Dental Bonding in New York, NY

Of all the cosmetic and restorative procedures we offer at our office in New York, NY, 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 Maiden Lane Dental, we can even use bonding to seamlessly fill cavities without the need for 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. Lloyd Becker 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. Becker trims and shapes it even more, polishing 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 at Maiden Lane Dental, call us at 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

Dr. Lloyd Becker’s Tips for a Healthier Smile

Regular exams and cleanings with Dr. Lloyd Becker are only a small part of a good oral hygiene routine. Everyday oral care habits also play a vital role in a healthy smile, and if you want to improve your oral health, here are some simple changes you can make.

1.            Brush better. Good technique and proper duration are essential for effective brushing. To maximize your brushing, hold your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle and make sweeping circular motions away from the gums. You should brush for at least two minutes or for the length of a song.

2.            Floss. Dr. Becker has probably already told you how important this is. This is because flossing can actually do a better job of removing harmful plaque than brushing, and it only needs to be done once a day. So why aren’t you doing it already? It’s the key to healthier teeth and fresher breath.

3.            Chew sugarless gum. Sugarless gum is a great way to keep your smile fresh after a meal. Not only will it improve your breath, but chewing gum increases saliva production to help wash away the acids released by the bacteria in plaque. If the gum has xylitol, it even helps reduce decay-causing bacteria.

4.            Replace your toothbrush. How long have you been brushing with your toothbrush? As your toothbrush ages, the bristles will fray and lose their cleaning ability. Extremely frayed bristles can even hurt your gums. Bacteria can also build up in the bristles of toothbrushes, so make sure you are replacing yours ever three to four months.

5.            Switch to tap water. Tap water is treated with fluoride, which is a safe and effective technique for lowering tooth decay across the nation. Plus, it’s basically free.

For more ways to keep your smile healthy, turn to Maiden Lane Dental in New York, NY. To schedule an appointment, call 212-509-4585. For more information, please visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

Dr. Lloyd Becker Restores Patients Smiles with Inlays and Onlays

Inlays and onlays are two procedures that use the tooth structure as a base for restoration. Often called partial crowns, both inlays and onlays strengthen the tooth while restoring its shape and preventing further damage or decay. At our office in New York, NY, we use these procedures to repair teeth when decay is too extensive to support a filling but not extensive enough to use a crown.

When there is no damage to the cusps of a tooth, Dr. Lloyd Becker uses an inlay for restoration, bonding it right on top of the tooth structure. Made of porcelain, inlays are both strong and natural-looking, providing an attractive solution for repairing your tooth. Dr. Becker uses onlays when damage is a little more extensive and repairs to the cusp of the tooth are required.

Inlays and onlays can be created at a lab out of porcelain, gold or composite resin. Fabrication normally takes between two to three weeks, and during that time, you will be provided with temporary restorations while you wait. Once they are ready, they are cemented in place.

To ensure that your teeth get the best dental care available, schedule an appointment at Maiden Lane Dental by calling 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

Bridges at Maiden Lane Dental

If you’ve had one tooth or multiple teeth extracted due to damage, decay or disease, it is important to have the resulting gap filled or your remaining teeth can shift out of position and become susceptible to further decay. One way to replace your missing tooth or teeth and prevent this shifting is with a dental bridge.

Called a bridge because a prosthetic tooth is suspended between two crowns to fill in the missing space, this natural-looking tooth structure is usually made from gold, metal, alloys or porcelain to ensure a strong and durable smile that can last for many years.

The process of creating a bridge usually takes two visits to our office in New York, NY. During your first visit, Dr. Lloyd Becker will create abutments out of the existing teeth on both sides of your gap. This is where the bridge’s crowns will be attached. After the abutments are in place, a mold is made of your mouth for creating the bridge, which will fit and feel as close to your natural teeth as possible. While you wait for the bridge to be fabricated in the lab, you will receive a temporary device for your convenience. Then, once the permanent device is completed, you will return to our office to have the crowns fixed to the abutments with an adhesive. The pontic between the crowns forms the bridge and replace your missing tooth or teeth.

To schedule an appointment at Maiden Lane Dental, call 212-509-4585. For more information, please visit www.maidenlanedental.com.      

Dentures with Dr. Lloyd Becker

Many of our patients in New York, NY choose dentures to replace their missing teeth. Cost-effective and removable, dentures are an attractive option for many patients at Maiden Lane Dental, and they are available as both full and partial devices. 

Full dentures can be placed in two ways: conventionally or immediately. Conventional full dentures are used after all of a patient’s teeth have been removed, but only once the gum tissue has healed for a few months. During that healing time, the patient would have no teeth in place. Immediate full dentures, however, are more popular since patients do not have to be toothless for any period of time. For this type, Dr. Lloyd Becker takes measurements of your mouth prior to removing the teeth. The teeth are removed at the next appointment, and the dentures are immediately placed in your mouth. With this method, a follow-up visit is required so that the dentures can be refitted and tightened since the jawbone changes shape slightly as it heals with no teeth.

Partial dentures are an option for those who do not need all their teeth removed. This type is very similar to bridges, except they are removable instead of permanent.

Whichever dentures our patients choose, the device takes some time getting used to, but as you practice, eating and speaking will get easier. Even though they are not real teeth, dentures should still be cared for as if they were. To ensure your dentures last, be sure to brush them before removal and place them in room temperature water or cleaning solution overnight.

To find out if dentures are the right choice for you, schedule an appointment at our practice by calling 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.