Procedures

Welcome to our office! As a general dentist, Dr. Wagner is trained in all dental procedures. In some situations, she may choose to refer patients to an appropriate specialist. Please feel free to click on the following procedures to learn more about them.

• Examinations, radiographs (x-rays), and treatment planning
• Cleanings and deep scaling
• Fillings
• Root canals
• Tooth removal (extraction)
• Crowns and bridges
• Complete dentures and partial dentures
• Dental implants
• Bite guards, sleep apnea devices, and treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

All content was written by Dr. Katie-Rose Wagner and she welcomes the public to use and share any of the information without her permission. She respectfully asks to be listed as the author for direct quotations.

Dental implants

A dental implant is a titanium cylinder that is placed in the bone where a tooth's root used to be. This is done as a surgical procedure where the gum is reflected back, a small amount of bone is removed and the implant is placed. After placement, the implant needs to rest for 3-6 months for the bone around it to adapt to the shape of the implant. A small healing cap might be placed, or the gum can be stitched back over it. If the implant is in a visible area, your dentist can suggest temporary tooth replacement for this healing period.

When the implant is ready for loading, a type of connector called an abutment is screwed into the implant and an impression is taken of this abutment. This impression is sent to the lab so that they can make a crown to be cemented or screwed onto the abutment. A temporary crown may be placed on the abutment while waiting for the lab to make the final crown.

Implants can be used to replace individual teeth, to be used as anchors in a bridge or to retain dentures.

Sometimes, the bone has to be prepared or altered before an implant can be placed. This is most commonly done if there isn't enough bone at the site or if the maxillary sinus is too close to the surgical area. This is an extra surgery and may take extra healing time. Another way to retain the maximum amount of bone is to place a bone graft in an extraction socket at the time a tooth is extracted. This way, the area will be ready if the patient wishes to place an implant in the future.