Dental Services

General Oral Care

During your initial visit with our office we will perform a complete or comprehensive exam which includes dental x-rays that will assist Dr. McGinnis in gaining an overall sense of your current oral health. You and Dr. McGinnis will be able to discuss any areas that need attention or restorations, any areas that are personally or cosmetically concerning to you and also be able to come up with an overall plan on how to proceed. We will perform a professional dental cleaning which involves removing plaque, calculus and stain and a full mouth polish.  We recommend our patients return every 6 months for their regular re-care visits in order to keep apprised of any concerns that may arise. 

General Restorative Care

We offer a range of restorative care from basic fillings, crowns and bridges and root canal therapy.

Basic Fillings

We all have bacteria in our mouths.  While most bacteria is helpful and very normal, certain bacteria, if left on the tooth surface for an extended period of time, begin to excrete an acid and can cause caries or tooth decay. Unfortunately, cavities do not "heal" themselves; they must be mechanically removed and then filled with special material to help prevent more caries from forming.  Our office offers both silver colored Amalgam fillings and the tooth colored Composite-Resin based fillings. 

Crowns and Bridges

Occasionally a tooth requires a restoration larger than a filling, or if you are missing a tooth or need to have a tooth removed, sometimes a bridge is recommended. 

• Crowns are recommended in cases where a cavity has become too large and a basic restoration would encompass too much of the remaining area of tooth; if you have had a root canal on a bicuspid or molar tooth to help re-enforce the tooth; or if a tooth cracks and breaks and needs more support than a basic restoration can offer.  Crowns usually require 2 to 3 appointments. 
• Bridges are sometimes recommended in cases where a tooth is missing or is required to be extracted.  A bridge is a permanent restoration that includes the teeth on either side of the area where the tooth is missing and gives the patient the ability to have a structure to function and smile with. 

Root Canals

Root canals are usually required when a tooth has a cavity that has compromised the nerve or if a tooth fractures and the nerve is exposed.  During a root canal the patient is given anesthetic and the nerve of the tooth is removed and in its place an inert material is filled into the canals of the tooth.  A filling material is placed on top of that and depending on the tooth, a crown may be recommended.