General Dentistry | Brookside Dental

General Dentistry Services

Family Dentistry

At Brookside Dental we love families! We have families of our own and pride ourselves in our ability to service entire families of all ages. Our doctors have children of their own and are great at working with children. We’ve found that a lot of parents will bring their small children to our office before they are ready for exams. We encourage you to bring your small children back to sit in the chair and become comfortable with the dentist and the dental office even if they don’t have an appointment scheduled.

At what age should I bring in my children?

We recommend you bring your children to our office around 6 months of their first teeth erupting. We can generally look at a child’s teeth under the age of 3 during the same appointment as a parent for no additional charge as cleanings or x-rays are generally not necessary.

Smile Clinic Orem is dedicated to bringing you and your family the best possible dental care in a friendly and professional atmosphere. Our experienced staff is the finest available and our facility is state-of-the-art. It is our goal to help your family form good habits to achieve strong, functional, gorgeous smiles that will last a lifetime. Together we will discover your needs and design a treatment plan to achieve and maintain your optimal level of oral health and beauty.

White Fillings

A dental filling is a restoration used to repair minor to moderate tooth damage. We may recommend a filling if a tooth has been damaged by decay (for example, if it has a cavity) or suffers from minor fracturing or chipping. The dental filling is used to restore the tooth to its original structure and function, and return your smile to good health. There are two main types of dental fillings available: amalgam fillings and composite fillings.

A composite filling is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture used to restore decayed teeth.

Some people still elect to use amalgam fillings (silver looking) because it is less expensive at some offices. Utah Smile Clinic offers the same low price for composite fillings so we don’t even offer amalgam fillings! We want all of our patients to look and feel great about themselves and about their experience at our office. We use only the best materials while offering the best prices for all of our patients.

Following preparation, the composite is placed in layers, typically using a light specialized to harden each layer. When the process is finished, Dr. Brooks will shape the composite to fit the tooth and polish composite to prevent staining and early wear.

Esthetics are the main advantage of composites since Dr. Brooks can blend shades to create a color nearly identical to that of the actual tooth. Composites bond to the tooth to support the remaining tooth structure, which helps to prevent breakage and insulate the tooth from excessive temperature changes.

The process for placing a white dental filling requires just one comfortable visit to our office. Our dentist will first remove the decayed and damaged portion of the tooth, then clean it to remove all traces of decay. We then fill the area with the filling material and shape it to match your tooth’s shape. Finally, the filling is hardened by our dentist for a lasting restoration.

The process for placing a dental filling requires just one comfortable visit to our office. Our dentist will first remove the decayed and damaged portion of the tooth, then clean it to remove all traces of decay. We then fill the area with the filling material and shape it to match your tooth’s shape. Finally, the filling is hardened by our dentist for a lasting restoration.

If one of your teeth is decayed or damaged, a dental filling may be a great choice for restoring your oral health and function. We invite you to call or visit us today to learn more about dental fillings and schedule your next appointment with our dentist and team. We look forward to caring for your smile

If cavities are found before there has been significant decay, the tooth can be restored with a filling.

Once a tooth has a cavity, the decay will continue to spread unless the decayed area is removed and the tooth is properly restored. Leaving cavities untreated can lead to the need for more significant restorative procedures such as crowns, bridges, root canals, or dental implants.

Tooth Colored Fillings

While metal (amalgam) fillings used to be common, a tooth-colored composite material is now the most recommended filling material. The composite material blends in with the natural tooth and is less noticeable than a metal filling. The tooth-colored filling is not as affected by heat and cold as the metal fillings, so the patient is less likely to experience temperature-related sensitivity.

Another important reason composite fillings have replaced amalgam fillings is that they do not use mercury, which was present in metal fillings. Many patients are choosing to have their older amalgam fillings replaced with tooth-colored fillings for this reason.

Root Canals

Root canal treatment is used to find the cause and then treat problems of the tooth’s soft core (the dental pulp). Years ago, teeth with diseased or injured pulps were removed. Today, root canal treatment has given dentists a safe way of saving teeth.

What is the dental pulp?

The pulp is the soft tissue that contains nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue. It lies within the tooth and extends from the crown of the tooth to the tip of the root in the bone of the jaws.

What happens if the pulp gets injured?

An abscessed (infected) tooth caused by tooth decay. When the pulp is diseased or injured and can’t repair itself, it dies. The most common cause of pulp death is a cracked tooth or a deep cavity. Both of these problems can let germs (bacteria) enter the pulp. Germs can cause an infection inside the tooth. Left without treatment, pus builds up at the root tip, in the jawbone, forming a “pus-pocket” called an abscess. An abscess can cause damage to the bone around the teeth.

Why does the pulp need to be removed?

When the infected pulp is not removed, pain and swelling can result. Certain byproducts of the infection can injure your jaw bones. Without treatment, your tooth may have to be removed.

What does treatment involve?

Treatment often involves from one to three visits. During treatment, your general dentist or endodontist (a dentist who specializes in problems of the pulp) removes the diseased pulp. The pulp chamber and root canal(s) of the tooth are then cleaned and sealed.

Here’s how your tooth is saved through treatment:

First, an opening is made through the crown of the tooth.
An opening is made through the crown of the tooth into the pulp chamber.
The pulp is then removed. The root canal(s) is cleaned and shaped to a form that can be filled.
The pulp is removed, and the root canals are cleaned, enlarged and shaped.
Medications may be put in the pulp chamber and root canal(s) to help get rid of germs and prevent infection.
A temporary filling will be placed in the crown opening to protect the tooth between dental visits. Your dentist may leave the tooth open for a few days to drain. You might also be given medicine to help control infection that may have spread beyond the tooth.
The pulp chamber and root canals are filled and sealed.
The temporary filling is removed and the pulp chamber and root canal(s) are cleaned and filled.
In the final step, a gold or porcelain crown is usually placed over the tooth. If an endodontist performs the treatment, he or she will recommend that you return to your family dentist for this final step.
The crown of the tooth is then restored.

How long will the restored tooth last?

Your restored tooth could last a lifetime, if you continue to care for your teeth and gums. However, regular checkups are necessary. As long as the root(s) of a treated tooth are nourished by the tissues around it, your tooth will remain healthy.

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are a type of molar. Molars are the chewing teeth found furthest in the back of the mouth. These teeth come in usually during a person’s late teens or early twenties. Typically a person will have four wisdom teeth. "Impacted" refers to a tooth that has failed to emerge fully into its expected position. The failure to erupt properly might occur because there is not enough room in a person’s jaw to accommodate the tooth, or because the angulation of the tooth is improper.

Why extract wisdom teeth?

A wisdom tooth may be extracted to correct a problem or to prevent problems that may arise later. Some of the potential problems of wisdom teeth coming in are:

Your jaw may not be large enough, and they may become impacted and unable to break through your gums.
Your wisdom teeth may partially break through the gums, which could cause a flap of gum tissue to grow over them. Food and germs may get trapped under the flap and cause your gums to become red, swollen, and painful from infection.
Other serious problems can develop from having impacted teeth, such as infection, damage to other teeth or bone, or a cyst.
One or more of your wisdom teeth may come in at an incorrect angle, with the top of the tooth facing forward, backward, or to one side.

Wisdom tooth removal is usually effective in preventing:

Crowding of the back teeth.
A wisdom tooth becoming impacted in the jaw and not breaking through the gums.
Red, swollen, and painful gums caused by the flap of skin around a partially emerged wisdom tooth.
Tooth decay and gum disease in the wisdom tooth, which can be more difficult to clean than other teeth, or in the teeth and jaw in the wisdom tooth area.

801-590-8647

255 E 930 S Orem, Utah