- Dental ExaminationWhether your dental needs are a complete exam and cleaning, a full-mouth restoration, or anything in between, we will provide you with exceptional care as we enhance the natural beauty of your smile. On your left, are just some of the many procedures and services we regularly provide to our patients – with a gentle touch, and aesthetic results. Your smile is important to us.
- X-rays
- Oral Cancer ScreeningAccording to your individual situation you and your dentist will decide the frequency of your dental appointments. In the majority of patients, one visit twice a year is sufficient. Bi-annual visits to the dentist help prevent problems before they escalate. X-rays are taken annually to check the roots, monitor bone levels, find cavities, etc. At your bi-annual visit gum tissue tone will be evaluated, an oral cancer screening will be performed, and a visual exam will be done to ensure there are no problems. Any questions or concerns you may have can be addressed and answered on a personal level with the dentist at the bi-annual exam, or at any other time you feel the need to come in to the office.
- Teeth Cleaning
- Fluoride Treatment
- Dental SealantsOne of our main goals at Whiting Family Dental is to stabilize the oral health of our patients and teach them the techniques that will help them care for their mouths independently at home. In contrast to modern prevention based dentistry, a trip to the dentist was traditionally instigated by a toothache or other problem. In our office we strive to prevent and treat tooth decay before the toothache starts. With regular dental care, many dental diseases are now preventable. Fluorides, high fluoride and tarter control toothpastes, sealants, anti-microbial mouth rinses, and many other agents are available to prevent cavities, periodontal disease, and other dental diseases before they start. Studies have shown that some small cavities may be stopped or reversed with proper oral hygiene and chemical care. Misaligned teeth (Malocclusions) and crowding may be prevented or corrected by early treatment thereby preventing extensive orthodontic treatment and\or corrective surgery. We are here to answer any of our patient’s questions and keep them up to date with advancements in oral health care.
- Fillings
- Resin CompositeOnlays and Inlays are essentially partial crowns. When a large portion of the tooth enamel and structural support has been destroyed by decay or trauma, an onlay or inlay may be a better solution than a large filling or a crown. When a cavity or chip in a tooth is too big for a filling or too small for a crown, an onlay or inlay can be used to repair the tooth. Onlays and inlays can be made of various materials including porcelain, composite resin, and gold alloys. A temporary onlay/inlay will be fitted at your initial visit as an interim while the laboratory processes the permanent onlay/inlay which will be fitted about two weeks later.
- VeneersVeneers are a very thin (as thin as 0.3mm) material (usually porcelain) that is bonded to the front part of the tooth. Veneers can be a conservative way to increase the aesthetics of a smile, and in most cases can be done with little to no enamel removal. Veneers are usually elected by patients who want to change the shape or color of the teeth in their smile line, close gaps between teeth, or straighten their teeth.
- CrownsCrowns (“Caps”) cover the entire or the majority of a tooth (excluding the root) and are shaped to mimic the natural contours of a tooth. Crowns are needed when tooth decay or trauma has destroyed a large portion of the enamel and underlying structural support of a tooth. Crowns can be made with various types of materials including porcelain, zirconia, and gold alloys. A temporary crown will be fitted at your initial visit as an interim while the laboratory processes the permanent crown which will be fitted about two weeks later. Depending on the extent of the destruction to the tooth, sometimes a root canal may be required.
- Bridges
- Root Canal TreatmentHaving a root canal done on a tooth is the treatment of choice to save a tooth that otherwise would die and have to be removed. Many patients fear the root canal treatment, but with modern anesthetic techniques and numbing agents a root canal can be done with no discomfort. The tooth is numbed in the same manner as it is for a filling. In most cases the only difference is the time involved in doing root canal therapy. Depending on the shape of the roots and complexity of the nerve tissue, the root canal may go very quickly, in as little as one hour. If the nerve has severe bacterial infection the root canal may need to be opened and medicated for a couple of weeks to suppress the infection. Root canal treatment is usually successful (ranging from about 90-95% success depending on the study) and lasts many years. On occasion a tooth that has previously been root canal treated may need to be re-treated due to re-infection or lingering infection.
- DenturesIf you have lost some or all of your natural teeth, dentures can be used to replace your missing teeth; improving your health as well as your appearance. Dentures prevent the sagging of facial muscles, which makes a person with no teeth look much older. Dentures also enable you to eat and speak normally, little things often taken for granted until natural teeth are lost.
- Dental ImplantsThe procedure requires a titanium ‘root’ (cylinder) be fitted into your jaw to replace the lost tooth's root. Once the implant is placed, the bone requires four to six months to heal. Once the implant has integrated, a support post and replacement tooth, bridge, or denture is anchored onto the implant.
- Oral SurgeryThe “shot” that you get at the dental office is usually to administer what we call Local Anesthetic. When we restore teeth with fillings and other restorations or if we need to do any oral surgery, it is necessary to get the teeth and the gums we will be working on numb so that the patient doesn’t feel any unnecessary pain. The chemical used to establish local anesthesia is traditionally called “Novocain”, which is now rarely used in dentistry. More modern, safe, and effective anesthetics such as lidocaine, articaine, and mepivacaine are some of the anesthetics you will see in our dental office. At Whiting Family Dental we place an anesthetic gel (“topical”) on the gums to numb them before the actual injection takes place. We use the latest techniques in pain reduction so that our injections are as comfortable as possible.
- Tooth ExtractionsA host of ailments can be cured or prevented with oral surgery. Various treatments fall under the oral surgery category including the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, routine or surgical tooth extraction, tooth implants to replace missing teeth, temporomandibular joint disorder (“TMJ” or, more appropriately, “TMJD”), facial infections, benign and malignant lesion removal, snoring, and other surgical procedures. Each procedure has differing requirements in terms of how long a person will need to be under anesthesia, but in most cases, some form of tissue removal, or at least the cutting of tissue, is involved.
- Orthodontics
- Invisalign OrthodonticsMade from an invisible, plastic-like material, Invisalign is a material that works like braces without the use of wires or brackets. Using computer-generated renderings of the mouth, the Invisalign is generated for each specific set of teeth. Generally, patients can wear Invisalign for shorter durations than traditional braces, but Invisalign is usually recommended for more simple orthodontic cases. Doctors recommend wearing Invisalign at least 20 hours a day for maximum effectiveness.
- BracesBraces consist of small metal or plastic brackets that are bonded to the teeth using composite cement that acts like glue. Sometimes the orthodontist will also use a band that encircles the whole tooth for better anchoring. After the brackets and bands are attached to the teeth the orthodontist fixes a wire in the grooves of the bracket with small rubber bands. The wire usually starts out thin and gets thicker as the teeth move into the desired position. Depending on the specific case, sometimes the orthodontist will do the treatment with two phases of braces and/or retainers, one phase in late childhood and one phase in teenage years. After having any type of orthodontic treatment, the patient usually has to wear a retainer at night to retain the position of the teeth and to prevent relapse. We recommend that post orthodontic patients wear retainers at night for life. If a retainer is broken or lost, you can go to your dentist or orthodontist to have it repaired or replaced.
- Teeth WhiteningTooth whitening is a non-invasive dental treatment used to change the color of tooth enamel. There are a few options when it comes to whitening teeth. You can elect to have the treatment done in the office in one hour or do it yourself at home over time. If you have the in-office treatment you will receive complimentary take home trays that will serve to “touch up” for years to come. Since tooth whitening only works on natural tooth enamel, it is important to evaluate replacement of any old fillings, crowns, etc. Replacement of any restorations will be done after bleaching so they will match the newly bleached teeth. Even though whitening is safe and causes no damage to the enamel, some sensitivity is normal. We can give you a paste to help with the sensitivity, which usually subsides soon after bleaching.
- General DentistryDr. Scott E. Whiting has been practicing dentistry at Whiting Family Dental since 2009. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Scott earned his DDS degree with Clinical Excellence awards from the prestigious University of the Pacific: Arthur A Dugoni School of Dentistry. After serving an LDS mission in Argentina where he learned fluent Spanish he attended Brigham Young University. He has worked in Mexico and also local communities providing dental care to underserved populations. Dr. Scott enjoys the country, outdoors, and traveling (especially to Lake Powell). Dr. Whiting and his wife Malarie love being together, enjoy serving in their church, and spending time with their two girls.