Replacing a silver dental filling (amalgam) with a white dental filling (composite)

There are number of reasons why old silver dental fillings are in need of replacement. In time the old dental filling breaks down and decay gets underneath this filling.  Some older dental filling expand and can crack the tooth. Esthetics or the look of an old dental filling is not good.  As the filling ages it tarnishes and the silver looks black.  From several distances the black filling look like holes in your tooth. Highlands Ranch dentists Dr. James A. DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp provide dental services for patients in Denver, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Parker and Ken Caryl area.

Before and after photographs of replacing and old dental fillings

The following is photos of replacing an old silver/mercury filling with a white composite filling by Dr. DeLapp. Our goal to to make the filling look like the tooth before any filling was placed. Both Dr. DeLapp’ each restorative and cosmetic dentistry at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine.

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 To view our dental practice video (click here)

  Most of our Highlands Ranch dental patients are chosing white composite fillings.  You do have a choice of materials and composite (white fillings) is one choice.  Silver/mercury filling have advantages (mainly ease of placement) but look ugly (most patients feel)

Advantages of White (composite fillings)

• There is some degree of bonding to the tooth structure.  There is some debate on how important this is.

• Composite look better and can be contoured to look like a tooth (more…)

Avulsion means …knocking out a tooth Highlands Ranch Dentists… Denver Dentists.

What is to be done when someone falls and “knocks -out” (avulses) a tooth? If the tooth is a “baby” (primary) tooth it goes to the “tooth’ fairy, but if a permanent tooth is lost the following protocol is recommended. Lightly rinse off the tooth… do not scrub it. There is a definite front and back to the tooth and place the tooth in the socket as soon as possible. This includes teeth that are avulsed on the playground. Once again, do not scrub the dirt off… rinse it off. There is a ligament tissue (the periodontal ligament) that surrounds the tooth and is vital to the possibility of the tooth being successfully re-implanted. Place pressure on the tooth to get it aligned. If the periodontal ligament is allowed to dry out for an extend period of time, failure is ensured. Anything out of the mouth more than 30 min. is doomed for failure. Obviously, call the family dentist who will need to splint the tooth to the patients other teeth. Another option but not as good, is to place the tooth in cold milk or in the cheeks of the patient (making sure they do not swallow it!) and see the dentist immediately.

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To view our Highlands Ranch Dental office video (click here)

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Tartar or Dental Calculus and Dental disease.  Highlands Ranch Dentist

Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp are Highlands Ranch Dentist whose office is located at the corner of Lincoln and Quebec. These Highlands Ranch Dentists provide general dental care for dental patients in Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Ken Caryl, Parker and the Greater Denver area.

Dental Calculus (tartar) is a petrifaction (crystallization) of dental plaque with calcium ions provided by the immersion of the dental plaque with calcium phosphate minerals contained in your salvia.

Calculus can:

• Occur supra-gingival (above the gums)
• Sub gingival (under the gums)
• Adjacent to salivary glands initially
• In advanced cases spreads to all teeth above and below the gum line
• Is a contributing factor for gum (periodontal) disease.

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Periodontal disease and calculus … Highlands Ranch Dental patients

The plaque contained on the dental calculus is what can cause periodontal disease. Please refer to our other blog writings on periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can lead to tooth loss and is the major reason adults loose their teeth

From a purely scientific perspective scientists are not positive if calculus in the cause or… the result of periodontal inflammation

to view our Highlands Ranch Dental office video (click here)

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Immediate Dentures Highlands Ranch

What are immediate dentures- Highlands Ranch Dental patients?

Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp, Highlands Ranch Dentists, provide dental care for their Highlands Ranch Dental patients and dental patients living in Parker, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Ken Caryl and the Greater Denver area.

Contact us (click here)

An immediate denture is when our Highlands Ranch dentists have your remaining teeth extracted and a denture in placed immediately over the extraction sites.  You leave our Highlands Ranch Dental office with “teeth” (dentures in place).

Around three months later a second complete denture is fabricated from scratch. There are two reasons why we do this

• First… the tissue shrinks and the denture becomes loose
• Second… we can control the esthetics of the denture to a greater degree

Cost of an immediate denture- Highlands Ranch Dentists… Dr’s James and Candace DeLapp

What patients present with is considerably variable and to state one fee or even a set of fees would be misleading at best.  The fees presented for an immediate denture are just to give you a “ballpark figure” of cases and each case and patient is unique unto himself or herself.  Obviously, these are routine cases, moderate and complex cases and each has its own level of complexity and corresponding costs.  At Cottonwood Dental Group P.C. Highlands Ranch Dentists …we customaries your care and the “complementary cosmetic consultation” can give you at least an “idea” of where to start. So

Highlands Ranch Dentists Cottonwood Dental office …practice video (click here)

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Cottonwood Dental Group video… click here 

Dental Implants- Dentist Highlands Ranch

 Our Highlands Ranch dentists, Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp, provide Dental implants for their patients in Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Castle Pines Parker, Douglas County and Ken Caryl. Our Highlands Ranch dentists’ office is located at the intersection of Lincoln and Quebec.  For Parker Dental patients it is 4.5 miles west of I-25 and Lincoln.  For Douglas County Dental Patients take C-470 east to Quebec and these Highlands Ranch Dentist are 1.5 miles south.

Dental Implants are for patients who wish to improve their smile by replacing missing teeth with dental implants have an option that was not available years ago. Dental implants give the patient the confidence to smile and chew that removable partial or full dentures cannot do.  At Cottonwood Dental Group, our Highlands Ranch Implant dentist’s staff is here to help you achieve a stable smile with dental implants.

Advantages of Dental Implants Highlands Ranch Dentists

There are many advantages of dental implants that our Highlands Ranch dentists help provide:

• Dental Implants can replace a single missing tooth without drilling on adjacent teeth
• Multiple dental implants can be placed to give you occlusion in place of a fixed bridge or removable partial denture.
• If your are missing “all” your teeth dental implant options by our Highlands Ranch Dentists can include but are not limited to:
• Place two (2) implants in the lower jaw for better retention of a lower “snap on denture”
• Place four…six…or eight… dental implants (and a bar placed between e.g.) can makes a removable denture with greater stability
• Place a “mouth full” of dental implants and non-removable bridges and crowns can be placed over the implants.

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Dentist Highlands Ranch… Gum sculpturing (Periodontal plastic surgery)

Our Highlands Ranch Dentists, Dr. H. Candace DeLapp and Dr. James DeLapp, provide General and Family dentistry in neighboring town of Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Ken Caryl, Parker, and Douglas County Colorado.

Our Highlands Ranch Dentist video (double click here)

Highlands Ranch cosmetics using gum re-contouring

The below dental esthetic case uses the principle of gingival re-contouring to obtain an improved dental cosmetic outcome.  Our Highlands Ranch dentist re-contoured the lateral incisors gingival tissues to make the lateral incisors appear longer.

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What is Invisalign orthodontics in Highlands Ranch? 

Highlands Rqanch Invisalign is a series of “aligners” (clear retainers) that you change about every two weeks.  Each of these Invisalign aligners is manufactured by complex CAD/CAM technology to move your teeth in very small increments (0.25mm or less). This allows us to move your teeth in a very predictable manner.

View our Highlands Ranch video

Invisalign clear removable braces are a custom fit guide to give you a straighter smile.  Dr. H. Candace DeLapp and Dr. James DeLapp, Highlands Ranch Invisalign dentists, provide Invisalign treatment to patients in the Castle Pines, Lone Tree, Centennial, Denver and Parker Colorado area.

Benefits of Invisalign from our Highlands Ranch Invisalign office

•  The Invisalign retainers are removable.
• The retainers made by Invisalign are customized for you by sophisticated CAD/CAM technology.
•  Dental patients feel the Invisalign aligners are comfortable to wear and speak with.
• Invisalign has made their aligners clear and “nearly” invisible.
• Aligners made by Invisalign allow the dental patient to brush and floss normally.
• There are no metal brackets, wires, or bands with Invisalign retainers.

Invisalign not only has cosmetic advantages… but it promotes general dental health.  Straighter teeth are much easier to brush and floss. It is like trying to paint a picket fence when the pickets are in a neat row or a fence with pickets skewed in all sorts of different directions. Invisalign’s advantages “can” include but not limited to:

• Reduction in cavities especially between your teeth because plaque and calculus are easier to remove from straight teeth.
• Your periodontal health (gums) can become healthier.  Gum disease (periodontal disease… gingivitis) can be worsened by teeth that are crowded or with wide gaps.
• Since you can remove the Invisalign aligners…. it is much easier to brush and floss when compared to traditional braces. 
• With traditional braces you need to use a floss threader to get under the arch wire which most dental patients feel is time consuming…less effective… and frustrating.

Contact us at (double click the link below)

www.cottonwooddentalgroup.com/html/contactus.html

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• Highlands Ranch Colorado Dentist

The Highlands Ranch Dental office of Dr. H. Candace DeLapp and Dr. James DeLapp, provides General and Family Dentistry for their patients living in Ken Caryl, Parker, Lone Tree, Castle Pines and the Greater Denver area.

What is Family or Highlands Ranch General Dentistry?

The term General Dentistry can mean different things to different dentists and patients.  Our Highlands Ranch Dental office defines it as the common practice and procedures performed routinely in our Highlands Ranch Dental office.

Highlands Ranch General Dentistry is best described by the case below: Our web site can be contacted at http://www.cottonwooddentalgroup.com/

This case involves or will involve about every element of General Dentistry.  This includes:

• The initial examination with x-rays… intra-oral and extra-oral photographs … dental models… periodontal examination… etc.
• Treatment planning of this complex case as well as a Dental Consultation with the patient to determine how… when and where they wished to start their dental treatment.
• Cavities control… with dental fillings… build ups… root canals and extraction of teeth.
• Dental Crowns on teeth with large fillings.
• Temporary partial dentures to give posterior occlusion (ability to chew on back teeth).
• Decision to be made some “months’ later… whether to proceed with dental implants or made permanent partial dentures. This patient has choosen dental implants.

Contact us (double click the link below

www.cottonwooddentalgroup.com/html/contactus.html

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General Dentistry Highlands Ranch Colorado

To view our practice video (click here)

Highlands Ranch Dentists, Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H Candace DeLapp practice General and Family Dentistry at their Highlands Ranch Dental office. These Highlands Ranch Dentists build their new dental office in 2005 after having practiced in Centennial since 1982. Cottonwood Dental Group, their Highlands Ranch Dental office, has some of the newest technologies and services available for their Highlands Ranch dental patients.

First, is the Philosophy of “want-based dentistry“. We make every attempt to provide you with first class dental services in a non-clinic setting.  Our office philosophy revolves around a reception room… not a waiting room. Our Highlands Ranch General and Family Dentists schedule one patient at a time for each doctor as opposed to double booking their treatment rooms.  Seeing our Highlands Ranch Dental patients on time is large priority in our Highlands Ranch Dental office.

Latest technologies in our Highlands Ranch Dental office

Contact us (double click on the link below

www.cottonwooddentalgroup.com/html/contactus.html

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Invisalign… whitening … and veneers

to view our practice video (click here)

Our Highlands Ranch Invisalign office of Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp, located on the North/East corner of Lincoln Blvd and Quebec serves the dental needs of Parker Invisalign patients and Ken Caryl Invisalign patients. Cottonwood Dental Group P.C. is also  convenient for Parker Invisalign patients as  it is located 4.5 miles west of I-25 on Quebec. For Ken Caryl Invisalign patients take C-470 east to Quebec and then turn south1.5 miles.

Highlands Ranch Invisalign Patients- Combining Invisalign with Dental Whitening and Dental Veneers

In the above case one type of treatment does not solve the patient’s dental needs. Trying to align the patient’s teeth with Invisalign only would give straight teeth put very small lateral incisors would not give esthetic balance to this case.  In addition this patients teeth had a yellow hue that they wished to have addressed.

Contact us (double click on the link below)

www.cottonwooddentalgroup.com/html/contactus.html

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