General Dentistry

Creekside Dental provides your entire family with comprehensive dental care, including preventative dentistry, restorative dentistry, sedation dentistry, cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics. We’re experienced in treating children, adults and seniors. Our state-of-the-art facility in Gresham, just minutes from Tyler, TX, was designed to make you and your family feel comfortable - almost like being at home. From dental exams and cleanings to specialized dental treatments, our highly-trained dentists and dental hygienists will take good care of you and your family. 

Preventive Dentistry :

Teeth Cleaning:  Regular teeth cleaning (Prophylaxis) removes tartar that may develop even with careful brushing and flossing. We recommend having your teeth cleaned every 6 to 12 months, with an examination at least every year. Your visit to Creekside Dental is an important part of your program to prevent gum disease and help you keep your teeth for your lifetime.

Tooth Decay Prevention:  Creekside Dental recommends dental exams every 6 to 12 months to detect beginning decay.  If we find decay, we remove it and fill the tooth using a variety of fillings, restoring the tooth to a healthy state. 

Dental Sealants:  The grooves and depressions on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth are extremely difficult to clean of bacteria and food. Bacteria and food particles can collect in pits and fissures, creating acids that break down the tooth enamel, causing cavities. Recent studies indicate that 88% of total cavities in American school children are caused this way. Dental sealants protect these susceptible areas by sealing the grooves and depressions. Sealant material is a resin typically applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth and areas prone to cavities. It lasts for several years but needs to be checked during regular appointments and may occasionally have to be replaced.

Fluoride:  Fluoride is a substance that helps teeth become hard and resistant to decay. Drinking water treated with fluoride and brushing and flossing regularly has been proven to lower the incidence of cavities. Creekside Dental may include a flouride treatment as part of your visit for a check-up or cleaning. 

Restorative Dentistry:

Fillings: Fillings refer to replacing and restoring a tooth structure that has been damaged due to decay or fracture. At Creekside Dental, we can replace old, broken-down amalgam/metal fillings with white fillings (composites) to restore teeth to a more natural look and feel. With today's advancements, no longer will you have to suffer the embarrassment of unsightly silver fillings or metal margins of the past. Eliminate the dark, black appearance in your teeth with new-age, state-of-the-art, tooth-colored resin or porcelain materials from Creekside Dental.  

Bridges: A bridge, also known as a fixed partial denture, is used to replace a missing tooth by permanently joining two or more adjacent teeth or dental implants. A bridge may be necessary to prevent:

 · Shifting of the teeth that can lead to bite problems (occlusion)

 · Jaw problems and resultant periodontal disease  

Dentures: Periodontal disease, injury and tooth decay can all cause a loss of your natural teeth. However, Creekside Dental can bring back the smile on your face with dentures to restore your missing teeth. With improved technology and updated materials, we can now make them appear more natural and be more comfortable. There are two types of dentures: complete and partial. Complete dentures cover the patient's entire jaw while partial dentures replace multiple missing teeth. A partial denture may have a metal framework or be constructed of a special, flexible plastic. It may take some time to adjust to your dentures. Speaking and eating may feel different at first, but these regular activities will return to normal once you are accustomed to your dentures.

Root Canal Treatment:  A root canal is a procedure that removes diseased nerve tissue from the central part of the tooth and the canals running through the roots. A cavity is the result of superficial decay of the enamel of the tooth. Left long enough, this decay can burrow into the deeper reaches of the tooth, causing extensive damage to tooth structure. If the nerve in the tooth is damaged, Creekside Dental can perform a root canal (or endodontics), preserving the tooth thereby, saving a tooth that in the past would have to have been removed. After treatment the tooth will be "dead", because the nerves and blood supply have been removed from the tooth. It is best that the tooth is fitted with a crown, thereby increasing the prognosis of the tooth by six times. While Creekside Dental can perform most root canal procedures, occasionally a patient will be referred to a root canal specialist, called an Endodontist, for treatment. 

Sedation Dentistry: 

At Creekside Dental we make sure that patients are as comfortable as possible. We may utilize Nitrous Oxide, topical and local Anesthetic, or Oral Sedation, depending on the procedure and the patient.

Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas):  Nitrous Oxide is an odorless, non-irritating, colorless gas which you can breathe. The patient is able to breathe on their own and remain in control of all bodily functions. However, the patient may experience mild amnesia and may fall asleep, not remembering all of what happened during their appointment. Advantages to using Nitrous Oxide: · The depth of sedation can be altered at any time to increase or decrease sedation. · There is no after effect such as a "hangover". · Inhalation sedation is safe with no side effects on your heart and lungs, etc. · Inhalation sedation is very effective in minimizing gagging. · It works rapidly as it reaches the brain - within 20 seconds. In as little as 2-3 minutes, it's relaxation and painkilling properties develop. 

Anesthetics:  Creekside Dental uses topical and local anesthetics, often in combination. The topical anesthetic we generally use is very strong & long lasting. A local anesthetic may be used in combination with the topical anesthetic. We have a variety of local anesthetics, and our dentists will choose which one is best for the patient and for the procedure to be performed.

Oral Sedation: For cases where a patient is very anxious, our dentists may prescribe an oral medication that can be taken by the patient before an appointment. This medication will help them to relax more. After taking the medication the patient is awake and functional but usually very sleepy, and on occasion may even drift off to sleep during the dental procedure.