence, they enter a crucial stage of oral development. By 13, they should have all of their adult teeth. From this point on, their smile should last a lifetime. But one of the biggest threats to a young, healthy smile is cavities. The health threat is even greater if early onset cavities are left untreated.

Icon allows pediatric dentists to halt the progress of cavities early in life so that healthy smiles last. Tooth decay is the result of acid erosion. Mouth acids draw out calcium and cause deterioration. Icon treatment gets absorbed by tooth enamel, fills in the tiny openings and reinforces the tooth structure.

The Benefits of Icon Treatment in St Pete Beach

The primary advantages of Icon treatment for kids include:

• Preserves Healthy Tooth Structure: Early treatment of minor cavities eliminates the need to remove decay by drilling into the tooth. More of the tooth structure remains intact.
• Protects the Tooth: Icon keeps small cavities from becoming bigger problems. As a result, your child’s teeth will avoid damage and last longer.
• Pain-Free: Since Icon treatment is a fast, noninvasive and comfortable procedure without needles or drills, there is no need for an anesthetic.

Kids who receive Icon treatment in St Pete Beach avoid bigger cavities and dental fillings.

How Does Icon Treatment Work?

X-rays are used to detect hidden cavities between teeth. Dental Arts dentists treat this type of decay by first separating the teeth with a special rubber band. The tooth being treated is then prepared with a dental gel. A thin applicator is used to fill the small cavity with Icon.

For white chalky spots on a smooth tooth surface, Icon is an effective cosmetic treatment. White areas treated with Icon are restored to mimic the color of the surrounding natural enamel.

Icon Treatment is used only on budding cavities in the beginning stages. Larger cavities will require a traditional dental filling or some other restorative treatment.

Most people want a bright, white smile. Unfortunately, it can be a challenge to obtain this, considering most people also enjoy teeth-staining beverages like coffee, tea, and wine, as well as teeth-staining foods. The answer is getting a teeth whitening treatment at your dentist’s office.

How does teeth whitening work?

Unlike store-bought teeth whitening methods like whitening toothpastes, which remove only surface stains, a professional teeth whitening treatment (bleaching) breaks up stains below the enamel through a process called oxidation. This makes the stains less visible, and makes your teeth appear whiter.

What is the procedure for teeth whitening?

At DentalArts, we use the Zoom! whitening treatment, which takes an average of 90 minutes from start to completion. Before beginning the treatment, your dentist will apply a protective gel to your gums to prevent irritation from the whitening gel. The teeth whitening solution will then be applied to the teeth. A state-of-the-art Zoom! whitening light is applied to the teeth to enhance the effectiveness of the solution, providing immediate results. Following the treatment, you’ll be provided with an at-home whitening kit to help you maintain your smile.

When should I whiten?

If you are thinking about getting your teeth whitened for an event, such as a wedding, it’s recommended to whiten at least one month before the date of the event. If you’re planning on having dental work done to your front teeth, bleach your teeth first. Wait one week to allow your teeth to stabilize before undergoing any procedures.

What if I have teeth sensitivity when I bleach?

If you’ve traditionally had sensitive teeth, without any treatment being done to them, use a desensitizing toothpaste that contains potassium nitrate for at least one month before undergoing a teeth whitening procedure. Be sure to tell your dentist about your sensitivity so that he or she can adjust the percentage concentration of the whitening product.

Consult with your dentist before beginning any treatment for teeth whitening, whether it’s at home or at a dentist office. He or she will be able to advise you on what your options are and which would be best for you.

White spot lesions often occur in orthodontic patients, especially if proper oral hygiene wasn’t kept before the orthodontic treatment was performed. One option for treating white spot lesions is with resin infiltration, a minimally invasive restorative treatment for post-ortho white spot lesions (WSLs) as well as certain congenital hypocalcified enamel lesions.

The Icon Treatment penetrates demineralized enamel and fades the appearance of white spot lesions and hypo spots. It produces optical properties similar to those of natural enamel so that the shade of the tooth looks natural.

Procedure

The ICON procedure takes only one visit and requires no shots/numbing or drilling. Plain pumice is used to clean the teeth, then the lesions are etched to remove the outer remineralized layer of enamel. Finishing bur is used on any surfaces that do not show any improvement. A drying agent of ethanol is then applied. A resin infiltrant is applied and left to soak for three minutes to allow for capillary action. Excess material is removed with cotton rolls, micro-brushes, and floss. The material is light cured and an additional amount is applied for one minute. This is also cured (after the excess is removed). The treatment is finished with polishing discs or burs. The gums may blanch temporarily in lesions close to the gum line. The entire procedure takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

Benefits

The ICON procedure is much less invasive and less expensive than alternatives, such as fillings or veneers. It can also be completed sooner than cosmetic options like veneers. Hypo spots treated with ICON should whiten similarly to the natural tooth enamel instead of looking worse as with bleaching.

Does it work?

Research shows that results last for at least eight weeks. Similar to teeth whitening procedures, which may need touch-ups, so does this procedure. However, many patients show stable results for three years or more. It should be noted that it’s not guaranteed that any spots will disappear completely, but in most cases, there is a significant cosmetic improvement in just one visit.

Thumb sucking and finger sucking are both extremely common habits that almost one-third of all children have. In the first year of life, many children look to these habits as a form of self-soothing, but it is unfortunately an unhealthy oral habit and can have different consequences in the future if not addressed quickly. Dental Arts SPB in St. Pete Beach, Florida, we not only take dental and oral problems seriously in adulthood, but are also heavily interested in preventive care for our young patients as well.

What Causes Thumb Sucking?

Many things can trigger thumb sucking such as boredom, anxiety, hunger, anger, and even sadness. As stated above, thumb sucking can be looked to for comfort during an uncomfortable emotional state or a situation that is exceedingly stressful.

Quick Tips to Defeat Thumb Sucking

If your child has not stopped sucking their thumbs buy age four, then a weaning of the habit is necessary to develop a healthy young smile. Your child’s mouth is rapidly developing past age 4 and thumb sucking can heavily interfere with the process.

Identify their Thumb Sucking Triggers

One of the best ways to tackle thumb sucking is by starting at the source. Once you figure out what triggers your child in the first place, you can help them to adapt their behavior into different forms using positive reinforcement. Preparing them for the situation ahead of time can also serve as a great way to stop your child from thumb sucking.

Cover their Thumbs

If the problem becomes more and more stressful to you and your child, you can make their thumbs less appealing by wrapping them with Band-Aids or special gauze. This simple method has proven to work well and can produce results that are long lasting.

To really teach your child the benefits of having a healthy smile, and how to achieve it, it is best to visit our office. At our office in St. Pete Beach Florida, we would be more than willing to talk to your child one on one, so in order to do so be sure to give us a call or send us an email to make the initial appointment.

There can be several different issues involving our smile that can cause an individual to feel self conscious and what to hide their smile from the world. One of these issues are annoying white spots. Thankfully, white spots can be resolved with the help of our team at Dental Arts SPB. What causes white spots and how can they be effectively treated? Continue reading on to learn more about white spot treatment.

What causes white spots?

White spots are a common dental issue and several different things can cause them to form such as the following:

• Fluorosis is caused from a high fluoride intake during the development of adult teeth.
• Decalcification is the loss of minerals from the tooth’s enamel. This is often due to a lack of good oral hygiene for a period of time.
• Trauma as a baby can lead to white spots as an adult.

How can they be treated?

Many people look to teeth whitening treatments to resolve their white spots, but this does little to help the situation. The white spots will remain a lighter color then the rest of the enamel. One option is bonding or dental veneers. However, these options require removing a portion of the healthy enamel. Innovations have allowed for a new treatment call Icon. Icon helps to restore the natural color of the tooth by helping to blend the white spots in with the rest of the tooth.

If you are affecting by annoying white spots, then know there is a reachable solution with the help of our experienced dental staff. Contact our dental office to learn more about white spot treatment options for your smile. Call us today to set up your next dental exam and consultation with a member of our staff.

Dental phobia afflicts many Americans today, going to the dentist is a daunting task for many. However, thanks to advancements in the dental field, getting treated at your local dental office is easier than ever. One of the greatest advancements to hit the market is now available to the public, and it’ll make every trip to the dentist you have from here on out much, much easier. it’s called the Solea Laser, and we’re going to tell you about it.

What Is the Solea Laser?

As stated above, trips to the dentist for many can be a really difficult thing to do, and it mostly stems from fear of pain or dental tools. However, the Solea Laser will replace drills forever. In dental procedures that target the gums and teeth, simple cavities, and complex surgeries, Solea is used to save time, alleviate pain, and reduce resting time after the procedure. The Solea Laser causes virtually no pain, no noise, and no vibrations, and some patients have even said that anesthesia is a thing of the past thanks to the laser.

Why Do I Want to Get Treated with It?

The benefits that come from the laser are many but the main one we would like to discuss today is the lack of pain our patients feel after using it. For many, the thought of going to the dentist is much scarier than living with excruciating pain, but now those with even the most severe dental phobia can come to our office with no worries.

Ask Your Dentist

If you wish to know more about the Solea laser be sure to contact your local dentist. Dental Arts SPB in St. Pete Beach, FL is a great resource for those that would love to know more about dental and oral care or have any general questions concerning their health. If you live in this area and would like to make an appointment in our office, feel free to send us an email or give us a call. The team here at Dental Arts SPB can’t wait to meet you!

The ancient world of archaic dentistry was a terrifying place. Thankfully, we are no longer in that place. Dental care has come a long way when it comes to advancements in technology. You can get in and out of the office in less time than ever, and more comfortably on top of it!

There have been so many advancements in dental care technology in the last decade that you may not be caught up to speed. Hopefully, we can show you some of the amazing feats in dental advancement. We know it will be impressive.

High-tech x-rays

The advancements when it comes to x-ray technology is nothing short of amazing. New digital x-ray technology means that x-rays can be taken and developed almost instantly, especially when compared with old film and radiography based x-rays.

Laser cavity detection

In previous years, a dentist would need to poke around your mouth searching for soft spots and Cavities. Your dentist no longer needs to poke around your mouth with sharp tools searching for cavities; Now a laser can do that

Shorter visits with CAD technology

Typical procedure associated with dental crowns involves a dentist manually taking a mold of your tooth and sending it into a lab to be developed and sent back to you to be installed on your tooth.

With CAD technology, your dentist can now create your dental crown in the office on the same day.

Thin veneers

Veneers are thinner than ever and look more natural than ever as well. Nobody will ever be able to notice that you’re wearing veneers if they didn’t know what your teeth looked like before. Dental technology allows veneers to be thinner and stronger than ever.

If you have any more questions concerning the dental technology that our office utilizes, please give us a call today.

If you’ve ever had a tooth numbed for a dental procedure, you know what I mean when I talk about that “mouth full of cotton” feeling for what seems like the rest of the day. Don’t even get me started on how the actual injection of anesthesia can sometimes be a bit painful. Well, thanks to modern technology, we have single tooth anesthesia, also known as STA, that eliminates some of the dangers associated with anesthetization and minimizes more of the negative side effects.

Understanding the Pitfalls of Traditional Anesthesia Techniques

Traditional anesthesia techniques call for the dentist to make a judgment call based on each patient in order to see the efficacy of the anesthesia itself based on feedback from the patient. Traditional anesthesia affects a larger area of the south, making it more widespread but possible, not as effective as it could possibly be. The ways bodies tend to absorb anesthesia means that more must be administered to stop the communication between nerves and the brain.

Single-Tooth Anesthesia: Revolutionizing Pain-Free Dentistry

In contrast to conventional anesthesia, STA uses periodontal ligament injection techniques to numb a single tooth for any given dental procedure. This technique also utilizes tiny sensors, integrates to detect changes in patient responses.

Increasing Patient Comfort

STA increases patient comfort in three notable ways. It reduces the amount of pain during the anesthesia injection process by allowing the dental expert to precisely control the pressure applied to the tooth. After the procedure, you aren’t left with a lasting numbness that can make it hard to maneuver around everyday practices. The anesthesia makes the patient much more comfortable, allowing for deeper and more effective treatment while numb.

At Dental Arts in St. Pete Beach, FL, we want our patients to be the most comfortable while being administered life or tooth-saving procedures. Give us a call to see what your anesthesia options are with us!