Our emphasis is on total preventive care for our patients. Total care begins with regular hygiene visits, regular checkups and continued home oral health routines.
Our practice also provides the highest-quality services for restoring mouths that have been damaged by dental disease and injury and common problems that require cosmetic dentistry. Our primary goal for our patients is to achieve and maintain optimum oral health through advances in techniques, technologies and by maintaining their scheduled dental exams.
Tooth Fillings
Quality Dental Treatment in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
At the office of Ronald W. Howland, D.M.D., we proudly provide expert dental treatment to patients throughout the Ponte Vedra Beach, FL area. As a leading dental practice in Ponte Vedra Beach, we offer our patients general, restorative, and cosmetic dental treatments, and we strive to make every visit to our office a pleasant and comfortable experience. We're proud to use the latest technologies and techniques in our dental treatments, including in the various types of dental fillings we offer our patients.
What Are Dental Fillings?
Dental fillings are a treatment used to repair a tooth that has been damaged by dental decay or a cavity. Essentially, fillings use a strong, biocompatible material to fill in the tooth structure that was eroded by the cavity, returning the tooth to its normal shape, appearance, and functions. Fillings are a common, routine procedure that we can usually complete in one visit, and they provide a simple, effective way to treat cavities.
Types of Dental Fillings
At our office, we offer a variety of materials for dental fillings, each with its own unique set of pros and cons. Depending on your specific situation and desires, you and Dr. Howland may choose any of the following filling materials:
- Composite (White) Fillings: These fillings are made from a composite material composed of different plastics and resins. These ingredients can be mixed to match the specific color of your natural teeth, providing a strikingly realistic option that's almost entirely unnoticeable from the outside. While these fillings can stain from dark foods or liquids, they provide an effective, relatively inexpensive, and long-lasting solution.
- Gold Fillings: Gold fillings are exceptionally strong and long-lasting, providing a great long-term filling solution. However, they are noticeable from the outside, and they're more expensive than other options because they use gold as a material.
- Porcelain Fillings: Porcelain fillings, also called inlays or onlays, are precision cut from porcelain to match the exact shape of your cavity. They blend in with the color of teeth, don't stain, and last a long time, but they're similarly expensive to gold fillings. Still, they offer a long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing solution.
The Dental Filling Procedure
Getting a dental filling is a simple, routine procedure, and it usually requires only one visit to our office. First, Dr. Howland will apply a topical anesthetic to the area to numb the mouth and keep you comfortable during the procedure. Next, he'll use a special drill to clear away diseased dental tissue and bacteria, eliminating the dental decay. He'll then clean and sterilize the tooth and surrounding area, preparing it for the filling. Dr. Howland will then place your filling by either applying the filling material to the area or laying the porcelain inlay into the prepared space. After shaping and finishing the filling to match the appearance of your natural teeth and letting any dental cement dry, your new filling is finished and you're ready to go!
Contact Your Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Family Dentist
Dental fillings are an inexpensive, convenient, and effective treatment for dental decay and cavities, and if you or a loved one are interested in getting a filling for yourself or think you may need one, we'd be thrilled to help. Call us today at 904-273-0700 to learn more about dental fillings or schedule a consultation at our Ponte Vedra Beach office. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile through dental treatment.
Root Canals
A root canal is a procedure that extracts decayed pulp from the central part of the tooth, reshapes the canal and replaces it with strengthening filler.
A cavity is the result of superficial decay of the enamel of the tooth. Left long enough, this decay can burrow into the deeper reaches of the tooth, causing extensive damage to tooth structure. When the damage goes beyond what can be treated with a filling, dentists can perform a root canal (or endodontics), preserving the tooth and retaining its original integrity; thereby, saving a tooth that in the past would have to have been pulled.
Procedure:
- The patient undergoes anesthesia.
- A dental dam is used to isolate the tooth.
- The tooth is opened to allow for removal of infected or dead dental pulp.
- The tooth is comprehensively cleaned, including any cracks and canals.
- With special tools, the doctor reshapes the canals.
- The tooth is filled again with cutting-edge biocompatible filling material.
- A temporary covering is used to cover the access opening.
- Patients MUST see their regular dentist quickly for a permanent restoration of the tooth.
Whitening Trays
Your teeth will darken over time. Changes in the color of your teeth can be caused by such factors as the food and beverages consumed (like coffee, tea and soda). Other known factors for discoloration may include childhood medications or illnesses, tobacco use or improper oral hygiene. Restoring your natural white smile is a priority for our dental whitening team. We can provide a variety of options for whitening your smile.
Tooth whitening services are growing in popularity, and it’s one of the most requested services offered by our practice. Everyone sees the growing consumer market focused on whiter teeth. The reality is that over-the-counter, “too good to be true” solutions typically don’t work.
We are trained professionals using industry-approved methods. Our goal is to meet the needs of every patient, and every patient’s needs are different. One of the methods used by our practice is a gentle hydrogen-peroxide gel-activated solution. Our process will whiten your entire smile in one visit. Call us today for a whitening evaluation.
Nothing improves your appearance more than a bright, white SMILE!
Composite Bonding
Bonding is a common solution for:
- Fixing or repairing chipped or cracked teeth
- Reducing unsightly gaps or spaces between teeth
- Hiding discoloration or faded areas on the tooth’s surface
Often used to improve the appearance of your teeth and enhance your smile. As the name indicates, composite material, either a plastic or resin, is bonded to an existing tooth. Unlike veneers or crowns, composite bonding removes little, if any, of the original tooth.
Composite bonding has many advantages:
- It is a quick process, which typically lasts less than one hour.
- It does not reduce the tooth’s original structure and is relatively inexpensive.
- Composite resins come in many different shades and provide better matching of shades to the natural color of your teeth.
- Composite bonds, however, are not as durable and long-lasting as veneers and crowns and may need to be re-touched or replaced in the future.
Composite bonds stain more easily and therefore require proper care and regular cleaning. In order to ensure the longest possible duration of the bonding, composites should be brushed and flossed daily. Common staining elements include coffee, tea, tobacco, foods and candy.
Dental Crowns
Restorative Dental Care in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
At the practice of Dr. Ronald W. Howland, we're proud to be a leading dental practice providing cosmetic, restorative, and general dental care to the greater Ponte Vedra Beach and Jacksonville Beach, FL area. We strive to put our patients first in everything we do, creating highly personalized treatment plans that meet our patients' needs holistically while making dental care convenient and effective. We offer a wide variety of treatments to our patients, and crowns present a great option for restoring teeth after a cavity.
What Are Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are a restorative procedure used to repair a tooth that has suffered a cavity or dental decay, although crowns may also be used if a tooth is particularly fragile, extremely discolored, or needs to be replaced for cosmetic reasons. Essentially, a crown is a "cap" made from a strong, biocompatible material that fits over the existing tooth. The crown is then specially shaped to match the unique color and contours of your natural teeth. Crowns are a more comprehensive option than fillings, making them a great choice for fairly advanced cavities or when dental decay affects a large portion of the tooth's surface.
The Dental Crown Procedure
If you and Dr. Ronald W. Howland, Jr. decide that crowns are the best treatment option for you, we'll generally need to set two appointments to complete the procedure in full. During the first appointment, Dr. Howland will clean away any bacteria, plaque, or dental decay present on the tooth, then shave the tooth down to fit the crown. Once the tooth has been filed down to a suitable shape and size, Dr. Howland will take an impression of the tooth for a model he'll use to construct a well-fitting crown. After that, he'll place a temporary crown, which you'll wear until your next visit while your permanent crown is being made.
After your first visit, we'll create a permanent crown based on your impression that's color-matched to fit your existing teeth. Usually, this process will take a week or two, after which we'll bring you in for your second appointment. During this appointment, Dr. Howland will remove the temporary crown and place in the permanent crown, bonding it to your tooth with special dental cement. After making any final changes to the shape of the crown and polishing it to match your natural teeth, your new crown is good to go and your smile is complete!
Maintaining & Caring for Your Dental Crown
After getting a dental crown, you'll need to maintain a routine of proper oral hygiene and care to keep your crown healthy and ensure it lasts as long as possible. Generally, you can care for your crown the same way you care for your natural teeth. You'll brush and floss it as normal, return to our office for regular dental exams and cleanings, and also keep an eye on it for anything that looks out of place. While your crown will look and function almost exactly like a normal tooth, it's important to use caution when chewing hard foods and avoid biting down hard on tough objects. While it's made from a strong porcelain composite material, your dental crown is not invincible.
Schedule a Consultation with Your Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Cosmetic Dentist
Crowns are a great way to repair teeth that have suffered dental decay, are prone to damage or breaking, or that just need a cosmetic update. As a leading dentist in the Ponte Vedra Beach, FL area, Dr. Ronald W. Howland has helped countless patients improve their smile through dental crowns, and he'd be thrilled to do the same for you. Contact us today if you have any other questions on how dental crowns can improve your smile, and if you'd like to see how a dental crown might help you in your specific case, just request an appointment online at our office.
Bridges
A bridge is a dental device that fills a space that a tooth previously occupied. A bridge may be necessary to prevent:
- Shifting of the teeth that can lead to bite problems (occlusion) and/or jaw problems and resultant periodontal disease.
- Bridges safeguard the integrity of existing teeth and help maintain a healthy, vibrant smile.
There are three main types of bridges, namely:
- Fixed bridge - this is the most popular and consists of a filler tooth that is attached to two crowns, which fit over the existing teeth and hold the bridge in place.
- The “Maryland” bridge is commonly used to replace missing front teeth and consists of a filler that is attached to metal bands that are bonded to the abutment teeth. The metal bands consist of a white-colored composite resin that matches existing tooth color.
- The Cantilever bridge is often used when there are teeth on only one side of the span. A typical three-unit cantilever bridge consists of two crowned teeth positioned next to each other on the same side of the missing tooth space. The filler tooth is then connected to the two crowned teeth, which extend into the missing tooth space or end.
Veneers
Veneers are thin, semi-translucent “shells” typically attached to your front teeth. Veneers are customized from porcelain material and permanently bonded to your teeth. Veneers are a great alternative to otherwise painful dental procedures to improve the appearance of your smile.
Common problems that veneers are used for:
- Spaces between the teeth
- Broken or chipped teeth
- Unsightly, stained or discolored teeth
- Permanently stained or discolored teeth
- Crooked or misshapen teeth
Veneers are a great aesthetic solution to your smile that may even help you avoid orthodontic treatment. Subtle changes to your smile can be achieved with veneers, and in most cases, veneer application is completed in only two office visits.
Please contact our office if you have any further questions on veneers.
Implants
Expert Dental Treatment in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Your smile is the first thing people notice about you and everyone deserves a smile they feel truly proud to show off. At the practice of Dr. Ronald W. Howland, we are committed to helping our patients achieve their dream smile, all while making the dental treatment process as quick and convenient as possible. Dr. Ronald W. Howland has been serving the Ponte Vedra Beach area with exceptional dental care for years, and we're proud to provide dental implants as one of the many dental solutions we offer our patients.
About Dental Implants
Dental implants are a one of the most effective ways to replace teeth, providing a convenient, highly effective, and long-lasting solution. Unlike other options like crowns or bridges, dental implants can last a lifetime with proper care, and they come with a number of unique benefits. Dental implants are composed of a small titanium stud that's inserted into the socket left behind by a previous tooth and a crown that fits over that socket. What makes them so powerful is the titanium: thanks to the unique property of osseointegration, the titanium stud literally fuses with the jawbone, providing a foundation for the replacement tooth that's virtually as strong as one of your natural teeth and providing long-lasting results.
The Dental Implant Procedure
The dental implant procedure consists of three steps, and while it usually takes a number of months to completely finish, it pays off in long-lasting results. First, you'll come into our office to have your implant placed. During this appointment, Dr. Howland will remove the current tooth (if necessary) or prepare the space left by a missing tooth for the implant, then place the implant into the socket. While this is a minor surgical procedure, it's very routine and we use anesthetics to keep you comfortable throughout. After cleaning the area, Dr. Howland will place a temporary crown on your implant for the next phase. After placing your implant, we'll need to give it time to grow into and fuse with the bone. This waiting period usually takes several months, and you'll need to be careful and eat soft foods during this time.
After determining that the implant has fully fused to the bone, we'll bring you in for one more appointment. At your final appointment, Dr. Howland will remove your temporary crown and place your new, permanent crown, bonding it to the implant with durable dental cement. After shaping it and polishing it to match your other teeth, your new replacement tooth is yours for a lifetime!
Types of Dental Implants
We can use dental implants to replace one or multiple teeth, and we can even use implants to give you a set of removable or fixed implant-supported dentures. Depending on your specific needs, we may opt for any of the following types of implants.
- Single Implant: This is the most basic form of the procedure, where we use one implant to replace one tooth. We can use a number of implants to replace different specific teeth throughout the mouth.
- Implant-Supported Bridges: If we need to replace adjacent teeth, we can use an implant-supported bridge. This allows us to replace 3 teeth with just 2 implants.
- Implant-Supported Dentures: In this procedure, we'll use implants to replace an entire dental arch. We can often use only 4 or 5 implants per jaw to replace your teeth, although this depends on the health of your jawbone. We can give you removable or fixed dentures depending on your preferences and needs.
Contact Your Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Restorative Dentist
Implant dentistry is one of the most effective methods available for replacing teeth, and if you're interested in finally achieving your dream smile, they may be the perfect option for you. Call us today at (904) 273-0700 to learn more about how implants can help you improve your smile, and if you're ready to get started, just use our easy online form to request an appointment. We're excited to help you achieve a better, brighter smile through dental implants!
Invisalign®
Invisalign is the clear way to straighten teeth without braces, using aligners. Aligners are removable and virtually invisible, which means you can straighten your teeth without anyone knowing; and you can still eat and drink what you want. Also, you can brush and floss normally to maintain healthy gums and teeth; and there are no wires, metal or brackets to cause mouth abrasions.
Many of our patients had never considered traditional braces but are now happily and comfortably improving their smiles with Invisalign.
WHAT IS INVISALIGN?
- Invisible way to straighten your teeth without braces.
- Series of clear, removable, custom-made Aligners.
- Uses no metal wires or brackets.
- Custom-made for comfort.
HOW DOES INVISALIGN WORK?
- Wear each set of Aligners for about two weeks.
- Remove only to eat, drink, brush and floss.
- Your teeth will move gradually each week.
- Visit us every 8-10 weeks.
- Total treatment time averages 6-15 months.
- Average number of Aligners is between 18 and 30.