Protecting Your Smile for a Lifetime
At our Briargate general dentistry office, our team believes in providing personalized care, treating not only the symptoms that may have brought you into our office, but also the cause of those symptoms. We take time to listen and talk with you. We know that even minor oral health problems can affect your whole body—and at the general dentistry practice of Dr. Gregory Solich, we seek to improve your overall well-being by providing excellent care for your dental well-being.
Dr. Gregory Solich offers a wide array of general dentistry options for families in Briargate and surrounding areas. Since oral illnesses can have a significant impact on your health, we offer thorough evaluations. We focus on three main concerns—bite alignment, periodontal disease, and metal-free restorations.
- Bite Alignment. If your bite is not in alignment you may experience TMJ/TMD symptoms, such as vertigo, ringing in the ears, muscle stress, and discomfort in your face, neck, shoulders, and even your back.
- Periodontal Disease. If your gums are not healthy, they leave an open pathway for the bacteria in your mouth to enter your bloodstream. Periodontal problems, even minor ones, have been linked to heart disease, increased risk of stroke, and premature and low birth-weight babies.
- Metal-Free Restorations/ Amalgam Fillings. Mercury gases released from amalgam fillings have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and other neurological disorders.
Dental Checkups & Cleanings
We recommend that patients of all ages should come to see us at least twice a year for a checkup and cleaning. Why? Because this gives Dr. Solich the chance to catch and treat any minor issues during their earliest stages, saving patients from needing more involved and expensive care later on. These appointments are also when one of our hygienists will use sophisticated tools to remove any plaque and tartar from your teeth and gums, preventing cavities and giving your teeth a nice polish at the same time.
Metal & Mercury-Free Fillings
At the Briargate dentistry practice of Dr. Gregory Solich, you can rely on us to provide metal and mercury-free fillings. White fillings, or composite fillings, are an attractive alternative to traditional silver amalgam fillings. White fillings are made of composite quartz resin, a material known for its strength, durability, and aesthetic qualities. Dr. Solich blends the material to precisely match your tooth shade. The advantages of white fillings include:
- Strong tooth-filling bond
- Mercury-free
- Preserve more tooth structure
- Less chance of heat sensitivity
- Aesthetically pleasing
At your dentist appointment, Dr. Solich will gently remove the decay and shape the tooth. He’ll use a mild solution to etch the tooth where the composite filling will be placed, and then he’ll apply the resin, which bonds to the tooth surface. A special light hardens the filling.
If your teeth have decay or old, metal fillings, you may wish to replace them with composite tooth-colored fillings. There are many health and aesthetic benefits to taking amalgam out of your mouth and replacing silver fillings with tooth-colored composites. At Dr. Solich’s Briargate dental practice, he’ll listen to your concerns and help you decide on the best course of action. In some cases, he may recommend a porcelain inlay, onlay, or crown if a white filling won’t provide enough structural support.
Dental Sealants
With a dental sealant, we can literally place an invisible barrier around a tooth to keep it protected from cavities. A liquid, plastic-based material is painted directly onto a tooth, and it quickly hardens into a thin and clear shield. We typically apply them to the back teeth, as they are the most susceptible to developing cavities (especially for young children). They only take a few minutes to get and can easily provide years of round-the-clock cavity prevention.
Nightguards for Bruxism
If you usually wake up with a sore jaw or headache, and your teeth look like they’ve been worn down, then it’s very likely that you’re suffering from bruxism. This is a fancy term for unconscious teeth grinding during sleep, and it’s believed to affect as many as 1 in 3 Americans! To help patients with this problem rest easy, we can have them wear a nightguard to bed, which is a small oral appliance that places a barrier between the teeth to prevent them from coming together during the night.
Mouthguards/Sportsguards
It’s very important that any athlete wear the right safety gear whenever they go out to play, and one piece of equipment they should never forget is a sports mouthguard. Wearing a mouthguard is one of the easiest ways to prevent accidents that result in broken and knocked out teeth. Rather than trusting your smile to a “one-size-fits-all” appliance from the store, we can provide you with your own custom-made mouthguard. It will be shaped to fit your particular teeth, helping it shield your smile better, plus it will be light and flexible enough to allow for easy breathing and speaking.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Oral cancer is an often fatal disease, but with early detection and treatment, many patients are able to survive it every year. However, its initial symptoms are easy to miss, causing many people to not be diagnosed until it is quite advanced. To make sure our patients are never caught off guard, we always perform a complete oral cancer screening during regular checkups. We’ll examine your mouth and the surrounding area for any suspicious growths or sores, and if we find anything, we’ll help you quickly get a biopsy so we can figure out what it is and what you should do next.
Silver Diamine Fluoride Treatments
Silver diamine fluoride treatment is approved for use in kids and adults, but we will most likely recommend it for children. The two components – silver diamine and fluoride – work together to remove decay and halt further damage to the tooth. For primary teeth in older children, this may be effective as an alternative to removal of decay and restoration of the teeth that will be lost soon. For permanent teeth, restoration with a filling or crown is still necessary but preparatory treatment with silver diamine fluoride will help to strengthen the tooth and prevent further damage or decay, especially if treatment is completed over more than one office visit.
Periodontal Therapy
Periodontal (gum) disease is actually the most common dental problem in the entire world, and it’s even the number one cause of adult tooth loss in the US! If you’re experiencing red, swollen, or tender gums that bleed easily, give our office a call so you can get the treatment you need right away. We can quickly diagnose the infection as well as provide a number of targeted therapies to make sure it goes away and stays gone.
Our non-surgical periodontal therapies include:
- Ultrasonic scaling to remove calculus from below the gum line
- Root planing to smooth tooth root surfaces
- Pinhole Surgical Technique
- Antibiotic therapy to fight infection
- Laser treatment to remove diseased tissue
Sedation Dentistry
Many patients skip out on routine dental care or a much needed procedure because of dental fear, leading to even more problems down the line. To ensure that even our most anxious patients are able to enjoy comfortable appointments, we’re happy to offer sedation dentistry. With gentle and effective nitrous oxide (better known as “laughing gas”), we can easily calm nervous thoughts and protect a patient from physical discomfort at the same time. For patients who need more extensive care, we can also provide oral conscious sedation, IV sedation, and general anesthesia as well.
Sleep Apnea Therapy
For patients dealing with chronic snoring or exhaustion due to sleep apnea, the solution to their problem may come from a place they don’t expect: their dentist! Dr. Solich can design a custom-made oral appliance that a patient will wear to bed, and it will slightly reposition the jaw to keep the airway open throughout the night. The end result is that a patient (as well as those around them) will be able to get the deep, restful sleep they need to wake up feeling great every morning.
Neuromuscular Dentistry
Neuromuscular dentistry is a discipline that goes beyond simply treating the teeth. It is based on the principle that the teeth, jaws, neck, and head are all one interconnected system, so an issue with one component can often be the cause of problems in another. By taking this more global approach, Dr. Solich is able to fix dental problems like TMJ disorder as well as stop chronic pain in this area of the body, improving a patient’s overall wellbeing in the process.
General Dentistry in Briargate
General dentistry is the foundation for improving your smile. If you’re seeking cosmetic and restorative dental services, we’ll start with the basics, checking your teeth and gums for potential problems. At our Briargate dentist office, our team will provide you with a thorough and honest evaluation, ensuring that you make an educated and informed decision about your dental care. Get in touch with us today to schedule a consultation!