Dr. Charlie F. Carmichael Jr.
8300 Paradise Valley Road
Suite 122
Spring Valley, CA 91977
Tel. (619) 479-9143
Fax (619) 479-7666
drcarmichael@mindspring.com
Dr. Charlie Carmichael offers a variety of dental services to help keep your teeth in good health and looking great! Our services include, but are not limited to:
- Teeth cleaning
- Complete oral exams, including exams for oral cancer
- Fillings - white, silver or gold
- Cosmetic bonding
- Porcelain veneers
- Lumineers
- Whitening of Teeth
- Sealants
- Gum treatment
- Gum surgery in some cases
- Mini Implants
- Root canals
- Oral surgery in some cases
- Dentures
- Partial dentures
- Removable Braces
- Anti-snoring treatment
Our services are affordable and guaranteed, so there is no risk to you! Call today and speak with our friendly office staff for more information or to make an appointment!
Teeth Cleaning
Tooth whitening is used to correct discoloration of a tooth by removing the brown and yellow staining. The term "tooth whitening" or "tooth bleaching" can refer to a number of techniques to improve the brightness of the patient's tooth.
Tooth enamel discoloration can be caused by staining, aging, or chemical damage to teeth. Some of the more common causes of tooth discoloration are medications, coffee, tea or cigarettes. People who drink significant amounts of cola soft drinks can experience similar staining. Damage to the root may also contribute to discoloration.
Complete Oral Exams, Including Exams for Oral Cancer
The oral examination is an area of physical diagnosis that, for a variety of reasons, traditionally receives minimal emphasis in the predoctoral medical curriculum. Nevertheless, much information can be gained through a systematic evaluation of the oral hard and soft tissues. While the primary objective is to distinguish between health and disease, a comprehensive oral examination—in conjunction with a thorough medical and dental history—can also provide valuable insight into the overall health and well-being of the patient. In many cases, it is an essential component of patient assessment prior to cancer therapy. Oral examinations also have a significant impact on the classification of HIV-infected patients, the oral findings often determining the eventual antiretroviral therapy.
Fillings(White,Silver or Gold)
Fillings have been around for times immemorial. This treatment option has been around for more than a century.Till about twenty years ago these were about the only fillings available to us.
Mercury is used to to mix with the Silver powder granules prior to filling the tooth.Today there is greater awareness about the Toxic effects of Mercury. Hence they have been phased out in our practice.
This is the age of Minimally Invasive Dentistry.
While doing a filling the infected portion of the tooth is cleaned by a drill. Care is taken that there is no damage to the healthy tooth structure during this process.
The latest advances in the Dental Materials allow us to actually clean using a MINIMALLY INVASIVE TECHNIQUE and the filling is placed. using the State of The Art Filling Materials, imported directly from the West, the tooth is restored to its original shape. The end result is such that it is actually difficult to make out where the filling actually starts.
At “The Clinic”, special care is taken to avoid any cutting of the healthy tooth structure. Only the infected portion of the tooth is cleaned out.
Cosmetic Bonding
Teeth bonding is usually a one-visit procedure. The tooth is prepared by lightly roughening the area to be repaired, which usually doesn't require anesthetic. Then the surface of the tooth is etched with a gel, and a treatment of bonding primers and resins is applied to the tooth. Then the composite is applied. Dental composites are materials made of acrylic resins impregnated with inorganic fillers, and containing photoinitiators, plus fillers such as quartz, glass, or silicon dioxide. They are made to a paste-like consistency so that they can be sculpted to the proper shape. They contain various pigments which are matched to your tooth color, and they come in varying degrees of translucency, with careful attention paid to their polishability. This composite is applied to your tooth, sometimes in several layers in order to duplicate the depth of color that occurs in a natural tooth. A high-intensity curing light is then used to harden it. With careful artistry, this composite can be manipulated to mimic the color details and translucency of your tooth, and polished to a beautiful shine.
A caution to the consumer: While any general dentist can legally announce that he or she is a "cosmetic dentist," and many dentists do white fillings, we recommend that any patient who wants cosmetic teeth bonding only go to a dentist with extensive post-graduate training in cosmetic dentistry. The teeth bonding techniques and artistry required to do composite bonding well are not required training of general dentists. If you need help finding a cosmetic dentist with adequate training to be able to perform teeth bonding properly, please see our referral page. We list cosmetic dentists from all over the United States and Canada who have that additional training in cosmetic dentistry.
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers or dental veneers are very thin, custom-made porcelain coverings fabricated to fit precisely over your existing teeth. Porcelain veneers are the solution for a variety of common dental problems, such as misaligned teeth, stained teeth, and broken or chipped teeth. Dental veneers can also be used to fill in gaps between teeth. Veneers offer their own set of distinct advantages. For one, they have exceptional color stability. They are also designed to last for years. In fact, with proper care, your veneers can last a lifetime.
Lumineers
The newest form of esthetic dentistry involves bonding ultra-thin porcelain veneers, generally without anesthetic, to unprepared or lightly prepared teeth. This has been made possible because of a new innovation in dental materials. LUMINEERS is a cosmetic solution for permanently stained, chipped, discolored and misaligned teeth. It may even be used to revitalize old crowns and bridgework. LUMINEERS are a porcelain veneer that can be made as thin as a contact lens and are placed over existing teeth, most of the time without requiring the removal of sensitive tooth structure
Whitening of Teeth
Everybody loves a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and procedures available to help you improve the look of yours.
Many people are satisfied with the sparkle they get from brushing twice daily with a fluoride-containing toothpaste, cleaning between their teeth once a day and the regular cleanings at your dentist’s office. If you decide you would like to go beyond this to make your smile look brighter, you should investigate all of your options.
You can take several approaches to whiten your smile ask Dr. Charlie Carmicheal because he knows best.
Sealants
Sealants are a thin, plastic coating painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth – usually the back teeth (the premolars, and molars) – to prevent tooth decay. The painted on liquid sealant quickly bonds into the depressions and grooves of the teeth forming a protective shield over the enamel of each tooth.
Although thorough brushing and flossing can remove food particles and plaque from smooth surfaces of teeth, they cannot always get into all the nooks and crannies of the back teeth to remove the food and plaque. Sealants protect these vulnerable areas from tooth decay by "sealing out" plaque and food.
Gum Treatment
Gum treatment is the treatment of active gum and jaw bone disease. Gum disease treatment can slow or stop the progression of gum disease. Since there are different stages of gum disease (from gingivitis to advanced periodontitis), there are different levels of treatment. In some cases, the patient may be referred to a specialist.
Gum Surgery In Some Cases
Your gum tissue is like a frame that provides form and shape to the top of your tooth. A less than attractive smile results when the integrity of the gum is compromised or the actual gum between your teeth becomes weak. Usually due to poor hygiene (gum disease), you actually begin to lose gum tissue. Cosmetic dentistry provides many cosmetic solutions such as composite resin bonding, crowns, and veneers to create a great smile. These solutions are usually part of an overall strategy which may involve cosmetic gum surgery. Used to correct a 'gummy smile' (a significant portion of your gum is exposed when you smile), cosmetic gum surgery is the procedure of lengthening your teeth from the neck of the tooth upwards. Your teeth then appear to be longer and much less gum is seen when you smile.
The "Long in the Tooth" Smile - Cosmetic gum surgery, or periodontal plastic surgery, can correct almost any deformity or gingival problems preventing you from a beautiful smile. As we age, our gums may shrink and recede which makes our teeth look longer. While this is often age-related, it can also occur due to a bad bite. A cosmetic dentist or a periodontist can correct this to such an extent, that you'll have a very youthful appearing smile.
The "Gummy Smile" - This is a problem where your teeth appear to be too short. Gum sculpting is often the solution. To solve this, a dentist uses a laser to remove the excess tissue of your "gummy" smile, which then exposes more of your tooth.
Mini Implants
Mini implants are 1.8 mm in diameter and come in 4 lengths. The length chosen by the surgeon is determined by the amount of bone available to retain the implant, as well as an assessment of the density of the bone. Very dense cortical bone may be better served with a shorter implant. Generally, four mini implants are placed in the anterior portion of the lower jaw. A second type of mini implant is called a Max and is 1.6 mm in diameter. Max's come in three lengths and are generally used in cases in which the bone density is low. This is most generally the case in the stabilization of upper dentures.
Unlike standard implants, mini implants allow immediate loading. This means that the patient walks out of the office on the day of surgery with a lower denture which is not only solidly stable, but can be used to eat immediately. Mini implants can often (not always) be placed in the lower jaw without cutting an incision in the gums. in other words, they can often be placed right through the gums directly into the underlying bone. Most of the time, the only anesthetic necessary is an injection directly over the position in the gums where each implant is to be placed. The old lower denture can then be retrofitted over the newly placed implants, and the patient can use the denture immediately without waiting for the three to six months necessary for a standard implant to integrate. Furthermore, because the implants are about the size of a standard wooden toothpick (they are made out of a titanium alloy), patients who have been told that there is not enough bone to accommodate standard implants can generally be fitted with minis. The entire procedure (placing the implants and retrofitting the old denture so that it is supported by the newly placed minis) takes about 90 minutes. It is generally painless, and produces very minimal post operative discomfort.
Patients can be fitted with these implants and begin using the newly stabilized denture immediately because these implants do not require months of waiting time to integrate. The implants are "screwed" firmly into the bone so integration is immediate (although further integration on a microscopic level has been shown to take place for months after the initial placement of the implant. Finally, since the procedure generally involves no major incisions, there are very few contra-indications to the surgery.
Root Canals
Root canals is the commonly used term for the main canals within the dentin of the tooth. These are part of the natural cavity within a tooth that consists of the dental pulp chamber, the main canals, and sometimes more intricate anatomical branches that may connect the root canals to each other or to the root surface of the tooth. Root canals are filled with a highly vascularized, loose connective tissue, the dental pulp. This sometimes becomes infected and inflamed, generally due to caries or tooth fractures that allow microorganisms, mostly bacteria from the oral flora or their byproducts, access to the pulp chamber or the root canals; the infected tissue is removed by a surgical intervention known as endodontic therapy and commonly called 'a root canal'.
Oral Surgery In Some Cases
Oral surgery is the branch of dentistry that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of defects, injuries, and diseases involving the head, mouth, teeth, gums, jaws, and neck.
Dentures
Dentures are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clipping onto teeth or dental implants. There are two main categories of dentures, depending on whether they are used to replace missing teeth on the mandibular arch or the maxillary arch. There are many informal names for dentures such as dental plate, false teeth and falsies.
Partial Dentures
An important step in maintaining a healthy smile is to replace missing teeth. When teeth are missing, the remaining ones can change position, drifting into the surrounding space. Teeth that are out of position can damage tissues in the mouth. In addition, it may be difficult to clean thoroughly between crooked teeth. As a result, you run the risk of tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease, which can lead to the loss of additional teeth.
A removable partial denture fills in the space created by missing teeth and fills out your smile. A denture helps you to properly chew food, a difficult task when you are missing teeth. In addition, a denture may improve speech and prevent a sagging face by providing support for lips and cheeks. \
Patients can be fitted with these implants and begin using the newly stabilized denture immediately because these implants do not require months of waiting time to integrate. The implants are "screwed" firmly into the bone so integration is immediate (although further integration on a microscopic level has been shown to take place for months after the initial placement of the implant. Finally, since the procedure generally involves no major incisions, there are very few contra-indications to the surgery.
Removable Braces
Removable braces are made of plastic and are held onto your teeth with metal clips. There are also small wires fastened to the plastic, used to gently move the teeth. Removable braces can be taken in and out for cleaning but you will have to keep them in for the rest of the time if the treatment is to be effective.
Anti-Snoring Treatment
Forty-five percent of normal adults snore at least occasionally, and 25 percent are habitual snorers. Problem snoring is more frequent in males and overweight persons, and it usually grows worse with age.
More than 300 devices are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as cures for snoring. Some are variations on the old idea of sewing a sock that holds a tennis ball on the pajama back to force the snorer to sleep on his side. (Snoring is often worse when a person sleeps on his back). Some devices reposition the lower jaw forward; some open nasal air passages; a few others have been designed to condition a person not to snore by producing unpleasant stimuli when snoring occurs. But, if you snore, the truth is that it is not under your control whatsoever. If anti-snoring devices work, it is probably because they keep you awake.
A removable partial denture fills in the space created by missing teeth and fills out your smile. A denture helps you to properly chew food, a difficult task when you are missing teeth. In addition, a denture may improve speech and prevent a sagging face by providing support for lips and cheeks. \
Patients can be fitted with these implants and begin using the newly stabilized denture immediately because these implants do not require months of waiting time to integrate. The implants are "screwed" firmly into the bone so integration is immediate (although further integration on a microscopic level has been shown to take place for months after the initial placement of the implant. Finally, since the procedure generally involves no major incisions, there are very few contra-indications to the surgery.