Dental Crowns in New York, NY

From the acid erosion caused by the food you eat to the constant biting, crunching and grinding you do when eating or stressed, daily activities weaken your teeth and make them more susceptible to decay, cracks, discoloration and more. If any of your teeth reach a point where they become so weak or decayed that the tooth structure becomes compromised, a crown can be used to protect and reinforce it. By covering a weak or broken tooth and restoring it to its original size and shape, a crown reduces pain and saves the tooth from needing to be extracted, and in New York, NY, Dr. Lloyd Becker can determine if a crown is needed to save your smile.

Made from porcelain, gold or porcelain fused to metal, crowns are used to repair teeth when fillings or bonding are not enough. When you have a crown placed, Dr. Becker will first prepare your tooth by removing any existing decay and insulating the tooth nerve with core buildup. Besides providing insulation, the core buildup also serves as a surface for the crown to bond to. Once the tooth is prepared, an impression is taken so that the crown can be created to fit perfectly. Then at your next appointment, the custom crown is cemented onto the current tooth to prevent further decay and fracture.

Schedule an appointment with Maiden Lane Dental by calling 212-509-4585. For more information, please visit www.maidenlanedental.com.  

Mouth Guards in New York, NY

If you play contact sports, mouth guards are a necessary piece of equipment. From football, soccer and basketball to hockey, lacrosse, wrestling and even baseball, if you play a sport where contact is possible, you should wear a mouth guard to protect your teeth. Here in New York, NY, Dr. Lloyd Becker can provide you with a custom mouth guard to protect your jaw, cheeks, teeth, tongue and lips.

Mouth guards are essential for protecting your teeth and jaw against structural damage and your tongue and lips against lacerations. They have also been known to decrease the risk of concussions during sports.

While you can buy mouth guards in most sporting goods stores, you should be wary of these. They can be ill-fitting and uncomfortable and unlikely to offer you the best level of protection. If you want to protect your mouth during sports, a custom mouth guard from Dr. Becker offers the highest level of protection. Created specifically for you, mouth guards from Maiden Lane Dental are made with a thin plastic that is hardened after being custom fit to your mouth. Its thinness allows you to breathe easier, which is important when playing team sports.

To ensure that you perform at your best and are protected on the field, rink or court, schedule an appointment with our office by calling 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.  

Maiden Lane Dental Performs Teeth Extractions

If decay has reached too deeply into one of your teeth or if an infection has damaged too much of the bone or tissue supporting a tooth, you will be in need of a tooth extraction. At Maiden Lane Dental, Dr. Lloyd Becker can help you restore your oral health by performing a tooth extraction.

Before the procedure is performed, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area around the extraction site. During a simple extraction, the tooth is loosened with an elevator and then extracted with forceps. Once removed, Dr. Becker may choose to smooth and contour the underlying bone. Then the gums are sutured.

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, Dr. Becker can determine if a tooth extraction is required to save your smile. Schedule an appointment at our practice in New York, NY by calling 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

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.