Dr. Sandra M. Finch has established herself as one of White Rock’s leading dentists thanks to her ability to create and maintain beautiful, confident smile for her patients. For most people, a healthy, beautiful smile means they will be able to approach their daily lives with more energy and confidence. With the wide range of dental services offered by Dr. Finch and her team of trained and highly skilled oral health professionals, your teeth and smile can be restored to their natural beauty and strength. These services include customized hygiene visits, radiographs, regular exams and an emphasis on a good oral health routine at home to prevent any issues and maintain the healthy look of your teeth.
Sealants
A sealant is a highly effective method used to prevent the tooth decay that commonly occurs on the biting surfaces of your chewing teeth (mainly back teeth such as molars and pre-molars). Sealants are applied in a simple procedure in which a tooth-color acrylic coating is painted onto the surface of the tooth. This coating effectively seals the deep grooves where decay is most likely to start and goes a long way toward preventing any serious tooth decay from occurring for an extended period of time. Eventually however, sealants can deteriorate over time and should be reapplied by a dental professional whenever necessary.
Composite Fillings
A vast improvement on the previously used metal fillings, a composite filling is a resin-based, tooth coloured filling material used to repair decayed areas of the tooth. The filling is placed on the tooth in layers, as the dentist uses a specialized light to harden each layer of filling as it is applied to the tooth. After these layers are applied, the dentist will shape the tooth and polish it so it won’t wear out too quickly and will have a colour identical to the patient’s surrounding teeth. Composite fillings serve the same purpose as a silver (amalgam) filling but without the mercury content and without the discolouration.
Extractions
In severe cases, tooth extraction may be a necessary precaution that needs to be taken in order to prevent more serious damage from occurring. In many cases, tooth extraction is a last resort due to the fact that there are a number of other less severe methods of stopping tooth decay or repairing damaged teeth. Should an extraction be deemed necessary however, patients can rest easy knowing they are getting the best of care from Dr. Finch and her staff. Most extractions can be done quickly using a local anesthetic and require little to no downtime. In some cases a surgical extraction is necessary, which may require more work and different types of anesthetics.
Root Canals
A root canal is an endodontic procedure carried out in order to save a tooth from severe nerve damage. There are a number of potential causes for nerve damage to a tooth all of which can also lead to severe infection or inflammation of the tooth. These causes include deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth, faulty crowns, or a crack or chip in the tooth. A root canal is a one-time treatment that completely removes any infected pulp from the inside of the tooth. Once this pulp is completely removed and the tooth is fitted with a filling or crown to seal off the damaged area, the tooth will begin to feel and function like it normally should.