Dental Bonding with Dr. Keith Rudolph

Of all the cosmetic and restorative procedures we offer at our office in Fairfield, CT, bonding is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to enhance your smile. Called bonding because tooth-colored resin is bonded to your teeth, the procedure is used to repair teeth that are discolored, unevenly shaped or chipped. At our office we can even use bonding to prevent further enamel erosion and as an attractive alternative to amalgam fillings.

Bonding is achieved by applying incredibly strong resin to the tooth in need of restoration. The procedure can usually be accomplished in one visit and allows you to keep most of your tooth’s enamel, which makes bonding preferable to veneers in many cosmetic cases. Once the right color resin has been chosen for your smile, Dr. Keith Rudolph will apply an adhesive gel to your tooth or teeth to help the resin adhere. The putty-like resin is then applied to your tooth and molded and smoothed until it is in the proper shape. After it is hardened with an LED light, Dr. Rudolph will trim and shape it even more and then polish it until shines like a tooth. Altogether, the procedure usually takes between 30 minutes to an hour for one tooth.

If you’re unhappy with your teeth but unwilling to go as far as veneers, bonding can be used to improve your smile quickly and effectively. To schedule an appointment with our office, call us at 203-930-1214. For more information, visit www.drkeithrudolph.com.   

Lumineers vs Veneers in Fairfield, CT

You have probably heard a lot about veneers, but do you know about Lumineers? If not, you should know that they can transform your smile in less time and more comfort than you ever imagined. Similar to veneers, Lumineers are hard, porcelain shells that can be applied seamlessly over your teeth. They are digitally designed to be ultra-thin and give you a beautiful, natural-looking smile.

Because traditional veneers tend to be thicker, they can require more aggressive removal of healthy tooth enamel in order to place them. Lumineers, on the other hand, are about as thin as a contact, so they require a less-invasive procedure than traditional veneers, and it usually only takes two visits to our office to get them. Additionally, since very little enamel has to be removed from the teeth to make room for the device, the procedure does not typically require shots or temporary veneers as you wait for your custom-made Lumineers to be crafted.

While Lumineers offer many benefits, Dr. Keith Rudolph recommends that they be used for minor cosmetic adjustments and not for a major makeover. If you want to extend the size of small teeth, fix minor chips, make teeth appear straighter or change the color of your smile, Lumineers are an exceptional option. However, if your teeth are especially dark or require more extensive cover up, veneers are the better choice.

To get a smile that you will love showing off, schedule an appointment with our office in Fairfield, CT by calling 203-930-1214. For more information about our practice, please visit www.drkeithrudolph.com.

Teeth Extractions in Fairfield, CT

If decay has reached too deeply into one of your teeth or if an infection has damaged too much of the supporting bone or tissue, you will need a tooth extraction, and in Fairfield, CT, Dr. Keith Rudolph can perform one to help you restore your oral health.

Before the procedure is performed, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area around the extraction site, and if it is a simple extraction, the tooth will be loosened with an elevator and then extracted with forceps. Dr. Rudolph may choose to smooth and contour the underlying bone afterward, and once he is finished, he will suture the gums.

After the extraction, it is critical to keep the area clean to prevent infection. A dry, sterile gauze will be placed over the gums to limit bleeding. You must make sure to keep it in place for 30 to 45 minutes while the blood clots. During the 24 hours after the procedure, you should not smoke, rinse your mouth vigorously or clean the teeth immediately adjacent to the extraction site. Strenuous activity, hot liquids and straw drinking should also be avoided. A certain amount of pain and discomfort accompanies an extraction, so a painkiller may be prescribed.

If you are suffering pain from decay, infection or impaction, the dentist can determine if a tooth extraction is required to save the rest of your smile. Schedule an appointment at our practice in Fairfield, CT by calling 203-930-1214. For more information, please visit www.drkeithrudolph.com. 

Dr. Keith Rudolph Uses Electric Handpieces

While you might not think to ask what type of tools your dentist is using during your procedures, the type and quality of dental tool matters, and at our practice, Dr. Keith Rudolph uses electric handpieces to provide high-quality dental care in Fairfield, CT.  

There are basically two types of handpieces used in dentistry: air-driven and electric. Electric tools, which are what we use, are much stronger than air-driven ones because a motor is used to spin the bur, instead of air. With a stronger force created, Dr. Rudolph can remove decay more quickly and cut down on the amount of time needed for a procedure. Often used to prepare teeth for restorative procedures, electric handpieces offer many benefits.

Whether you are getting a filling, crown, bridge or inlay/onlay, we are dedicated to providing the best dental care possible with state-of-the-art tools. By using the best equipment in all his dental procedures, the dentist ensures that his patients are comfortable and their oral health is well cared for.

While you may not know the difference between dental tools, you will be able to feel the difference that top-of-the-line tools afford Dr. Rudolph.

To schedule an appointment with our office, call 203-930-1214. For more information, visit www.keithrudolph.com.

Sealants

Although brushing and flossing are effective methods for removing food particles and plaque from the smooth surfaces of our teeth, sometimes these methods are ineffective at thoroughly cleaning the nooks and crannies in our premolars and molars. Because molars are the hardest to clean and the teeth most used in the chewing process, they are the most susceptible to cavities and decay, which is why Dr. Keith Rudolph recommends sealants soon after molars emerge when children are between the ages of 6 and 14.

Dental sealants are a thin, plastic coating applied to the chewing surfaces of the molars to prevent cavities and tooth decay. The sealant is applied by Dr. Rudolph, who first roughens the surface of the molar with acid and then paints on the sealant. The sealant bonds into the depressions and grooves of the teeth, hardening and forming a shield over the enamel to protect it for approximately 10 years.

Sealants are normally applied to children’s molars because their teeth are especially susceptible to cavities. However, sometimes they are applied on adult molars if they have hard-to-clean grooves that are causing cavities.

To schedule an appointment, call our office in Fairfield, CT at 203-930-1214. For more information, visit www.drkeithrudolph.com.

CEREC Crowns

If your teeth are decayed, cracked or chipped, they can be restored with crowns, and CEREC is an advanced dental technology that can create full crowns right in the dentist’s office. Offering a variety of benefits, including strength and quick production, CEREC restorations are the first choice for dentists who have their patients’ best interest in mind. At our office in Fairfield, CT, we use CEREC technology to restore our patients’ smiles.

CEREC restorations are made of compressed porcelain, which is stronger than the layered porcelain crowns created in a laboratory. In addition to being stronger and longer-wearing, CEREC restorations can also be created and installed in only one visit, unlike laboratory restorations, which can take weeks to complete and require a temporary crown or restoration to be placed in the meantime.

The placement procedure for a CEREC restoration is easy and doesn’t require you to bite on any goopy and uncomfortable impression material. First all the decay is removed from your teeth, and then dr. Keith Rudolph shapes the tooth in preparation for the digital 3D video impression that is taken with the digital camera, which is attached to a computer screen that displays the 3D image. This allows the dentist to design the restoration in front of you. Then the CEREC machine will create a crown or restoration in about 15 minutes for the dentist to place. The entire process, from design to installation, takes around an hour for each tooth.

In less than an hour, we can design and place a CEREC crown or restoration for a rejuvenated and renewed smile. To schedule an appointment, call 203-930-1214. For more information, visit www.drkeithrudolph.com.

Rotary Endodontics

If you’ve had root canal treatment to save an infected tooth, it probably didn’t occur to you to ask what types of tools your dentist used. But if your dentist used the old, manual file for removing the infected tissue, the procedure may have been pretty nerve wracking. Rotary endodontic tools, however, provide a much smoother, more comfortable experience during root canal procedures, which is why Dr. Keith Rudolph chooses to rely on them to treat infected teeth in Fairfield, CT.

Rotary endodontics allows the dentist to remove the infected pulp in the inner root canal more quickly, more smoothly and with less chance of complications. These electric instruments prove to be superior to the traditional, stainless steel files in a multitude of ways since they are made of nickel titanium, which is much more flexible than stainless steel. Increased flexibility allows the tool to be inserted into the curved root canal without damaging the passageway.

The tools are also much quieter and do not produce a grinding noise like the other tools. This helps to soothe patients’ nerves during the procedure. While the manual method can adequately save teeth during root canals, rotary endodontic tools are easier and preferred by both the dentist and his patients. 

To schedule an appointment at our practice, call 203-930-1214. For more information, visit www.drkeithrudolph.com.