Awake Services — General Dentistry Services
Full Service Dental Care in Our San Francisco and New York City Offices
Common General Dental Procedures
A lifetime of good oral health requires more than daily brushing and flossing. We offer a variety of full-service dental procedures to help keep you smiling.
Bridges
A bridge replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth and literally “bridges” the gap where one or more teeth used to be.
Our skilled technicians can provide you with superior materials and craftsmanship for greater comfort and appearance. Bridges support long-term oral function and form an important part of our general dentistry services.
Crowns
Crowns provide strength and coverage when not enough of the tooth remains to hold a filling.
Crowns can also protect a weak tooth from breaking, such as after a root canal, or restore one that’s already broken.
We offer several choices in material, including porcelain, gold, e-max, and zirconia, making crowns a key part of our general dentistry services.
Sealants
Sealants are thin, protective coatings that adhere to the chewing surface of your back teeth.
Together with regular brushing and flossing, sealants can reduce the risk of cavities from forming and may even prevent early stages of decay from becoming cavities.
Sealants have been shown to reduce the risk of decay by nearly 80% in molars.
Dentures
Dentures are removable appliances that replace missing teeth and help restore your smile.
They’re an ideal solution for people who have lost all or some of their natural teeth.
Dentures can improve your appearance and your health by making it easier to eat and speak. We offer patients various options, including complete, partial, and implant dentures.
Enamel Reshaping
Reshaping, or re-contouring, the enamel of your teeth is a quick in-office procedure.
That can help repair small chips in a tooth’s surface, eliminate rough spots that irritate the tongue, or even out the bite for people with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ).
Extractions
An extraction is the removal of a tooth, usually because of disease, trauma, or crowding.
If you need an extraction, our dentists have the widest array of methods to sedate your mouth (from local numbing to sleep) to lessen any discomfort or fear. After the extraction, we will advise you of what post-procedure regimen to follow. In most cases a small amount of bleeding is normal. Your mouth will slowly fill in the bone where the tooth root had been.
Fillings
Dental composite resins, or fillings, are a tooth-colored restorative material.
Fillings are used to replace decayed or missing tooth structures.
They’re generally used to repair small defects.
The most common options include composite resins, dental amalgams, and gold.
Fillings are a routine part of our general dentistry services and can help prevent more complex treatments such as root canals.
Fluoride Treatment
Fluoride is often called nature’s cavity fighter.
Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral that helps prevent cavities by making the outer surface of your teeth (enamel) more resistant to the acid attacks that cause tooth decay.
Drinking fluoridated water, brushing with fluoride toothpaste, and taking fluoride supplements can help.
If you have a high chance of getting cavities, we can apply fluoride directly to your teeth with a gel during your dental visit.
Full Mouth Restoration
Full mouth restoration involves rebuilding or replacing all of a patient’s teeth.
These reconstructions combine aesthetics with restorative dentistry to improve the health, function, and beauty of your mouth. There are a number of people who have extensive dental problems that must be treated comprehensively.
There are also patients who were born with conditions such as Ectodermal Dysplasia, Amelogenesis, or Dentinogenesis Imperfecta that need full restoration.
Implants
Dental implants are a popular and effective way to replace missing teeth.
They’re often more comfortable than dentures, and they are designed to blend in with your other teeth, providing an excellent long-term option for restoring your smile. Dental implants are made up of titanium and other materials that are compatible with the human body.
The posts are surgically placed in the upper or lower jaw, where they function as a sturdy anchor for replacement teeth. As part of our general dentistry services, implants are often provided as an option when saving a tooth by root canal is no longer possible.
Gum Reshaping
Gum reshaping, or contouring, is a cosmetic dental treatment.
The procedure corrects the gum line by removing excess tissue to create an even gum line.
Oral Cancer Screening
Our dentists don’t just check for cavities, they can screen for cancer at the same time.
More than 51,000 people are diagnosed each year with oral cancer and cancers of the throat, tonsils, and back of the tongue.
Regular dental visits can help you detect cancers early, which can result in better treatment outcomes for you or someone you love.
Periodontal Treatment
Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues and bone that surround and support your teeth. It’s a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Because gum disease is usually painless, you may not know you have it.
Our periodontal care includes deep cleanings to help control gum disease and support overall oral health. For advanced periodontal procedures, we refer patients to trusted periodontists for specialized care.
Professional Cleaning
Dental cleanings are performed by our expert hygienists.
Our hygienists use manual and ultrasonic technology.
We recommend that patients schedule professional dental cleanings twice a year.
Root Canals (Endodontics)
If decay reaches the nerve of the tooth or an infection (abscess) occurs, you may need root canal treatment.
This procedure allows us to repair and save your teeth rather than removing them.
If left untreated, infection can worsen, which potentially leads to pain, swelling, tooth loss, and sepsis in severe cases.
Scaling and Root Planing
Periodontitis is an advanced form of gingivitis that leads to inflammation of the gums and bone loss.
Scaling and root planing, or a deep cleaning, allows us to remove debris under the gum line, which harbors bacteria that cause disease.
Scaling and root planing help stabilize periodontal health and prevent the risk of tooth loss over time.
Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening is a simple process. Whitening products contain one of two bleaches (hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide).
These bleaches break stains into smaller pieces, which makes the color less concentrated and your teeth brighter.
Whiteners may not correct all types of discoloration, so it’s important to consult with our dentists first.
Veneers
Veneers are thin, custom-made shells crafted of tooth-colored materials.
They are designed to cover the front side of teeth. They’re a good conservative option for correcting stained, chipped, decayed, or crooked teeth.
Our veneers are made by highly skilled and experienced technicians in a lab, working from a model of your mouth provided by our dentist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to your most frequently asked questions about our full-service general dentistry.
Do you accept insurance?
We are a fee-for-service practice and assist patients in maximizing their dental benefits by submitting an insurance claim on their behalf.
What is the role of the Patient Care Coordinator?
Do you offer in-office whitening?
Does the Blende Dental Group accept Medicare/Medi-Cal?
Medicare and Medi-Cal do not typically cover dental care as they are medical health care plans.
Can I tell you my problem and receive a diagnosis over the phone?
In some cases we can assess and triage via a tele-consultation. However, a comprehensive diagnosis is conducted by an in-person oral examination.
What do your general dentistry services include?
We comfortably offer general dentistry or “awake” services which include cleanings, fillings, crowns, implants, periodontal treatment.